California, it’s time to party. You know how to do it.

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

The Los Angeles Rams are Super Bowl LVI champions after a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

An announced attendance of 70,048 was at SoFi Stadium to witness this event. The last time the Rams lifted the Super Bowl trophy was in 1999, but they represented St. Louis at the time. 

Sunday’s game came down to a 79-yard drive and a 1-yard touchdown reception by Los Angeles wide receiver Cooper Kupp with 1:25 left on the clock. That was still enough time for Joe Burrow and the Bengals to do something, but Rams’ defensive end Aaron Donald showed why he is one of the greatest.

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

“I just want to achieve my job to the best of my ability,” said Kupp “I trust that as the game goes on I will have opportunities as well and I just want to stay ready for those things and stay locked in.”

Donald, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, sacked Burrow to end the game. This was almost too perfectly scripted, as Donald is the owner of the single-season sack record for a defensive tackle and Burrow is the quarterback who has been sacked the most this season.

“We had made a third-down stop. Fourth down, I thought they would run,” said Donald, “Found a way to get the chop-club and bend the edge and found a way to get to the quarterback and make him threw an errand pass.”

Kupp, who caught two touchdowns, was named Most Valuable Player at the end of the night. His performance became even more important after receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter. This was the same knee in which he tore his ACL in 2020 when he played for the Cleveland Browns. 

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

Even though Beckham Jr. was forced to leave the field early, he did get the opportunity to contribute. He registered the first touchdown of the game by catching a 17-yard pass from Matthew Stafford.

Stafford led the winning offense with 283 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-40 passing. He waited 13 years for a Super Bowl title. A long time, but not quite as long as veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth who waited 16 years.

Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360

Sports have been fun in Los Angeles, as the city has seen the NBA, World Series and now an NFL title in the last 16 months. Not to mention UCLA taking the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the wire in a Final Four game last season.