Los Angeles Rams Pull a Comeback, Knock Off the Bengals

The Los Angeles Rams leaned on their defense to pull off a Super Bowl win at home, and it was the tandem of quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp that put an exclamation on it.

The Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20, on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium.

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth—both who will likely be in the Hall of Fame one day—perhaps played their last games on Sunday night.

Stafford got his first Super Bowl championship with the win.

Bengals Take Lead Into Fourth Quarter

The Cincinnati Bengals took a 20-16 lead into the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game.

The Bengals are looking for their first Super Bowl win of all-time.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who is in his second season as a pro, is looking to become the first quarterback to ever win a Heisman Trophy, a college national championship and a Super Bowl title. Burrow could do it in a three-year window.

Bengals Roar Back, Take Lead Over Rams

The Cincinnati Bengals scored a touchdown and drilled a field goal to take a lead early in the third quarter. The Bengals scored on a 75-yard touchdown on a pass from Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins to take their lead, then tacked on an extra point and subsequent field goal.

The Rams booted a field goal midway through the third quarter to make the score tighter.

Third quarter
Cincinnati 20, L.A. Rams 16

Super Bowl Live Updates: Rams Lead at Halftime, OBJ Injured

The Bengals scored their first touchdown of the game when running back Joe Mixon tossed a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins for 6 yards to slice the Rams lead to 13-10.

Rams receiver Odell Beckman Jr. was injured on the ensuing drive, dropping to the ground while grasping his knee as he dropped a pass into his chest.

Beckman's status is unknown going into the second half.

The Bengals will receive the ball to start the second half.

Halftime
L.A. Rams 13, Cincinnati 10

Rams Extend Lead With a Usual Connection

The Rams extended their lead to 14-3 after quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown strike to receiver Cooper Kupp for 11 yards early in the second quarter.

The Rams failed on their extra-point attempt, which lost a point for Los Angeles.

2nd Quarter, 12:51
L.A. Rams 13, Cincinnati 3

Bengals Respond With Big Play From Burrow to Chase

The Cincinnati Bengals had a good response to Los Angeles scoring a touchdown. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow found receiver Ja'Marr Chase for a 46-yard pass, setting up Cincinnati for a field goal.

The Rams got the ball back, but let the clock run down as the first quarter ended.

For those playing squares and having the numbers 3 and 7, it worked out well.

End of 1st quarter
L.A. Rams 7, Bengals 3

Rams Strike First With Touchdown Pass

The Los Angeles Rams got on the scoreboard first Sunday night when Matthew Stafford connected with Odell Beckham Jr. for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

This came after the Bengals missed a fourth down attempt near midfield on their first drive of the game.

The Rams, who went three-and-out on their first drive, stopped the Bengals on that team's second drive of the game.

L.A. Rams 7, Bengals 0
6:22, 1st quarter

Super Bowl Live Updates: Billie Jean King Heads Coin Toss, Bengals Win

Tennis legend Billie Jean King flipped the coin toss to get Sunday's game started. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford chose tails, but it landed as heads.

The Cincinnati Bengals deferred their choice to the second half, and the Rams will take the ball to start the game. It's not a bad thing for the Rams, though.

The team that won the last seven coin tosses in the Super Bowl eventually lost the game.

The last team to win both the coin toss and the game was the Seattle Seahawks, who defeated the Denver Broncos, 43-8, in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.

Winning the Coin Toss Not Always a Good Thing, Recent History Says

Every team wants to win the coin toss in football, from junior high all the way to the pros. The team who wins the coin toss can choose to receive the ball or defer their decision to the second half.

Winning the coin toss doesn't mean a team has an automatic advantage, though. Take the last seven Super Bowls, for example. The team that won the last seven coin tosses in the Super Bowl eventually lost the game.

The last team to win both the coin toss and the game was the Seattle Seahawks, who defeated the Denver Broncos, 43-8, in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.

