The magic carpet that the young, exciting, upstart Cincinnati Bengals were riding throughout the NFL playoffs fell from the sky during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 56 on Sunday night. Just when it looked like the Bengals had stolen the Los Angeles Rams' formula for a title, Cinderella's carriage turned into a pumpkin, just as the clock struck midnight.
All season, Los Angeles' identity was simple: force turnovers (they were tied for third in the NFL in interceptions and also forced 25 takeaways), generate explosive plays on offense, and keep the ball away from your opponent with a balance of run and pass. The Bengals flipped the script on Sunday night, and came within 15 minutes of beating the Rams and stealing their identity.
Chidobe Awuzie and Jessie Bates had timely interceptions. Joe Burrow aired the football out to Tee Higgins for a 75-yard touchdown, and rookie sensation Ja'Marr Chase for a 46-yard completion. The Bengals had a healthy dose and ratio of passing-to-running first downs (10-to-5). Do those things, protect the football, and you win, right? Well, not exactly.
Burrow was bullied by the Rams' dominant pass-rush -- he took seven sacks. Cincinnati's offense was stagnant for much of the second half, as they were outscored, 10-0, across the last 25 minutes of play, and during their final five possessions, the unit converted only three first downs. The defense is owed a pat on the back, as they won the turnover battle and held a lead, despite being forced to spend extended periods on the field and in less-than-ideal field position.
Unlike the Rams -- which pushed all their chips to the center of the table in acquiring Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham, Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller -- Cincinnati wasn't supposed to be playing football in February. Heck, if all the pundits were correct, the cast of unknowns that were oh-so-close to hoisting a Lombardi Trophy would've scheduled offseason plans before the calendar flipped to 2022.
The find-a-way style of play that allowed the Bengals to take down the top-seeded Tennessee Titans -- despite allowing nine sacks -- and erase an 18-point deficit against the Kansas City Chiefs just didn't work this time around. Winning both games on last-second field goals, Cincinnati's offense found just enough juice to advance in the divisional and championship rounds.
Playing a veteran, physical, mentally tough Rams team yielded a different outcome -- and one that, given their glaring deficiencies, was inevitable. Numerous mistakes, costly penalties, and failure to keep their quarterback protected ultimately cost the Bengals the game. Give Burrow and company credit for making it this far -- they were this year's feel-good underdog story. Even though Burrow lost the biggest game of his career so far, there's very little reason for him or the team to hang their heads.
An argument can be made that the Bengals should've won, and they certainly had a chance to put the game away after a couple key breaks. But really, they weren't the better team. Dressing up as the Rams' imposter worked out for a bit, and head coach Zac Taylor's gameplan was executed to near perfection.
Higgins, Chase, and Tyler Boyd were extremely impressive, to the point that the highly-touted Rams secondary now needs a long-term reality check.
Although Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper Kupp had a game for the ages, one could argue that the Bengals' young crop of receivers stole the show with explosiveness and razzle-dazzle. Despite the Rams losing a top playmaker in Beckham, we almost forget that Los Angeles' wideouts were supposed to be the better group. And although Aaron Donald and the Rams' defensive front played schoolyard bully for much of the night, it was the Bengals' secondary that came up with critical plays.
As much as this year's postseason darling thought they could pull a fast one, the Bengals' model for success simply wasn't sustainable against the league's eventual champions. However, given their youth, upside, and copycat ability, Cincinnati could find themselves trying to steal another team's swagger in the Super Bowl once again.
Jack Stern is a columnist and an associate producer for CBS Sports Radio. You can follow him on Twitter @J_Stern97.