Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LVI[11] was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals, 23–20. The game was played on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the home stadium of the Rams, the second consecutive and second overall Super Bowl with a team playing and winning in its home stadium. Currently, this is the latest date for a Super Bowl during the calendar year.[12]
"2022 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl at the completion of the 2022 season, see Super Bowl LVII.
Los Angeles Rams (4)
(NFC)
(12–5)
February 13, 2022
Rams by 3.5[1]
70,048
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, featuring 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak[6][7]
Al Michaels (play-by-play)
Cris Collinsworth (analyst)
Michele Tafoya and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporters)
Terry McAulay (rules analyst)
Carlos Mauricio Ramirez (play-by-play Spanish)
Jorge Andres (analyst Spanish)
Rolando Cantu (analyst Spanish)
Ariana Figuera (sideline Spanish)
$6.5–7 million[10]
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Kurt Warner (analyst)
Laura Okmin and Mike Golic (sideline reporters)
Gene Steratore (rules analyst)
The Rams' victory was their first since winning 1999's Super Bowl XXXIV. Finishing with a 12–5 record, the Rams reached their fifth appearance after acquiring veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had not won a playoff game in his previous 12 years with the Detroit Lions. The Bengals, who finished with a 10–7 record, were seeking their first Super Bowl title following several decades of losing seasons and playoff struggles. They won their first playoff game since 1990, ending the longest drought in the four major North American sports, en route to their third Super Bowl appearance and first since 1988's Super Bowl XXIII. Each team finished the regular season as their respective conference's 4-seed, making this the first Super Bowl without a top-3 seed since seeding was introduced in 1975.[13]
The game had three lead changes and mostly kept within a one-possession margin. Los Angeles led 13–10 at halftime, but the Bengals scored 10 straight points on their first two drives in the third quarter. Trailing 20–16 in the fourth, the Rams scored a touchdown to retake the lead with under two minutes remaining and stopped Cincinnati's final drive on downs. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who converted a fourth down on the Rams' final drive and scored the game-winning touchdown, was named Super Bowl MVP.
NBC's broadcast of Super Bowl LVI was the second-most watched in the game's history, marking a shift from several years of declining ratings. Seen by an average of 112.3 million total viewers on both NBC and its streaming platforms,[14] the game's ratings were up 8% from the previous Super Bowl.[15]
Entertainment[edit]
Pre-game ceremonies[edit]
Country singer Mickey Guyton performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", making her the first black female country singer to perform the national anthem at the game. She was backed by several background singers. Jhené Aiko, accompanied by harpist Gracie Sprout, performed "America the Beautiful". Sandra Mae Frank performed both songs in American Sign Language alongside Guyton and Aiko, with full coverage of the ASL performance available on the NBC Sports app.[103] Mary Mary, accompanied by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Electronic music producer Zedd served as DJ during pre-game warmups.[104] The flyover was conducted by a 5-plane formation by the USAF Air Combat Command demonstration teams with an A-10 Thunderbolt II, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, an F-22 Raptor, and an F-35 Lightning II as well as a P-51 Mustang representing the Air Force Heritage Flight.[105] Former tennis player Billie Jean King then participated in the coin toss ceremony, honoring the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs.[5] Dwayne Johnson introduced both teams using his persona as The Rock from the WWE.
Aftermath[edit]
The 2022 Rams finished 5–12, setting the records for the most losses, lowest winning percentage (.294), and longest losing streak (six games) for a defending Super Bowl champion.[175][176] They were also the first defending Super Bowl champion to miss the playoffs since the 2016 Denver Broncos and first to have a losing record since the 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 2022 Bengals tied their franchise-best 12–4 record[a] and clinched the franchise's first consecutive division title. They won a playoff game in consecutive seasons, another franchise first, before being defeated by the eventual Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.