The Los Angeles Rams earned a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals during Super Bowl LVI February 13.  The Rams won with a final score of 23 to 20 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.  This is the Rams’ second time winning the Super Bowl, reprising their 2000 win against the Tennessee Titans.  Mr. Marshall “Eminem” Bruce Mathers III, Mr. Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Cordozar Broadus, Ms. Mary J. Blige, Mr. Kendrick Lamar, and Mr. Andre “Dr. Dre” Romelle Young performed the Super Bowl LVI halftime show.

The Bengals lost the 1988 Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers.  Since 1999, the team has not won a playoff game, according to sports.nbcsports.com.  The Bengals defeated 2020 Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game January 30.  The Bengals won the game in overtime 27 to 24 with a 31-yard field goal on the second possession, according to The Washington Post.

The Rams lost the 2019 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, according to sportingnews.com.  The team won against the 49ers in the National Football Conference (NFC) championship game with a score of 20 to 17 January 30.  In the fourth quarter, the Rams made a comeback after a ten-point deficit, according to The Washington Post.  Rams wide receiver Mr. Cooper Kupp began the game with 142 yards, and with his 11 catches, he scored two touchdowns, according to The Washington Post.

Similar to the 2020 Super Bowl, attendees over the age of five had to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or provide a negative COVID-19 test.  Additionally, audience members over the age of two followed masks requirements to prevent the spread of coronavirus, according to nfl.com.   SoFi Stadium operated at full capacity with 70,240 football fans on Super Bowl Sunday, according to latimes.com.

Ms. Jhené Aiko kicked off the sporting event with a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”  Following Ms. Aiko’s performance, Ms. Mickey Guyton sang the National Anthem of the United States, according to The Washington Post.

After the Rams lost the coin toss the Bengals decided to defer.  In the first quarter, the Bengals took their first offensive possession of the game, allowing the Rams to seize the ball according to sports.nbcsports.com.  Mr. Matthew Stafford threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mr. Odell Beckham Jr., scoring a touchdown in the first 20 minutes of the game.  The Bengals came back with Mr. Ja’Marr Chase catching a 46-yard pass putting the team on the 11-yard line.  Mr. Evan McPherson kicked a 29-yard field goal, setting the score 13 to 3, according to sports.nbcsports.com.

The Bengals made advances by the second quarter with a six-yard touchdown scored from a pass from Mr. Joe Mixon to Mr. Tee Higgins, according to sports.nbcsports.com.  The Bengals intercepted a pass from Mr. Stafford to Mr. Van Jefferson in the end zone.  At the conclusion of the first half, the Rams maintained their lead with a score of 13 to 10, according to sports.nbcsports.com.

During the halftime show, the featured performers shared the stage with guest artists, Mr. Curtis “50 Cent” James Jackson III and Mr. Brandon “Anderson. .Paak,” according to espn.com.  The show included a diverse variety of songs from each performer. 

Snoop Dogg sang “The Next Episode” and “California Love,” with accompaniment from Dr. Dre, according to sports.nbcsports.com.  Ms. Blige performed her songs, “Family Affair” and “No More Drama,” following guest performer 50 Cent.  Mr. Lamar joined the artists, singing his songs, “M.a.a.D City” and “Alright.”  Eminem performed his hit song, “Lose Yourself” and concluded the halftime show alongside the other artists singing, “Still D.R.E.,” according to sports.nbcsports.com.

Junior Elsa Latrille enjoyed watching the halftime show.  She believes it enhanced the sporting event and highlighted the elements she enjoyed most in the performance.

“I really liked the lighting and the outfits for the dancers,” Elsa said.  “I thought it was cool to see multiple artists who have contributed so much to the music industry perform together on one stage.”

In the third quarter, the Bengals took the lead on the scoreboard as Mr. Joseph Burrow made a 75-yard touchdown pass to Mr. Higgins, according to sports.nbcsports.com.  Mr. McPherson kicked the field goal setting the score to 20 to 13.  Mr. Kupp threw a pass to Mr. Stafford resulting in an unsuccessful play, allowing the Rams to kick a field goal.  The Ram’s seventh sack of the game resulted in Mr. Burrow leaving the field with a knee injury, according to sports.nbcsports.com.

By the end of the Super Bowl LVI, Mr. Stafford made a pass to Mr. Kupp from the one-yard line.  The Rams ultimately won the game with a score of 23 to 20 on their home field, according to sports.nbcsports.com.  After the game, Mr. Kupp spoke about the arduous competition and elaborated on the effort it took to gain back the lead from the Bengals.

“I do not feel deserving of this,” Mr. Kupp said, according to foxsports.com.  “The guys standing here challenged me.  They pushed me.  I am just so grateful.”

Featured Image by Lindsay Benza ’23