6:30 PM EST, FOX – Line: Rams -3.5, Over/Under: 46
The final participant in Super Bowl LVI will be decided this evening as the surging San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams get set for a third encounter this season, though the stakes are much higher for both sides in this NFC Championship Game from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The lowest-seeded team remaining in the postseason, the 49ers (10-7, 3rd in NFC West) have indeed crashed the party on the NFC side of the equation, storming into both Arlington and Green Bay and eliminating two of the conference’s historically favored franchises in thrilling fashion. Following their controversial 23-17 ousting of the Cowboys two weeks ago, San Francisco marched into Lambeau and outlasted the top-seeded Packers in a triumphant 13-10 victory last Saturday night. For the majority of this matchup, it appeared that the Niners were merely treading water; the first half was particularly dreadful for (Head Coach) Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which could muster a negative-14 yards on their first four drives, before finally putting something together with an 11-play, 58-yard possession only for (veteran Quarterback) Jimmy Garoppolo (68.3%, 3,810 YDS, 7.6 NY/A, 20 TD, 12 INT, 52.6 QBR) to be intercepted on a short pass to (All-Pro Tight End) George Kittle (71 REC, 910 YDS, 12.8 Y/R, 6 TD) at the hosts’ 4-yard line. With that said, as inept as the offense had been, San Fran’s defense kept them in the contest; after relinquishing a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive on the game’s opening possession, (Defensive Coordinator) DeMeco Ryans’ troops tightened up, forcing a fumble on the next possession, before three consecutive punts, setting up one last march for the Packers that would set the stage for what was to come. Starting from their own 4-yard line, Green Bay quickly traveled seventy-five yards in just six pays, teeing up a potential 39-yard field goal that would have given them a crucial two-score advantage heading into intermission, but (veteran Kicker) Mason Crosby’s attempt was BLOCKED by (veteran Safety) Jimmie Ward (77 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 6 PD, 1 TD) as the first half expired. The 49ers came out of the locker room inspired, immediately bleeding 6:47 of game time with a 10-play, 39-yard drive ending with a (veteran Kicker) Robbie Gould 29-yard field goal. After trading punts, Green Bay added a field goal of their own, before getting a crucial stop on a 4th & 1 at their 19-yard line, stuffing (Rookie Tailback) Elijah Mitchell (207 CAR, 963 YDS, 4.7 Y/A, 5 TD) behind the line of scrimmage for a turnover on downs. With just over six minutes left in the affair as the snow fell at Lambeau it certainly felt as if this one was over, but that was not the case, folks, for the home side couldn’t do anything on the ensuing possession, as (reigning MVP) Aaron Rodgers was sacked by (Defensive End) Arik Armstead (63 TKL, 7 TFL, 11 QBH, 6.0 SK) for a loss of eleven yards, setting up the most fateful play of the game, if not the playoffs altogether. As (Punter) Corey Bojorquez received the ball just outside of his own end zone, his punt was BLOCKED by (Defensive End) Jordan Willis (15 TKL, 2 TFL, 5 QBH, 3.0 SK, 1 FF) and recovered in the end zone by (Safety) Talanoa Hufanga (32 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 QBH, 2 PD) for the game-tying touchdown. Now with under five minutes left to play, Ryans’ defense stepped up again, forcing Rodgers & Co to go three and out for the fifth time of the night, setting up the final drive of the game; starting from his own 29-yard line, Garoppolo engineered a 9-play, 44-yard drive, finding both Kittle and (Pro-Bowl Receiver) Deebo Samuel (77 REC, 1,405 YDS, 18.2 Y/R 6 TD) over the middle of the field for successive first downs, before the latter rushed nine yards on a key 3rd & 7, setting up the aforementioned Gould for the game-winner, which he promptly nailed from forty-five yards to advance to their second NFC Championship Game in three years. In the end, any progress was glacial for both teams, though its’ really remarkable that San Francisco managed to triumph despite amassing just 212 total yards on twelve first downs and converting a combined 4-of-12 on third and fourth down. Apart from that final drive, Garoppolo struggled immensely in the conditions, completing 11-of-19 passes for 131 yards and an interception, while being pressured on nine occasions and sacked four times. With that said, the 30-year-old deserves credit for fighting through both torn ligaments in his right thumb and a sprained right shoulder to author that final drive, in which those two key first downs to Kittle and Samuel set the table for Gould’s walk-off field goal. For a guy who the franchise has been looking to replace for months now, Garoppolo has handled himself well even if the Niners are one of those rare teams that can win in spite of their Quarterback. Of course, Shanahan and (General Manager) John Lynch maneuvered up last Spring’s NFL Draft to select Trey Lance (57.7%, 603 YDS, 7.84 NY/A, 5 TD, 2 INT, 33.6 QBR) third overall to