The Los Angeles Rams won their bet. They will play the Super Bowl in their beautiful SoFi Stadium after beating the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 on Sunday night.
Posted yesterday at 11:56 p.m.
All four second-round games as well as the first of two conference finals all ended on the last play. That was not the case in the Niners-Rams encounter, but it was still an exciting kick sending until the very end.
With just under two minutes left on the scoreboard, Jimmy Garoppolo had the opportunity to lead the 49ers to a tying field goal or game-winning touchdown. The quarterback could have established himself as a top player. He did not succeed.
Chased by Aaron Donald, Garoppolo got rid of the ball in desperation, and linebacker Travin Howard made the interception that sealed the Rams’ victory. Los Angeles had lost its last six games against San Francisco.
The key game of the match? Maybe it was the easy interception that 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt missed. By intercepting a long pass from Matthew Stafford that lacked power, Tartt could have given the Rams too many blows, who trailed 17-7 at the start of the 4and quarter.
The Rams instead scored 13 points in this final period, benefiting from another excellent performance from Cooper Kupp. The wide receiver caught 11 passes for 142 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. It was his 13and game (season and playoffs) of 100 yards or more, eclipsing the 12-game mark Michael Irvin had in 1995.
Odell Beckham Jr. also distinguished himself with a game of 9 catches for 113 yards. As he had done in his first two playoff games, Stafford showed a lot of composure. Nick Bosa and the Niners’ defensive front never allowed him to feel comfortable in his pocket, but Stafford still had 337 yards (31 for 45).
Garoppolo wasn’t bad (16 for 30 for 232 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception) but, like in the Super Bowl two years ago, he was unable to make the play that could have knocked out the opponent. And as they had done in this final against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Niners let slip a 10-point lead.
After sacrificing three first picks in order to select quarterback Trey Lance last spring, the 49ers will likely be looking to trade Garoppolo in the coming weeks. The latter could prove to be an interesting plan B for a team that would eye Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson.
A word on Deebo Samuel, who was inconsolable after the game. We can understand this emotion. This player puts in a colossal effort on all plays and is never afraid to sacrifice his body in order to get a few extra yards. Did you see his 44-yard touchdown? Beautiful. The Hines Ward of his generation, but faster and more explosive.
PHOTO JED JACOBSOHN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deebo Samuel
The Niners have an excellent core of players with Samuel, Bosa, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Arik Armstead and Brandon Aiyuk. Since Lance won’t cost them too much salary-wise over the next few years, it’s suspected that they’ll be active in the free agent market to better surround that core in March.
Stars for a city of stars
Owner Stan Kroenke’s goal when building his palace was clear. He wanted to see his Rams play the Super Bowl there when the sporting event par excellence in North America would be presented there. Mission accomplished.
The Rams sacrificed ALL of their first-round picks between 2018 and 2023. Among other things, this allowed them to get star players like Stafford and Jalen Ramsey. They didn’t really have any top picks left to trade to the Denver Broncos in order to add Von Miller this fall. No problem: this time they sacrificed their second and their third selection in April… You have to understand that, in the NFL, a second or third round choice is gold. It’s not like the NHL; NFL draft players must play and contribute quickly.
Luckily for them, the Rams were able to sign Odell Beckham Jr. without costing them draft capital since the receiver had been released by the Cleveland Browns. He’s another star player who joined a team that already had an impressive collection when you add Donald and Kupp…
Like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, the Rams packed up a team to play the Super Bowl on their home turf and their go-anywhere worked. The happy ending is far from certain, but the interest generated by the Super Bowl in Los Angeles over the next two weeks will be very important for what follows.
Los Angeles hasn’t had an NFL team for 20 years, and the Rams have work ahead of them to win back the hearts of a population that has plenty of choice when it comes to entertainment. There were also as many fans of the 49ers as the Rams on Sunday night, which gave an atmosphere comparable to that which we see more in NCAA games.
In short, the Rams needed star players and, even more, a participation in the Super Bowl in order to take their place in the second largest city in the United States. That’s done.