Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference champion Cincinnati Bengals 23–20. The game was played on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the home stadium of the Rams, marking the second consecutive and second overall Super Bowl with a team playing and winning in its home stadium.
The Rams' victory was their second overall, first as a Los Angeles-based team, and first since winning 1999's Super Bowl XXXIV when they were based in St. Louis. Finishing with a 12–5 record, the Rams reached their fifth Super Bowl appearance after acquiring veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had not won a playoff game in his previous 12 years with the Detroit Lions. The Bengals, who finished with a 10–7 record, were seeking their first Super Bowl title following several decades of losing seasons and playoff struggles. They won their first playoff game since 1990, ending the longest drought in the four major North American sports, en route to their third Super Bowl appearance and first since 1988's Super Bowl XXIII. Each team finished the regular season as their respective conference's 4-seed, making this the first Super Bowl without a top-3 seed since seeding was introduced in.
The game had three lead changes and was mostly kept within a one-possession margin. Los Angeles led 13–10 at halftime, but the Bengals scored 10 straight points on their first two drives in the third quarter. Trailing 20–16 in the fourth, the Rams scored a touchdown to retake the lead with under two minutes remaining and stopped Cincinnati's final drive on downs. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who converted a fourth down on the Rams' final drive and scored the game-winning touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.
NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LVI was the second-most watched in the game's history, marking a shift from several years of declining ratings. Seen by an average of 112.3 million total viewers on both NBC and its streaming platforms, the game's ratings were up 8% from the previous Super Bowl.
Background
Host selection process
In contrast to most previous Super Bowls, no traditional bids were accepted for the hosting of Super Bowl LVI. The hosting duties for LIII, LIV, and LV were drawn from a pool of four candidates during the NFL owners' meeting on May 24, 2016:- Atlanta – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Miami – Hard Rock Stadium
- Los Angeles – SoFi Stadium
- Tampa – Raymond James Stadium
About a year later, on May 18, 2017, developers announced that record rainfall in the Los Angeles area had postponed the completion of SoFi Stadium. It was originally scheduled to open in time for the 2019 season, but would now be delayed until 2020. As a result, at the NFL owners' meetings in Chicago on May 23, 2017, Super Bowl LV was pulled from Los Angeles, and reassigned to runner-up Tampa. At the same time, Los Angeles was awarded Super Bowl LVI, the next game available, and no other cities were considered. It would be the first Super Bowl in the greater Los Angeles area since XXVII was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and the eighth all-time.
The official logo for the game was unveiled on February 9, 2021, maintaining the standard design used since Super Bowl LI, but introducing sunset-themed designs reflecting the landscape of the host city/region within the traditional Roman numerals.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
In early January 2022, it was reported that AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was being considered as an alternate site for the game as a contingency plan due to an increase of COVID-19 infections in California attributed to the Omicron variant. The stadium last hosted Super Bowl XLV in 2011. However, the NFL later confirmed on January 13 that the game would remain at SoFi Stadium, as the NFL saw an increased interest in the potential of the Rams playing a home Super Bowl game.Attendance at the game was not limited, unlike Super Bowl LV in 2021, which was played with an audience at 37% of the capacity. Fans who went to the Super Bowl festivities prior to the game and those who attended the Super Bowl received a free KN95 mask. Per Los Angeles County public health orders, those attending the game were required to show proof of vaccination, a negative PCR test that was taken within 48 hours, or a negative antigen test that was taken within 24 hours. The proof of vaccination requirement had been implemented for large outdoor events in Los Angeles County since October 2021.
Those requesting media accreditation for the Super Bowl and playoffs were required to be fully vaccinated and have received at least one booster dose of vaccine.
Teams
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams finished the 2021 season with a record under fifth-year head coach Sean McVay. This was their fifth Super Bowl appearance, third as a Los Angeles–based team, and second under McVay. The franchise held a 1–3 Super Bowl record prior to the game, winning Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999 as the St. Louis Rams. They also won two pre-Super Bowl era championships in 1945 as the Cleveland Rams and 1951 during their first stint in Los Angeles.After the Rams lost 2018's Super Bowl LIII, quarterback Jared Goff suffered a decline in production, which led to tension between Goff and McVay. Ahead of the 2021 season, the Rams traded Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for 12-year veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. Selected first overall by the Lions in the 2009 NFL draft, Stafford held an 0–3 playoff record, but ranked in the top 20 of major passing categories and was considered more suited to Los Angeles' offense. The team made another significant acquisition midway through the season when they traded a second- and third-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller. A few weeks later, they signed free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl selection, after he was released by the Cleveland Browns.