indeed be his long-term replacement, only for Garoppolo to lead them on this stretch into the postseason in which they’ve now won ten of their last thirteen games dating back to late October. And now he has them on the edge of their second Super Bowl in three years, and all they need to do to get there is beat a bitter division rival whom they’ve won six consecutive games against. Much has been made of Shanahan’s dominance of his former colleague Sean McVay (more on him in a bit), with both working together as assistant coaches under Kyle’s father, Mike, in Washington. In their two encounters this season, San Fran was considered an underdog on each occasion, and each time they prevailed; on a Monday night back in mid-November, the 49ers hammered the Rams in a 31-10 drubbing at Levi’s Stadium, before rallying back from a 17-0 halftime deficit in the season finale to edge them 27-24 in overtime at SoFi. In both meetings, San Francisco has proven wildly successful in controlling these contests with their run game, rushing for 156 and 135 yards respectively, leading to a distinct advantage in time of possession, squatting on the football for over thirty-six minutes apiece. The aforementioned Samuel has been a major component of their success against Los Angeles, hauling in nine receptions for 192 yards and rushing thirteen times for another eighty-one yards for a total of three touchdowns, while even throwing for a score in the latter of the two matchups. Simply put, the versatile Wideout has been a cheat code for Shanahan, who has utilized him in a myriad of ways; over the last eight games of the regular season, Samuel reeled in twenty-eight receptions for 523 yards and two scores, while becoming a much more pronounced part of the rushing attack with another 343 yards and seven touchdowns on fifty-three carries. Altogether, the newly minted Pro-Bowler has accounted for a whopping 1,794 yards from scrimmage and fifteen total touchdowns, averaging an explosive 13.0 yards per touch. All-time, the Niners are making their sixteenth appearance in the NFC Championship Game, where they have fared well with seven victories, including their most recent two years ago when they manhandled the Packers in a 37-20 affair in Santa Clara. Today’s meeting with the Rams marks only the second time that these rivals have met in the postseason, with their only previous encounter coincidentally coming in the 1989 NFC Championship, in which (Hall of Famer) Joe Montana led them to a decisive 30-3 victory en route to capturing his final Lombardi trophy with the franchise two weeks later.
Meanwhile, no matter the outcome of today’s affair, the Rams (12-5, 1st in NFC West) won’t be venturing outside of the City of Angels for the foreseeable future, though they certainly hope that they’ll be returning to SoFi Stadium in two weeks’ time with the venue set to host Super Bowl LVI. More so than any of the four teams remaining in these playoffs, the expectations to hoist the Lombardi trophy weigh more heavily on this group than any other, for Los Angeles has certainly gone ALL IN on winning their first league championship since the turn of the century. By now, we’re all acquainted with how (Head Coach) Sean McVay and (General Manager) Les Snead have continued to mortage the franchise’s future in an attempt to amass a star-studded roster to win now; remarkably, this is a team that hasn’t enjoyed a first-round pick since 2016, and due to all of their wheeling and dealing won’t have one until 2025. Of course, that has been the theme of this season for the Rams, who made a triumvirate of significant transactions that have paid off handsomely, with the club on the precipice of returning to the Super Bowl after a two-year absence. First, they shipped (former Quarterback) Jared Goff out of town (along with a pair of first round picks) to Detroit in exchange for (Veteran Quarterback) Matthew Stafford (67.2%, 4,886 YDS, 7.36 NY/A, 41 TD, 17 INT, 63.5 QBR), with the hopes that the talented 33-year-old could in fact get them over the hump. Following their previous postseason run in which McVay opted to bench a healthy Goff in favor of a journeyman from the CFL, the writing was on the wall for the former no. one overall pick, who clearly fell out of favor with the coaching staff. Despite being six years older and having never won a playoff game (in three starts), Stafford was viewed as a considerable upgrade, and for all intents and purposes has delivered in his first season in Los Angeles; the veteran ranked second in the NFL in passing touchdowns (41) and third in passing yards (4,886), matching a franchise record with the former and breaking another with the latter. Furthermore, he developed an instant rapport with his supporting cast, particularly (All-Pro Receiver) Cooper Kupp (145 REC, 1,947 YDS, 13.4 Y/R, 16 TD), who finished the campaign with a rare Receiving Triple Crown in leading the league in catches (145), receiving yards (1,947), and touchdown receptions (16). Joining Stafford in Southern California midway through the season were a pair of former All-Pros, (Edge-Rusher) Von Miller (31 TKL, 12 TFL, 9 QBH, 5.0 SK, 1 FF, 1 PD) and (Wideout) Odell Beckham