BY: Milton Westry
February 13 was an exciting event for NFL fans: Superbowl 56. The game featured two underdogs in playoffs battling for the Lombardi trophy: the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. It also featured new commercials and a halftime music performance. The halftime performance included Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. This game was played in the L.A. Rams stadium. The game was close and competitive. The game ended in the home favorites, the L.A. Rams, winning by a score of 23-20. This is the second time that a team has won the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won on their home turf, beating the Kansas City Chiefs.
The L.A. Rams scored the first two touchdowns of the game, with Matthew Stafford throwing touchdown passes to Odell Beckham Jr. and Cooper Kupp. The Bengals scored their points in the first half by kicking a field goal and throwing a trick pass for their first touchdown of the game. The score was 13-10 by halftime, with the Rams up. Within about a minute into the third quarter, the Bengals took the lead-off after quarterback Joe Burrow threw a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins. The Bengals later kicked a field goal after Matthew Stafford of the L.A. Rams threw an interception, which also happened within the start of the third quarter. The Rams only score in the third quarter was a field goal. The score was 20-16 in the fourth quarter, with the Bengals up.
Late in the fourth quarter, Matthew Stafford found a way to lead the Rams to a victory without one of his best receivers on the field— Odell Beckham Jr. suffered an ACL injury in the first half. In the last minute of the game, Stafford threw a touchdown pass to his other best receiver, Cooper Kupp, to give the Rams a three-point lead. The best defensive tackle in the NFL, Aaron Donald, sacked Joe Burrow to end the game. The MVP of the game was Copper Kupp, who had 92 yards in receiving and two crucial touchdown passes to help seal the game for the Rams. Overall, the Super Bowl was exciting and entertaining for football and non-football fans.