[ad_1]
INGLEWOOD, California — The NFC championship game showcased two different teams, two different fan bases, and two different strategies for building a roster.
How the Los Angeles Rams did it, outfitting their locker rooms with some of the league’s biggest stars and trading their picks whenever they wanted in hopes of playing the Super Bowl in their glittering $5 billion stadium.
And that’s how the San Francisco 49ers did it, choosing players who fit their style of crushing other teams with slow, physical play. These conflicting approaches provided a back and forth exchange in Sunday’s game, but the Rams eventually prevailed, ending a season of serious gambling to reach the championship game.
Los Angeles won 20-17 to earn a spot in the Super Bowl where they faced the Cincinnati Bengals. San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tried to evade a third-and-13th Aaron Donald attack in the late fourth quarter and threw a pass on his comeback. It flew out of his hands and Rams linebacker Travin Howard caught him with just over a minute left.
After Matthew Stafford knelt, a ball was fired at SoFi Stadium and Rams fans roared over the visitors in red jerseys and T-shirts who dominated the venue for much of the night.
“I feel blessed to be able to play in this league for the time I’ve had it,” Stafford said at a post-match press conference. But I’m definitely happy for this opportunity, not just for myself, but for many of the men in the locker room who deserve it.”
The opportunity for him and his teammates arose thanks to the aggressive mindset of Coach Sean McVay and General Manager Les Snead. Last year, they sent the Lions a trade package that included former quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round picks to buy Stafford, who had never won a playoff game in Detroit in 12 seasons.
While the 2021 season is going well, it’s followed by Pro Bowl outfielder Von Miller and receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and flashy acquisitions that mark the Rams’ all-or-nothing approach. It worked, at least for now. Stafford made an interception for 337 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, and Beckham declared 113 welcome yards. Cooper Kupp rounded off Los Angeles’ local talent as he logged 142 yards and two touchdowns, Donald pushed the final rush shot, and Howard, a 2018 seventh-round pick, caught the interception.
“I think that’s a great sign that the stars shine brightest when needed, and then men step up when asked,” McVay said.
It’s rare for rivals in the league to meet three times in a year, let alone one of those games with a Super Cup berth. Adding to the intrigue, the third match of this season pits friends and former colleagues, 49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan and Rams peer McVay once again, with their deep familiarity shrinking the counters each left.
Shanahan had surpassed her opponent in her previous six matches. In Week 18, having a chance to secure 2nd place and prevent the 49ers from entering the end of the season, the Rams squandered a 14-point lead at home at halftime and lost in overtime.
The 49ers hit the capital in the postseason, setting out to set the inconsistent Cowboys and then their top-numbered Packers to set up Sunday’s grudge match in conditions like a blizzard.
In the first half, the Rams looked unusually sloppy in the early hours. Stafford made an interception as Los Angeles tried to force a touchdown pass in the second drive. via double coverage to Kupp. Apart from the 16-yard field goal kick to Kupp to open the second quarter, which was the first score of the game, Stafford and their receivers looked incongruous as Kupp and Ben Skowronek dropped passes that could have turned into scores.
Los Angeles’ Pro Bowl kicker Matt Gay missed just two field attempts during the regular season after Deebo Samuel followed the Rams’ goal with a 44-yard field goal from Garoppolo’s screen pass. 54 yard trial.
Satisfied to follow the short-game scenario and a heavy dose of Samuel, San Francisco took a 10-7 lead at halftime, then extended their lead in the third quarter when Garoppolo scored a 16-yard field goal against George Kittle.
Los Angeles, however, continued to look for ways to break up. Stafford threw another touchdown pass that resulted in an 11-yard catch on a corner course leading to Kupp. On defense, the Rams forced the 49ers to punt, but McVay challenged the official decision that Kyle Juszczyk fell by contact in his third down run. The call was confirmed, leaving Los Angeles without any statute of limitations.
Gay, who was next in possession of the ball, finished a 40-yard drive and tied the game with 6 minutes 49 seconds on 17.
It was the Rams’ turn to force the 49ers into sloppy play, Garoppolo hastily receiving three misses and one delay of game, and the 49ers were forced to punt after a 23-second drive.
With the ball back in his hands, Stafford found four different receivers before contacting Kupp again for a 25-yard gain to the San Francisco 12-yard line. Unable to cross the goal line, the Rams shot from 30 yards to take a 20-17 lead with 1:46 remaining to the end of the game.
The team’s defensive tactic in the middle of the pass offense Donald had up until that point encouraged his teammates from the sidelines and called the team’s defense into an impromptu rally.
With the game on the line, they appropriately orated Garoppolo in his last costly mistake of the season, forcing Garoppolo to two shorts before Donald, the Rams’ 2014 first-round pick.
[ad_2]
Source link