didn't look like the Rams are going to pull it off. It looked
like it was going to get away. If the Rams early in the second
half, it felt like it was getting away from. I almost
think that
if the Bengals after the 75 yard touchdown pass from jobber 0
to T Higgins to start the second half right then they get
the interception. Hey, look it was off score. Onyx hands.
Yeah,
right, not Matthew, Stafford fault, right? But if they get
a touchdown sort of a field goal there agreed with you that may
that may be the backbreaker think it's the Rams to be more
decimal, right? Gives a train. Hendrickson a shot to go get
Matthew Stafford. Let's a Bangles be like Haitian with
the run. That was a moment. Mom is a
moment where they could have taken it big time. Defensive
stand by the Rams are holding the field. Well, you're right.
That's certainly one of the I think those Marquee moments you
look back at the game ago. There's three or four plays
that change things,
and that was one of them without a doubt. I think you
said it right, Mike. I mean, early on, I was sitting there
going. Oh man, the rams look like a machine burrow and come
buddy came out a little off and you just think looked a little
nervous,
you know, Miss the fourth down conversion, which I thought was
big and Rams are just rolling early on to where you went. Oh,
man. It looks like they've cracked the code and
the Bangles are gonna be able to stop Cooper cup and obj at all
that.
But as we both know,
that was the that was the game changer.
The game was the obj game. And then when he got hurt it became
a different game. Air went out of the balloon, instantly
non-contact knee, injury
left, and did turn had a sleeve
all down, the leg when he was back on the field and street
clothes, same knee and Which he tore the ACL against
the Bengals. Coincidentally, that's crazy in the 2020 regular
season.
We'll see what the diagnosis is, but it looks
like it's something good is not insignificant for a guy who's
just a month away from free age. Month away from free
agency
a month away from, probably giving the Rams, a HomeTown
discount. And just saying, okay. I'll be will be
an awesome offense and I'll stay here in LA,
but did that it's heartbreaking. Nobody ever
wants to see that. I don't ever want to see those. Verbal,
I don't want to see it. Just even selfishly as a viewer. We want
to see these teams at their best in this game.
And that was a part in the game where I'm not gonna live. Like
I was sitting there going. Oh, Matt Stafford is on fire. My
dad's records going to be in trouble. Today.
I was going, he was 10 for 11.
They were rolling.
He was seeing the field, great making great decisions. He got
hurt and the totally through the Rams were offense out of
rhythm Stafford at a hard time attack it really what it
allowed the Bangles to do Mike.
And I know you were watching the crowd. I think a LED them
to play an aggressive style of Defense because now they went
away. All we got to do is stop Cooper cup. There's nobody else
really to be scared of as long as we stop the run and
the Bengals were
successful in that too.
Yeah, and the Rams did not run the ball very well,
averaged under right yards per carry
and it really did feel like everything shifted. When obj
went out, you just feel like if you feel kind of go out of
the Rams, sideline, you felt in the stadium. It was painted. It
really was,
and that's what swung it back toward the Bangles. Bangles
take a game. That was 13-3. They make it 13 10 and then to
take the lead
to start the second half and as we said, it felt like
the moment where they could have delivered the dagger. If they
had turned that second, Matthew Stafford interception into
a touchdown instead of a field goal. I want to go back to
something. You mentioned earlier though. I don't want to
spend too much time on this but but yeah, opening drive of
the game for the Bengals, right?
Fourth and short, I saw a tweet from one of the
analytics account. Yes. Breaking down, right? What was
the better decision? And it was like one point nine percent
better to go for it. There.
I just think early in the Super Bowl, right. Punim,
punim deep hinnom.
You just pushed them were awkward on their first drive.
Came out and establish something right. Play the field
position game for a little bit greasy. Don't get cute their
greed and your team's young and this is a huge environment and
that the numbers say 1 Beside that run. The numbers have
never been wrong ever. They're never wrong.
And I'm sure even after the fact, people going to go with
the number say, it was the correct decision. I get that it
wasn't. And that was a huge moment of the game to me. I'm
right with you. To me. I looked at that right now. We're both
offenses, were kind of like feeling each other out. Bengals
defense. Had the good
stop. All right.