President Joe Biden Reveals Which QB He "Loves" in This Game

President Joe Biden sat down with NBC's Lester Holt for the annual presidential interview prior to the Super Bowl game, which is conducted by the news team of the network hosting that year's game.

Biden was asked which team he liked, Cincinnati or Los Angeles, on Sunday.

"Well, my teams are out," Biden responded. "I love this young quarterback [Joe Burrow] from Cincinnati. He's an Ohio boy can make everybody happy. But I also think Los Angeles is gonna be hard to beat."

Burrow entered the stadium in a flashy suit and hat that had social media buzzing on Sunday, probably unaware of the president's remarks.

Matthew Stafford, who played high school ball in Texas before playing college football at Georgia, is the quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams.

Biden, who was a receiver in his high school days, had his first Super Bowl interview last year and was asked if he preferred to catch passes from Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady ahead of the Chiefs-Buccaneers game in Tampa. Biden said he preferred Mahomes because of youth over experience. Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wound up winning the Super Bowl over Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Announcers for the Game — TV and National Radio

NBC, Peacock and Telemundo will broadcast the game this year as the Super Bowl rotates between the national networks. CBS had the game last year and Fox had it in 2020.

The TV announcers for NBC will be Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Cris Collinsworth (color analyst) in the booth. Michele Tafoya and Kathryn Tappen will be the field reporters. The rules analyst for NBC will be Terry McAulay.

This will be the 11th Super Bowl for Michaels, which ties Pat Sumrall for the most ever. It's the fifth Super Bowl broadcast for both Collinsworth and Tafoya.

Telemundo will have the first-ever Spanish TV broadcast of the game with legendary soccer announcer Andrés Cantor in the lead.

Radio announcers for Westwood One will be Kevin Harlan and Kurt Warner in the booth with Laura Okmin and Mike Golic as field reporters.

The game can be heard on radio as well:
SIRIUS: 82 (LAR), 85 (Cin.), 88 (National)
XM: 226 (LAR), 225 (Cin.), 88 (National)
SXM App: 818 (LAR), 806 (Cin.)

Who's Playing the Halftime Show This Year?

There will be a star-studded halftime show for this year's Super Bowl in Los Angeles. A quintet of artists will take the stage together for what's been a highly-anticipated event.

The artists induce Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.

"I'm extremely excited to share the stage with my friends for the #PepsiHalftime Show. This will introduce the next saga of my career... Bigger and Better than Ever!!!" Dr. Dre wrote on Instagram.

Joe Burrow's Postseason Career Since High School

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been impressive in postseason as a starter ever since he left high school. When he was a three-year starter for the Athens Bulldogs in Ohio, he led his team to the playoffs each season. He made it to the state championship game his senior year in 2014, but the Bulldogs lost, 56-52, to the Central Catholic Fighting Irish.

Burrow has been perfect in postseason ever since.

Following the 2018 regular season at LSU, he and the Tigers knocked off Central Florida in the Fiesta Bowl, ending the Knights' two-year winning streak. In 2019, he led LSU to an undefeated regular season, and then a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship. He then guided LSU to a semifinal win over Oklahoma and national championship win over Clemson, making him 4-0 postseason in college. His last regular-season loss in college was 74-72 at Texas A&M in seven overtimes at the end of the 2018 season.

This year in Cincinnati, Burrow won a wild card game over the Las Vegas Raiders, and then a road game at Tennessee in the divisional round and a win at Kansas City in the AFC Championship.

Burrow is 7-0 in postseason games since losing the state championship in 2014.

Who is Singing the National Anthem?

This year's national anthem preceding the game will be sung by Mickey Guyton. She's a Grammy Award-nominated country music artist.

Guyton's first album, Remember Her Name, has been nominated for Country Music Album of the Year, which is the first-ever for a Black singer. She's also been nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

Jhené Aiko will sing "America the Beautiful" before the national anthem. Actress Sandra Mae Frank will perform American Sign Language for both songs.

