For the second time in four years, the Rams are headed to the Super Bowl.
Led by Matthew Stafford under center and a run-stopping defense, the Rams closed the NFC Championship Game with 13 unanswered points to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17.
Up next are the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on February 13.
Stafford, who threw for 337 yards, took over with 6:49 to play in a 17-17 ballgame. He calmly marched the ball down the length of the field, hitting all five of his pass attempts on the drive and setting up kicker Matt Gay for the eventual game-winning field goal from 30 yards out.
The Rams, who had trailed by 10 points at one point in the 4th quarter, cemented the victory by forcing 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo into a game-clinching interception. Facing pressure from elite pass rusher Aaron Donald, Garoppolo was forced out of the pocket and slung an ill-advised pass attempt toward running back JaMycal Hasty. Hasty was unable to corral the wild toss and it ultimately bounced into the waiting arms of Rams linebacker Travin Howard, ending San Francisco’s attack and crowning the Rams NFC champs.
Los Angeles got another monster game from star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who caught 11 balls for 142 yards and hauled in both of Stafford’s TD tosses. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was also fantastic in the Rams’ passing game, finishing with nine catches and 142 yards. LA’s defense, meanwhile, limited San Francisco to just 50 yards rushing.
Throughout much of the game, the Rams seemed to be controlling the action, despite trailing on the scoreboard at halftime (10-7) and following the third quarter (17-7). They dominated time of possession (35:39 to 24:21), outgained the 49ers 396 yards to 282, and secured more first downs (25 to 16).
The win snaps what had been six straight head-to-head victories by San Francisco against Los Angels, and sends head coach Sean McVay and the Rams back to the Super Bowl. In 2019, LA fell 13-3 to Tom Brady and the Patriots in what remains the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
This year’s game, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on February 13, will mark the second time in as many years that the Super Bowl will be played on the home field of one of the participants. A year ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium.
Under pressure on the 3rd and 13 from his 22-yard line, 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw one up for grabs that ended up in the hands of the Rams’ Travin Howard.
The interception sealed the victory for Los Angeles, 20-17.
The Rams will face the Cincinnati Bengals in two weeks in Super Bowl LVI on February 13.
The Rams are now in front, 20-17, with 1:46 left to play after kicker Matt Gay connected from 30 yards to take the lead.
On a critical 3rd down with three yards to go from the 49ers’ 37-yard line, quarterback Matthew Stafford found his favorite target, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, on a short pass over the middle.
Kupp cut through the San Francisco secondary to pick up 25 yards before being downed at the 12-yard line. A Stafford sack pushed the Rams back to the 20-yard line and forced 3rd and 18. Stafford found Kupp again but he couldn’t pick up the yardage, forcing the field goal attempt.
Kupp leads all Rams receivers with 11 receptions for 142 yards.
We’re all tied up with just 6:49 left on the clock after a Matt Gay 40-yard field goal knotted the NFC Championship Game at 17.
Earlier in the possession, Niners safety Jaquiski Tartt let an easy interception slip through his hands. Then, on the next play, Rams QB Matthew Stafford connected with Odell Beckham for a 29-yard pass. The refs tacked on another 15 yards because of a Jimmie Ward unnecessary roughness penalty for helmet-to-helmet contact.
Rams coach Sean McVay challenged the ruling on the field that 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk was down before he lost the ball on a 3rd down run.
The ruling on the field was upheld, and because McVay’s challenge failed, the Rams lost a timeout. They’re now left with no timeouts with 10 minutes still left on the game clock in the 4th.
It’s shaping up to be yet another 2022 NFL postseason nail-biter.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford found receiver Cooper Kupp for the second time tonight, this one from 11 yards out, for a touchdown to narrow the score to 17-14 49ers.
One thing to watch: The Rams are down to their final timeout, but the 49ers have all three of theirs.
The Rams had 2nd and 1 to go for the first down in 49ers’ territory. But the Niners’ D came up with three big stops — including on a Matthew Stafford quarterback sneak on 4th down with less than a yard to go — to force a turnover on downs.
That allowed San Francisco to take over near midfield on their own 43-yard line, and soon after, Jimmy Garoppolo found George Kittle in the end zone from 16 yards out to make it a two-possession game.
It’s now 17-7 49ers late in the 3rd quarter.
Early in the third quarter of the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers are clinging to a thin three-point lead, 10-7.
However, on every place other than the scoreboard, the Rams are clearly in control.
Here are some key stats midway through the 3rd quarter:
49ers kicker Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal to give his team the lead heading into halftime.
The kick capped an eight-play, 36-yard drive after the Niners took over with good field position late in the second quarter.
It’s 10-7 San Francisco. The 49ers will get the ball back after the break.
Rams kicker Matt Gay missed a 54-yard field goal late in the first half, a key opportunity to retake the lead following a 49ers touchdown.
Gay’s kick sailed wide right, the final play on a drive that took 12 plays and ate up 4:20 of clock, but yielded zero points.
It’s 7-7 as the 2nd quarter winds down.
As the AFC title game’s overtime period was about to kick off, the star quarterback for the eliminated Buffalo Bills took to Twitter and simply wrote, “pain.”
Some context: The Bills were eliminated last week in a dramatic back-and-forth battle by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Buffalo had the lead with just 13 seconds on the clock before the Chiefs tied it up at the end of regulation.
Having won the coin toss at the beginning of overtime, Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for a walk-off touchdown on the first possession of extra time.
Kansas City Chiefs 42, Buffalo Bills 36 — an instant classic that’ll be remembered for years to come. However, for some, the game’s ending left something of a sour taste.
