USAT: Rams Wire
If we learned anything about the Rams this season, particularly in the playoffs, it’s that they’re never truly out of a game. With Matthew Stafford at quarterback and a defense that just makes plays in big moments, the Rams found ways to overcome deficits in order to win games. - That’s exactly what they did against the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI – and in the NFC Championship Game when they came back from 10 points down to beat the 49ers. - At one point in Sunday’s game, the Rams had a 91% chance to beat the Bengals after going up 13-3 in the first half, according to Next Gen Stats. They looked well on their way to victory, but Cincinnati didn’t go away and actually took a 20-13 lead early in the second half. But even after Evan McPherson’s 38-yard field goal to put the Bengals up 20-13, the Rams still had a 42% chance of winning. - It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter that the Rams’ win probability sunk to its lowest point in the game. When Joe Burrow hit Chris Evans for a 3-yard gain on third-and-2 with 8:01 in the fourth, the Rams only had a 21% chance to beat the Bengals. - - The Rams were down 20-16 at the time but the defense stood tall and forced a punt on that drive, which put Los Angeles’ win probability at 36% with 6:23 left before its game-winning drive. - Cooper Kupp’s 22-yard reception with 3:06 brought the Rams’ chances up to 50% and after Kupp’s touchdown, they rose to 74%. The defense still needed to make a stop, which it did, but the Bengals had a chance until Burrow’s pass on fourth-and-1 fell incomplete. - The Rams’ offense came through with a game-winning drive and the defense stepped up to make the biggest stop of the season, securing the win. - - List - - Studs and duds from Rams' Super Bowl LVI win over Bengals - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Rams Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Rams Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.