It was the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI and both teams came to play, leaving fans of both teams on the edge of their seats until the clock ran out. 

The Bengals made their way into the playoffs following a 10-7 regular season. This was a grand occasion for them, as this was the end of a 31-year dry spell for the franchise. The last time the Bengals managed to get into the playoffs and win in the postseason was back in 1991. It hasn’t been since 1988 that the franchise had a Super Bowl appearance, back in Super Bowl XXII, so this chance was definitely something the Bengals were ready to fight for.

The Rams on the other hand, had a decent regular season, ending with a 12-5 record. When the playoffs came around, the Rams had to square off hard, even having to battle Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Playoffs. Following their win over the Buccaneers, it was a mad dash to the Super Bowl with a tight victory over the San Francisco 49ers. 

“I honestly hoped the Rams would win. For the Super Bowl, a team needs to have easily beaten other teams to deserve its spot there,” senior Jordan Constable said.  “All the Bengals have done is slide there by the skin of their teeth, game after game, since the playoffs started.”

The Rams took the early lead, scoring the first touchdown following a 17-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr. In the first quarter, the Bengals could only respond with a field goal. 

Both teams found the endzone in the second quarter, finishing the half with the Rams leading 13-10. 

As halftime came and went, the Rams came back on the field and began playing harder, but the Bengals still managed to lock them up, bringing the score to 16-20 with the Bengals leading into the fourth quarter.

“I was honestly surprised how the Rams’ running game was shut down most of the game,” said Tegan Kurucz, a political science major. “However, when Sean Mcvay changed the play calls from play action to sweep plays, Cam Akers was able to get clutch short yardage in the fourth quarter.”

Once those play calls were changed, it caused a major turn around in the fourth quarter as the Rams slowly but surely made it to the endzone and scored a major touchdown with a minute left on the clock, leaving the Bengals only a small chance to rebound and win.“I wasn’t really rooting for a team to win,” Derek Corsner, a junior at Utica College and member of the theater said. “I was just enjoying the fact that the teams were so evenly matched. It makes for a good football game, especially when it comes to the Super Bowl.”

With only a minute left on the clock, the Bengals had to think strategically. They began to rush the Rams and slowly picked up yardage. With 48 seconds left on the clock and the Bengals standing at the line on 4th down, Joe Burrow, the Bengals quarterback, was tackled as he threw the ball. The throw never reached anyone, resulting in an incomplete pass. This sealed the Bengals’ fate as the Rams used their final play to take a knee and end the game 23-20 in their favor. The Rams had won Super Bowl LVI.

“I was hoping the Bengals would win,” Kurucz said. “They were the underdogs going into this game. I already witnessed both the Bills and 49ers lose their chance, so to see the Bengals also lose their chance at an underdog win was sad.”