Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald, middle, celebrates with teammates. Photo / AP
Los Angeles Rams defensive end Aaron Donald, middle, celebrates with teammates. Photo / AP
Travin Howard made a game-sealing interception with 1:09 to play, and the Los Angeles Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure a spot in the Super Bowl at their home stadium next month with a thrilling 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game Sunday night.
Cooper Kupp caught two touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford for the star-studded Rams (15-5), who began the fourth quarter down 17-7 after wasting a multitude of scoring opportunities.
But after Kupp's second TD catch and a tying field goal on a drive extended by Jaquiski Tartt's brutal dropped interception, the Rams drove for Matt Gay's go-ahead, 30-yard field goal with 1:46 to play.
Los Angeles' defense then won it when Aaron Donald got hold of Jimmy Garoppolo and forced him to fling a pass toward JaMycal Hasty. The ball caromed high in the air off Hasty's hands and came straight down to Howard — and the fourth-year pro didn't miss it.
"I've got total trust and confidence in that defense, man," said Stafford, who passed for 337 yards in the third playoff victory of his 13-year career. "They've been unbelievable all year. Way to freakin' ice the game. I loved it."
Los Angeles will welcome the Cincinnati Bengals in two weeks for Super Bowl 56 in Rams owner Stan Kroenke's multibillion-dollar SoFi Stadium.
After 54 consecutive Super Bowls without an NFL team playing in its home stadium, the Rams are the second team to do it in two seasons after Tampa Bay broke the streak last year.
"You can't write the story any better," Stafford said. "I'm at a loss for words. I'm just having a blast playing ball with these guys and, shoot, we've got one more at the home stadium. Let's get it done."
Kupp finished with 11 catches for 142 yards in his latest spectacular game, while Odell Beckham Jr. punched his ticket to his first Super Bowl with yet another strong performance by Los Angeles' midseason acquisition, making nine catches for 113 yards.
The Rams won their second conference title in the past four years under coach Sean McVay and moved one step from the franchise's second championship in the Super Bowl era.
Perhaps even more impressively, Los Angeles finally snapped a six-game losing streak against its San Francisco archrivals, who secured their playoff berth with an overtime comeback victory in Inglewood just three weeks ago.
"I think we knew what a great team this was, but our guys genuinely knew that what happened in the previous six games had nothing to do with what was going to happen when we kicked this one off," McVay said.
The Rams have only won twice when trailing by double digits in the second half during McVay's half-decade in charge — and both victories were in conference championship games.
Deebo Samuel and George Kittle caught touchdown passes from Garoppolo, who passed for 232 yards in a heartbreaker for the 49ers (12-8). While San Francisco's defense faltered late, coach Kyle Shanahan also punted twice from the Rams' half of the field and a third time from the 50, and that caution likely ended up costing the Niners.
San Francisco also will lament its late-game execution, but no mistake was bigger than the dropped interception by Tartt, who could have put the Rams in dire straits moments after McVay wasted his final timeout on a failed challenge early in the fourth quarter.
In front of a crowd packed with fans of both California clubs, San Francisco held a 10-7 halftime lead after a litany of missed opportunities by Los Angeles.
The Rams got to the San Francisco 3 on their second drive, but K'Waun Williams alertly tipped an end zone pass to Jimmie Ward for a long interception return. The pick was Stafford's first of the playoffs, but his fifth in three games against the Niners.
Los Angeles shook it off, got a defensive stop and made an 18-play, 97-yard drive consuming more than 9 1/2 minutes. Kupp capped it with his 16-yard TD catch in the back of the end zone.
But the Niners answered with yet another moment of brilliance of Samuel, who caught an inside screen pass and rampaged through the Los Angeles defense. The All-Pro dived to the pylon for his first career postseason scoring catch.
The Rams' mistakes multiplied: Kupp and rookie Ben Skowronek dropped potential scoring passes on LA's next drive, which ended with a missed 54-yard field goal by Gay.