Jr. (27 REC, 305 YDS, 11.3 Y/R, 5 TD), with both players eventually developing into key contributors. Miller cost McVay and Snead second and third round picks in this Spring’s NFL Draft, with the 8-time Pro-Bowler heating up with eight Quarterback hits, five sacks, and a forced fumble over the final four games of the regular season. As for Beckham, he arrived as a free agent following his release from the Browns, and after a slow start has really begun to settle into his role within the Rams’ system, reeling in all five of his touchdowns on the season after his move westward. Though there was initially some trepidation as to how this group would perform heading into the playoffs, they have largely debunked all concerns in back-to-back wins over the Cardinals (34-11) and most recently the Buccaneers (30-27). This one shouldn’t have been as close as the finals score would lead you to believe, for make no mistake about it, the Rams BODIED the reigning Super Bowl Champions in their own home, for it would have been a blowout if not for some avoidable mistakes by the visiting side. McVay’s charges opened the affair on fire with seventeen unanswered points on their first three possessions before the hosts managed to get on the board with a field goal at the end of the first quarter. After trading punts, Los Angeles added a field goal of their own to make it 20-3 with just over two minutes left in the half, which is where things started to get chaotic; two plays into the ensuing possession, (Buccaneers Quarterback) Tom Brady was intercepted by (young Safety) Nick Scott (47 TKL, 2 INT, 4 PD) deep downfield at his own 31-yard line, putting LA in excellent position to add to their lead before intermission, only for (young Tailback) Cam Akers (5 CAR, 3 YDS, 0.6 Y/A, 0 TD) to fumble away the football a yard short of the goal line, ensuring that the score would not change by halftime. It was complete domination at that point, with Stafford & Co amassing 271 yards of total offense to Tampa’s 118, though this contest would continue to get wilder in the second half as Brady led the Bucs on a furious rally aided THREE Rams fumbles and a missed field goal. As he has done on so many occasions, the 7-time Super Bowl Champion marched the hosts downfield to tie the game with back-to-back touchdown drives, leaving just forty-two seconds left for Stafford to author a storybook ending of his own. Starting from his own 25-yard line, the creator forty-two career game-winning drives (most in the NFL since 2009) added another, connecting with Kupp on two straight passes encompassing SIXTY-FOUR yards, setting up (Kicker) Matt Gay for the walk-off 30-yard field goal, which he buried between the uprights. In the end, Stafford outdueled the GOAT with 366 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 28-of-38 passing, with he and Kupp combining for a whopping 183 yards and a score on nine receptions. Beckham chipped in with six catches for sixty-nine yards, while Miller once again made his presence felt with three pressures and a sack of Brady, who was altogether uncomfortable in the face of Los Angeles’ defensive front, suffering nine pressures, four knockdowns and three sacks. The visiting side held possession of the football for a commanding 34:08 despite turning the ball over four times, becoming the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game in which they lost four fumbles. And how poetic is it that standing in their way from advancing to a second Super Bowl in four years is a team that has absolutely OWNED them over the past few? Indeed, the Rams have lost six consecutive encounters with the 49ers, including each of their two this season. However, there is an argument to be made that this is a different team than the one that they had faced previously. In their first matchup, LA was in the process of assimilating the likes of Beckham and Miller into the fold and were utterly embarrassed in front of a primetime audience in that aforementioned 31-10 drubbing at Levi’s Stadium. The latter of the two affairs served as their only loss in the last two months and came despite dominating the first half of play; just as they did against the Bucs, the Rams racked up seventeen unanswered points on their first three drives of the evening, outgaining San Fran 155-88 along the way, before some defensive breakdowns and turnovers in the second half swung the momentum of the game. In those two meetings, Stafford has struggled in completing 64.3% of his attempts for an average of 240.5 yards on just 5.82 net yards per attempt, with as many interceptions as touchdowns (4), while suffering seven sacks to boot. (Longtime Left Tackle) Andrew Whitworth missed last weekend’s game with a knee injury, and while the Offensive Line held up admirably against Tampa’s defensive front, it would certainly be a boost if the 40-year-old, who as practiced throughout the week, was firmly entrenched on Stafford’s blindside. Today’s NFC Championship is their tenth in franchise history (4-5) and their second since moving back to Los Angeles, winning their most recent appearance back in 2019 in a thrilling 26-23 overtime triumph over the Saints in New Orleans.