The Super Bowl

Before going into what happened in the Super Bowl I first want to explain how American Football works, for those that need it. In American football, scoring is quite simple. Teams play in a 100-yard field (91.44 meters), where they aim to get the ball to the other team's end zone, at the end of their opposition's field. If a team reaches the end zone, either through a pass or running in, they score 6 points, called a ‘touchdown’. After this, one of two things may happen. Either the team's kicker will be able to attempt to kick the ball into the goal to score an additional point, or the scoring team will be able to attempt a two-point conversion, where they start 5 yards away from the endzone and have one possession to try to score. Other than that teams can attempt a field goal at any point in the game (from any distance), where in one possession the kicker kicks the ball and, if it reaches the goal, it counts for 3 points.

Now that the basics are cleared we need to talk about the Super Bowl. It is the greatest achievement in the NFL (National Football League), and many teams don't even have one after over 50 years of the NFL (there are only 32 teams in the NFL). When a team wins the Super Bowl they are basically crowned the best of that year, and they not only receive praise but also a championship ring (example of last year's below) and are immortalised in NFL history.

Now onto this year's super bowl. The Cincinnati Bengals and the L.A Rams, two teams that have been up and coming in the scene now but have very limited pasts. The Rams have 1 prior superbowl (in 2000 against the Tennessee Titans) and the Bengals have no prior wins. So this was set to be a monumental Super Bowl either way. 2 great quarterbacks in Joe Burrow (Bengals) and Matthew Stafford (Rams) were ready to go head to head. Firstly to get it out of the way, who won? The Rams ended up winning in an extremely tight 23-20 over the Bengals, but I think the most notable is how. Though the Bengals came back in the third quarter with a flying start, scoring a touchdown almost instantly, the Rams stayed focused and didn't let it get to them, turning the game back in their favor and defending amazingly. This defense is, in my opinion, the reason they achieved glory. Aaron Donald, the Defensive Tackle for the Rams orchestrated an amazing defense alongside the coaches that completely locked out Joe Burrow. This is because of the sacks. A sack is when the quarterback is knocked down by a defender and is unable to complete a pass, wasting a down. This was crucial in defeating the Bengals, since their players that defend the quarterback are their weakness. This not only led to a victory but also a record; Joe Burrow became, officially, the most sacked QB ever in a Super Bowl, and that was the reason for his downfall.

Some notable occurrences that also could have ruined the SB for the Rams, (well rather, one notable occurrence) is regarding one of their star offensive players, Odell Beckham Jr (OBJ). He started the Superbowl with a touchdown and showed no hints of stopping, but during the second quarter while running to the end zone, he stretched his hamstring badly, which took him out for the rest of the game. This was the moment where many, myself included, thought the Rams would crumble, but Stafford remained strong and, with the help of Cooper Kupp, another of the Ram's offensive stars, the Rams won it all, and in the process Kupp actually won the MVP award. On another note, LA Rams player Van Jefferson’s wife went into labor as he won the Superbowl, so he had to rush to the hospital right after the biggest moment in his career, a truly heartwarming moment.

Other than that, the last thing to talk about is the halftime show, which most non-NFL fans come to see. Eminem, Snoop Doog, Dr. Dre, Kendrik Lamar and Mary J. Blige, needless to say this was a show to remember with classics like Lose yourself and Smoke Weed Everyday, and that without the special surprise performance of 50 Cent’s In Da Club, which featured none other than 50 himself.

And that just about covers this year's Super Bowl with incredible plays, breathtaking performances and truly heart throbbing injuries. This was yet another Super Bowl to remember.