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Cooper Kupp wins Super Bowl 56 MVP after rescuing Rams in comeback victory over Bengals

jori epstein, usa today
·2 min read
2

Cooper Kupp was at a loss for words after he repeatedly had found the ball.

The Rams receiver was named Super Bowl 56 MVP after an eight-catch, 92-yard performance featuring two touchdowns including the game-winning score with 1:25 to play.

The Rams beat the Bengals 23-20 to capture the Lombardi Trophy in their home SoFi Stadium.

“I don’t feel deserving of this,” Kupp said on the postgame podium. “God is so good. I’m just so thankful.”

The Rams had taken an early 10-point lead when Stafford found Kupp on an 11-yard touchdown less than 3 minutes into the second quarter. Cupp faked a block before cutting out to the right corner of the end zone, snagging the perfectly-placed spiral from Stafford before he ran out of bounds toward the right sideline.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp celebrates after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp celebrates after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

The Rams struggled after losing receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a knee injury in the second quarter, failing to find the end zone again for more than 40 straight minutes of game time.

But head coach Sean McVay didn’t lose faith in his soon-to-be Super Bowl MVP. Stafford relayed McVay’s message in crunch time: “Matthew, you and Coop go get this done.”

With 1:25 to play and his full body facing Stafford, Kupp did.

“That’s hard work, that’s hours together,” Stafford explained of finding Kupp on eight of 10 targets, including two trophy-delivering touchdowns.

Kupp led Rams receivers with 92 yards, Beckham second with 52 yards and a touchdown on a day when the Rams' rushing game sputtered to the tune of just 43 total yards and 1.9 yards per attempt.

The All-Pro receiver’s success was just the latest stellar performance after a 1,947-yard, 16-touchdown regular season. He combined for 478 yards and six touchdowns in four postseason games.

Even so, Kupp eschewed the attention when named Super Bowl MVP.

“It just comes down to this team: the way we prepared, loved on each other, trusted each other,” he said. “They challenged me. They pushed me. Made it so much fun to come into work.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cooper Kupp wins Super Bowl 2022 MVP after rescuing Rams vs. Bengals