How Jersey Colors Can be a Predictor of the Victor

The Rams will play in their home digs of SoFi Stadium, but they are the designated "away" team for the game, meaning they'll wear white jerseys. The Bengals will wear their "home" black jerseys.

This might bode well for the Rams, though, as teams wearing white jerseys have won 14 of the last 17 Super Bowls. The only teams wearing dark jerseys to win the title in that span have been the Green Bay Packers (XLV), Philadelphia Eagles (LII), and Kansas City Chiefs (LIV) in 2020.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the designated "home" team in last year's game in their home stadium, but they opted to wear their white jerseys. The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs, 31-9.

ESPN's NFL Countdown Crew Leans Mostly One Direction in Their Picks

Five members of the ESPN 'NFL Countdown' crew have made their picks for Super Bowl 56, and four of them chose the Los Angeles Rams to win.

Here are their picks:

Mina Kimes — Rams
Marcus Spears — Rams
Laura Rutledge — Rams
Ryan Clark — Bengals
Dan Orlovsky — Rams

The picks were made before 12:30 p.m. ET. Newsweek will post more predictions from around TV media as they happen throughout the day.

Rams Likely Don't Have Home Field Advantage in Los Angeles

From the outside looking in, it might seem like the Los Angeles Rams have a distinct home-field advantage playing Super Bowl 56 in SoFi Stadium, where they play at least eight home games each season. That advantage might not carry into Sunday's big game, however.

The Rams are the designated away team for this game, meaning they are wearing white jerseys instead of their home blue. The Bengals will wear their home black jerseys for this game.

Furthermore, the Bengals have hit the road their last two games to make it to Super Bowl 56. The Bengals beat the AFC top-seeded Tennessee Titans in the divisional round, and then they beat the second-seeded Chiefs in Kansas City in the AFC Championship.

The ticket resale site Vivid Seats stated that Bengals fans have bought more than 50 percent of the Super Bowl seats. According to the site, the team with more fans has won the last six Super Bowls.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow Chases Unprecedented History

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow has the opportunity to become the so-called first "triple crown" winner among NFL and college quarterbacks. He has a chance this Sunday to become the first to ever win the Heisman Trophy, college football national championship and the Super Bowl title.

Throw in the Super Bowl MVP and he could be even more unprecedented than what's been done in history.

Burrow, who began his college career at Ohio State, transferred to LSU before the 2018 season. He led the LSU Tigers to a national title in the 2019 season, picking up the Heisman along the way. The 2019 LSU Tigers are widely renowned as the best college team that ever played. Among the players on that offense are Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, and Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Elaire.

Odds and Prop Bets for Rams vs. Bengals

The Rams are a 4-point favorite to win Sunday's game, according to FanDuel.com. Here are some other bets, or "prop bets" according to the sportsbook site.

Super Bowl MVP
+125 Matthew Stafford (QB, Rams)
+230 Joe Burrow (QB, Bengals)
+550 Cooper Kupp (WR, Rams)

First TD Scorer
+500 Cooper Kupp (Rams)
+700 Cam Akers (Rams)
+750 Joe Mixon (Bengals)
+800 Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals)
+900 Odell Beckham Jr. (Rams)

There are lots of betting props, from yardage, touchdown yardage, team with the first touchdown pass, any offensive lineman to score, shortest touchdown scored and many more here.

Los Angeles Rams to face Cincinnati Bengals in unlikely matchup

The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals were an unlikely matchup for this year's Super Bowl when the season began late last summer. But timely trades by the Rams and stellar draft picks by the Bengals—mostly by a resurgent offense spearheaded by second-year quarterback Joe Burrow—have thrust this into an intriguing game.

The Rams, despite hosting the game at their home stadium, are the designated away team for Sunday's game as the home and visitor designation rotates on a yearly basis.

The Bengals went on the road to beat the AFC's top seed (Tennessee Titans) and No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs in back-to-back weeks to make the Super Bowl.

The Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. The Rams got to host the NFC title game after going on the road to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the same day the 49ers went on the road to beat the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.