Samuel shook off a massive, clean hit from Rams safety Nick Scott on San Francisco's drive ending in Robbie Gould's 38-yard field goal at the halftime gun for a 10-7 lead.
San Francisco's defense stopped the Rams on downs near midfield in the third quarter, and Garoppolo hit Kittle for his second TD pass moments later. Los Angeles kept it close with a gritty drive ending in Kupp's 11-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter.
Bengals pull of miracle comeback
Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson sent his side to the Super Bowl. Photo / AP
Evan McPherson kicked a 31-yard field goal with 9:22 left in overtime after Joe Burrow kept his cool while leading a furious second-half comeback to get the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years with a 27-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game today.
The Bengals erased an 18-point deficit — tying an AFC title game record — to take a late 24-21 lead on McPherson's 52-yarder. But Harrison Butker's 44-yard kick as time expired in regulation sent it to overtime a week after his 49-yarder on the final play of regulation did the same against Buffalo.
One week after Buffalo's Josh Allen called tails and it came up heads for the overtime coin toss — giving Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs the ball — Cincinnati backup quarterback Brandon Allen called heads and the coin came up tails. The Chiefs opened overtime again with the ball, but Vonn Bell intercepted Mahomes on the third play, and Burrow and the Bengals took over.
And now they're heading to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989 after winning their first playoff overtime game.
"Usually when you lose the coin flip to those guys, you're going home," Burrow said. "Our defense really stepped up and made plays in the second half. And on offense we made plays when we had to. I thought the offensive line played really well all day. We started running the ball there at the end and that's exciting.
"Big win for us."
The Bengals (13-7) will play the winner of the NFC championship between San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl in Los Angeles on Feb. 13. Cincinnati lost to the 49ers in both of its previous trips to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes and the Chiefs (14-6) will be left to lament blowing a chance at a third straight Super Bowl appearance. They had a chance at a winning touchdown in the closing seconds of regulation, but sacks by Sam Hubbard on consecutive plays forced Kansas City to settle for the tying field goal.
The Bengals have won six of their last seven games against the Chiefs, including two this season.
The Chiefs got a touchdown on their first three possessions, with Mahomes finding Mecole Hardman for a 3-yard score that made it 21-3 — and had this one looking very much like a rout. Mahomes joined Tom Brady (2014), Joe Flacco (2012) and Aaron Rodgers (2010) as the only players with three games with three or more TD passes in a single postseason.
But Burrow kept the Bengals in it.
He tossed a short pass to Samaje Perine, who avoided a tackle attempt by Charvarius Ward and raced into the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:05 left in the opening half.
The Chiefs appeared headed for their fourth straight touchdown drive to open the game, especially after Byron Pringle's 10-yard catch put Kansas City at the 15 with 13 seconds left — setting off chants from the fired-up Arrowhead Stadium crowd of "13 seconds!" who were still reveling in the Chiefs' stunning comeback last week against Buffalo.
A pass interference call on Eli Apple in the end zone put the ball on the 1, but the Chiefs couldn't get into the end zone on two tries, with Mahomes' pass to Tyreek Hill losing a yard and ending the half. It ended up costing them.
"I was hoping we could get the ball in the end zone," coach Andy Reid said. "I probably gave the wrong play, first of all. I could have given them something better than that. I'll take responsibility for that one."
McPherson's 31-yarder cut the Bengals' deficit to 21-13 with 2:58 left in the third quarter.
Cincinnati got the ball back at the Chiefs 27 moments later when B.J. Hill intercepted Mahomes' short pass intended for Demarcus Robinson. Two plays after Joe Mixon gained 2 yards on first-and-goal from the 5, Ja'Marr Chase went up over Rashad Fenton in the end zone to catch Burrow's toss for a touchdown. Burrow then found a wide-open Trent Taylor for the 2-point conversion to tie it at 21 with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.
The 18-point comeback by Cincinnati tied Indianapolis (vs. New England in 2006) for the largest in AFC championship history.
