I don’t do many sports blogs but, today’s an exception. Imagine how different my life would be if I did though. I love talking about style and fashion on here and this journey has been a great one for me. Anyway, onto today’s blog post.
Congratulations goes out to the Los Angeles Rams for their win in Super Bowl LVI. To Penn Hills and Pitt defensive lineman Aaron Donald who did us proud with his performance. To quarterback Matthew Stafford who finally got a ring after so many frustrating seasons and many losses in Detroit. To Sean McVay, the youngest coach next to Mike Tomlin to win a Super Bowl and, the right man for the job in Los Angeles.
Sean McVay took over the head coaching role in 2017 after the Rams went through years of coaching ineptitude since the Greatest Show on Turf. Mike Martz eventually flamed out after leading the Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI, Scott Linehan and Steve Spagnuolo coached the Rams through one of the darkest stretches in NFL history, and Jeff Fisher didn’t really capitalize on his Tennessee success before getting fired in 2016.
McVay’s first Rams team went 11-5 and had fans noticing. Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and Cooper Kupp (who was the NFL leader in receiving yards in 2021 and Super Bowl LVI MVP). The Rams won their first division title since 2003 and Sean McVay won Coach of the Year honors for the Rams turnaround. Unfortunately, the Rams came up short and fell to the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round.
2018 was much better as the Rams raced to an 8-0 start and won 11 of their first 12 games cementing themselves as a Super Bowl favorite. The Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs played one of the highest scoring Monday night games just before Thanksgiving with the Rams winning 54-51. The Rams finished 13-3 and tied the New Orleans Saints for best record in the NFC and in the NFL. New Orleans won the top seed due to their week 9 victory, 45-35.
Both Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks had thousand yard receiving seasons, and Aaron Donald led the team and league with 20.5 sacks. The Rams defeated the Cowboys 30-22 in the divisional playoff round thanks to a great running game. They also pulled off a 26-23 overtime win in the NFC championship game that will forever be known for the no-call that to this day devastated Saints fans. It’s still a mystery how this team only put up three points in the worst Super Bowl ever played.
Matthew Stafford was the right man for the job when the Rams traded him for Jared Goff in the 2021 offseason. The 2009 top pick put up great numbers in Detroit but didn’t have much success (or playoff wins). I imagine his career would have been wasted if not for the trade or if Matt Millen would have been involved.
Stafford threw 41 touchdown passes and for almost 4,900 yards (his career best was over 5,000 in Detroit in 2011). I was worried after the Rams lost three straight following the 7-1 start that they would have fallen apart but they won five straight before falling to the 49ers in Week 18. They kept it together and clinched the division over sputtering Arizona.
Stafford beat Tom Brady twice, both in the regular season and in the postseason. The divisional playoff matchup was epic as Tampa Bay nearly came back from a 27-3 deficit but the Rams held on for a 30-27 win. You can’t be comfortable like that against the NFL’s GOAT.
After coming back to beat the 49ers the next week, Sean McVay’s Rams clinched their second Super Bowl berth in four years. They were favored to win over the Cincinnati Bengals. I’ll cover Cincy tomorrow.
The Super Bowl would feature two top picks at quarterback in Stafford and Joe Burrow, two of the youngest head coaches in the league in Sean McVay and Zac Taylor, and two local football stars in Aaron Donald and Tyler Boyd.
After three lackluster Super Bowls in a row, and the worst one ever played in Super Bowl LVIII, this one was one of the best I’ve ever seen. The halftime performance brought me back to my college and high school years with Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige. The best performance I’ve seen in a Super Bowl in some time. Next year, get a country music artist for the halftime show.
The Rams struck first but the Bengals took the lead in the third quarter and it looked like Cincy had this game in the bag until the end. Stafford to Cooper Kupp with 1:25 left sealed it. Kupp’s eight catches for 92 yards and 2 TD’s sealed his Super Bowl MVP. Aaron Donald brings a Super Bowl ring home to Penn Hills, and Von Miller wins his second ring (he won in Denver back in Super Bowl L and was their MVP when the Broncos’ defense led the way to victory).
If last year’s Super Bowl win taught me anything, it’s that line play is important. It’s the reason why Tampa Bay was the champion and not Kansas City. The Rams’ seven sacks (four from veterans Aaron Donald and Von Miller) led the way. If Cincy is to be successful in getting back to the Super Bowl in 2022, then the offensive line needs to be shored up.
Congrats Los Angeles on your first super bowl win since Marcus Allen ran over Washington in the 1983 Super Bowl in Tampa. Congratulations Cincinnati on getting back to the big game for the first time since 1988 when the Ickey Shuffle was popular. Best of luck doing it again next year. Also congratulations on winning a playoff game for the first time since 1990. The Rams can bask in their championship and celebrate like the Lakers and the Dodgers in sports’ second biggest market.
Stylish 🍒 