The Rams offense ranked ninth in yards and tied with the Bengals for eighth in points scored. Stafford had career highs in touchdowns and completion percentage, although he led the league in interceptions. He also set franchise records for single-season pass completions and passing yards, while tying the passing touchdowns record. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp became the fourth NFL player and first since 2005 to obtain the receiving triple crown by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. The Offensive Player of the Year, his receiving yards and receptions were both the second-most in a season. Kupp was joined by wide receiver Van Jefferson, who had 802 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, and tight end Tyler Higbee, who had 560 receiving yards. Beckham added 537 yards and 5 touchdowns, helping fill the absence of the injured Robert Woods. The team's leading rusher at 845 yards was running back Sony Michel, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots after Cam Akers missed most of the regular season with an Achilles tendon injury. Akers returned to the active roster ahead of the playoffs. Running back Darrell Henderson added 688 rushing yards until he was injured in Week 16, although he was able to return for the Super Bowl. The Rams' offensive line was led by 16-year veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth, who spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals.
Defensively, the Rams ranked 17th in yards allowed and 15th in points allowed. Named to the Pro Bowl were defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who led the team in sacks, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, whose 4 interceptions were tied with safety Taylor Rapp for the most on the team. Linebacker Leonard Floyd complemented Donald with 9.5 sacks and Miller had 5 sacks after joining the team. The safety tandem of Rapp and Jordan Fuller had the most solo and combined tackles for the Rams, respectively. After an injury in the regular season finale forced Fuller to miss the playoffs, Los Angeles signed six-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle out of retirement, who last played for the Rams in 2019. On special teams, placekicker Matt Gay earned Pro Bowl honors after leading the league in field goal percentage.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals finished the season with a record under third-year head coach Zac Taylor.This was their third Super Bowl appearance, following 1981's Super Bowl XVI and 1988's Super Bowl XXIII. After losing both, the Bengals saw little success and had not won a playoff game since the 1990 season, which was the longest active drought in the four major North American sports.
Entering the 2021 season, the Bengals were considered unlikely to make the Super Bowl. They finished the previous three seasons at the bottom of the AFC North and had not made the playoffs since 2015. Cincinnati was also only two years removed from a league-worst 2–14 record during Taylor's first season. This finish granted the Bengals the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft, which they used to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow posted strong numbers as a rookie, but won only two games before his season was cut short by a knee injury. In the following year's draft, Cincinnati used the fifth overall pick on wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who was Burrow's teammate at LSU. The team also drafted placekicker Evan McPherson in the fifth round. On defense, the Bengals signed free agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who was coming off a breakout season with the New Orleans Saints. Defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and B. J. Hill were also acquired through free agency and a trade with the New York Giants, respectively.
The reunion of Burrow and Chase brought success to the Bengals, whose offense went from 29th in yards and points scored the previous season to 13th in yards and eighth in points scored. In his first full season, Burrow led the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt, despite also leading the league in sacks taken. He set the season franchise records for passing yards and touchdowns, along with the franchise record for single-game passing yards, and was named Comeback Player of the Year. Chase was fourth in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns, both of which led the AFC. The Offensive Rookie of the Year, his receiving yards were the most for a rookie in the Super Bowl era and he set the rookie record for receiving yards in a game. Complementing Chase was wide receiver Tee Higgins, who obtained 1,091 receiving yards, making the Bengals one of only five teams with two 1,000 yard-receivers. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd further bolstered the receiving corps with 828 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Tight end C. J. Uzomah, who missed most of the previous year with a torn Achilles, had a breakout season by setting career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns. Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon was third in the NFL in rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns, while also recording 314 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns.
Cincinnati's defense was 18th in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed. Hendrickson ranked fifth in sacks, earning him his first Pro Bowl selection. Rounding out the defensive line, Hill had 5.5 sacks and 50 combined tackles, Ogunjobi had 7 sacks and 49 combined tackles, and defensive end Sam Hubbard had 7.5 sacks and 62 combined tackles. Linebacker Logan Wilson led the team in interceptions and combined tackles, while safety Jessie Bates had the most solo tackles. McPherson, who was named to the 2021 PFWA All-Rookie Team, set the franchise records for the most 50-yard field goals converted in a season and the longest field goal converted.