Such are the rules of overtime in the NFL. Allen and his red-hot offense never got the chance to reply, annoying many neutral spectators.
Some called it the “worst rule in sports,” while others jokingly called for President Joe Biden to step in and fix the rule.
And while Allen, shortly after suffering the crushing defeat, was magnanimous about the current overtime rules, it has raised the question about whether both teams should be given the opportunity to score in overtime.
Read more about NFL overtime here.
Electric 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel put together a jaw-dropping touchdown to get San Francisco on the board and tie the game at 7-7.
Samuel was second in the NFL this season with 779 yards after the catch — only his opponent in tonight’s game, Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, had more with 846 —and that skill was clearly on display during his second-quarter score. Samuel took a short toss from 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and galloped 44 yards through traffic and into the end zone.
It’s 7-7 as we approach the 2:00 warning in Los Angeles.
The home team gets on the board first.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford found his star wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. The score capped off an 18-play, 97-yard drive.
LA took almost 10 minutes off the clock with the possession. Rams lead the Niners 7-0 in the second quarter.
The NFC Championship Game is scoreless here in the 2nd quarter.
Cornerback Jimmie Ward is off to a fast start for San Francisco, registering three early tackles and an end-zone interception of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Despite having nothing to show for it, Los Angeles dominated time of possession in the opening stanza, controlling the football for 9:45. The Rams also have six first downs as compared to the 49ers’ two, while Los Angeles also more than doubled San Francisco’s total yardage in the first quarter, 95-40.
Tonight’s NFC Championship Game marks the second meeting this month between these two California-based rivals, as the 49ers knocked off the Rams 27-24 in Week 18 to close out the regular season.
49ers free safety Jimmie Ward grabbed a deflected pass in the end zone for the first turnover of the game.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford drove his team 64 yards down the field before the interception. Niners take over with under 7:00 left in the first quarter. Still scoreless at SoFi.
Earlier this season, Ward picked off Stafford twice in the 1st quarter when the teams met in Week 10.
We’ve barely had time to catch our breath from Cincinnati’s stunning overtime win in the first game of the day! But here we go, kicking off in a few minutes: the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game at 6:30 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The winner will meet the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, which is also being played at SoFi Stadium on February 13.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ unlikely playoff run will include a chance to capture the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl title.
A heroic effort by the Bengals’ defense in the second half, a steady performance by quarterback Joe Burrow and more postseason magic from kicker Evan McPherson led Cincinnati to upset Patrick Mahomes and the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime on Sunday.
The Bengals will play either the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. The NFC championship game is currently underway.
Early on, it seemed as though the Chiefs were simply too strong for the visiting Bengals, scoring touchdowns on the team’s first three offensive possessions and opening up a commanding 21-3 lead.
However, despite trailing 21-10 at halftime, Cincinnati emerged from the locker room with renewed spirit, holding Kansas City scoreless for 29:57 minutes, in the process scoring 21 unanswered points to open a 24-21 lead.
On the final possession of regulation, Mahomes and the Chiefs got the ball on their own 35, and then proceeded to march the length of the field, getting as close as the Cincinnati 4-yard line. The drive stalled, however, as Mahomes was sacked on third down, precariously fumbling in the process.
Kansas City recovered the fumble, setting up Harrison Butker for the game-tying, 44-yard field as time expired. The Chiefs won the coin toss to begin overtime with possession, but a timely interception by Bengals safety Vonn Bell set up the winning drive for Cincinnati, which was completed when McPherson nailed a 31-yard field goal to end it.
Second-year Cincinnati signal-caller Burrow was in command in the extra session, calmly directing the Bengals on the eventual game-winning drive. On the afternoon, Burrow was 23-38 for 250 yards, tossing a pair of second-half TDs against one interception.
Mahomes, meanwhile, was magical in the first half before sputtering after the break. Seeking a third straight Super Bowl appearance, Mahomes finished 26-39 for 275 yards, with a trio of first-half touchdown passes and a pair of second-half interceptions, including the costly one in overtime.
The Cincinnati Bengals will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
Bengals safety Vonn Bell made a clutch interception on a deep pass from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in overtime. Cincinnati took over at their own 45-yard line and drove deep into Kansas City territory to the Chiefs’ 13-yard line before bringing out kicker Evan McPherson to seal the deal.
McPherson, who has been perfect on field goals in the postseason, nailed the 31-yard attempt to win the game 27-24 and send his team to the Super Bowl.
After Cincinnati took its first lead of the game, Patrick Mahomes marched the Chiefs 84 yards right back down the field to tie the game as time ran out in regulation.
On 3rd and 2 deep in Cincy’s red zone, the Chiefs picked up a massive first down. But three plays later, Mahomes lost the ball on a fumble and was lucky one of his teammates jumped on it. The Chiefs lost 15 yards on the play, forcing kicker Harrison Butker to nail a 44-yard field goal attempt to tie the game at 24 as time expired in the 4th quarter.
Those were the first points KC put on the board in the second half, and they won the coin flip to start overtime with possession.
Cincinnati is now leading at Arrowhead after scoring 21 unanswered points.
On 3rd and 6 deep in his own territory, Bengals QB Joe Burrow somehow evaded the Chiefs’ D-line as they closed in for the sack and scrambled to pick up the first down. Just three plays later, facing 3rd and 7, Burrow again used his legs to pick up the first.
The Cincinnati signal-caller has run the ball himself on 3rd down four times so far today. He’s picked up the first down every time.
The drive stalled out at the Chiefs’ 35-yard line, though. Bengals’ kicker Evan McPherson hit his third field goal of the game from 52 yards to give the visitors the lead. McPherson is now 11 for 11 kicking in the playoffs this year.