Now, we move the ball. Pin them deep in there. Like, you talked
about, instead. They gave the Rams momentum and scored
a touchdown on the drive. I got it going.
You know, and Mike, I think you're right and to, I don't
know if we have that play available, the fourth down,
conversion, Miss conversion. Because
first off Joe burrow, he was flustered, a little even for
Joe. Cool. It's a Super Bowl. He was Joe nervous or a few
minutes. He had T Higgins in the flat. I'm sure you saw
the replay.
I don't know why he had made up his
mind. He was going to throw the ball to Chase.
Not only did he miss Higgins in the flat? When Collinsworth
broke the Play Down in the replay after the commercial
break. They also had the running back on the wrong side.
He ran the same route.
It after much brought that linebacker there
to break up the pass.
So, you know, again, yes, young team, big moment and they were
a little flustered and didn't execute properly. Their key
about going for it, on Fourth and Shrine. Number one. You
better have a play. You like and number two. You better be
damn sure. You're going to
be able to execute. Yes, sir. That's a big factor, and it's not
rolling dice. It's saying we're taking a path here and we're
confident this path is going to get us to where we want to be,
and if you aren't sharp in the execution
and it The play called just doesn't work against
the defense, they call. That's it. Yes, unknown. And that was
early in the game and a lot changed after. Yeah, but that
felt like a missed opportunity. I think it's one of those five
moments. We just talked about early to show, right? We did
like fi, you know, 56 moments in every game you go, man. That
was a huge moment
that dictated flow at least for
a little bit of the while, or at least got a team in Rhythm
and change the momentum of the game where it was a stalemate.
I definitely look at one of the that play to be one of those
moments. The Rams defensive line ended up with seven sacks.
Five in the third quarter is as a single
Quarter record for the Super Bowl.
What did you see change from the way the Bengals were
handling. The Rams defensive line early to the second half
when they really seem to wake up. Yeah, I think I think
the Rams did something that
we talked about on the show a lot during the week just rush
for, we got great front for let's keep the extra guy and
coverage to help out on a chase and Higgins but
the Bangles protected really well early on and burrow got
the ball out of his hands quickly. I think at one point
it was like he was Only holding the ball for an average of 2.5
seconds, but we're a change to me. Mike was about halfway
through the
third quarter. The Rams. Finally said, you know what,
our front forks not just getting there by itself. This
play right here. You can see that they rushed five. They
said we're going to take away the
scrambling Lanes from Joe Borough. Same thing here,
another five man Rush. He had nowhere to be slippery. Joe and
then that helped them this one four-man rush, but did some
movements stunts
confused, The Bangles
offense of line and how they pass people up. I think that's
the thing. I More than anything as far as schematically. Mike.
Yeah, and I think, is the game went on and the Bengals went
ahead and other Fido. We actually are see any images of
Aaron. Donald extolling
his teammates. Right? Like
we saw against the 49ers,
but it felt like
Donald new. A nice. She's on the line. Yeah, time to step it
up right. Time to find a higher level time to get it done. And
there was that player. We're right there. With jobber got
Twisted, the right leg. Remember he injured that right
leg in the regular
season against the Chargers? Aggravated it later in. The
year, that's not the one that he tore, the ACL in, in
November of 2020. But, you know, he got his way through
it. I think it's gonna
make a lot of sense to pay attention to what that ultimate
injury is. It's it's possible he played through something
that you know, in any other game. He wouldn't
be shocked. I wouldn't be shocked if it's a Super Bowl.
You're right. He could have, you know sprained partially
torn to PCL. Who knows anything? Who knows. You're
right and this kind of moist it up. He got twisted up very
aggressively.
I just think In a normal game, you're not coming back. Yeah,
it looked like a high ankle sprain. So that's scared. We
saw Stafford go down. He got the traditional role. So that's
better. It was a game of gutting, it out.
Like to your point
on a lot of ways, right? I mean
the Rams in so many ways, had the momentum all the sudden you
went. You know, like you said earlier. I'm sitting there
going man, The Bangles got the momentum here and are the Rams
going to be able to do anything moving the ball here and this
is where Stafford on ankle got rolled up and Cincinnati was
controlling the football game, but