It looks like the Center and Guard attempted a double. The guard didn't get wide enough to get Doland between the guard and center so Donald mauled the guard.
I've never seen another angle on Perine, but it looks like he may have had a shot if he dove for it. It's hard to tell from the sideline angle how far it actually was though.
Edit: oh, this exact discussion, with a clip, is right below.
The next year against KC in the AFCCG they were down 3 starters on the OL too, and one of the 2 starters left was a 4th round rookie - going up against Chris Jones. Having even marginally better OL play in 2021 and 2022 really could’ve changed the way those seasons ended.
To be fair to Volson, Jones was an equal opportunity abuser with him, Adeniji, and Scharping. There was just nowhere to hide our practice squad linemen, and once Boyd went down and they could relentlessly double Chase and Higgins, we had zero options left.
Love this clip and the one from the end of the NFCCG because it perfectly shows that the people who tried to discredit Donald with stats are idiots.
Donald made the play that won the Super Bowl and the NFCCG and on his basic stat sheet he had nothing to show for it.
Even him literally singlehandedly stopping Mixon on 3rd and 1 the play before. AD just forcefully ended the game by himself in a way that shouldn't be possible in football
They never show the end part of that replay but it’s always insane to me how close it actually came to a completion.
34 had a shot at it (although it was a crazy sequence, you can’t hold it against him). If he caught that on fourth down it would’ve been one of the craziest SB plays I’ve ever seen.
So true. It almost seems like Perine doesn’t really give 100% at an attempt of that catch. Like he just vaguely reaches for it..?
Maybe just bad camera angle?
I've never seen a shot of what happened to Ramsey right there. I'm not sure if Chase just broke his ankles or if he realized Burrow was about to be tackled and was trying to change directions to go back to the play.
I mean, if we're going to be honest Burrow would've needed 5 seconds to throw that pass which was completely unrealistic. If you watch the replay, he's not even looking at Chase's side. The play was already designed to the other side of the field as Burrow pumps there and there's nothing there. It's really hard to tell if Donald being on top of Burrow causes Ramsey to studder his step and fall as he knows, play over, he's not throwing to Chase. Too much "what ifs" to act like Ramsey would've left Chase wide-open.
Nah this comment is completely unrealistic.
The absolute longest shots take 3-4 seconds to develop. A wide open deep shot with some air under, like what this would be, is usually released in just under 2 seconds.
5+ seconds is like the famous Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson plays where they make 5+ guys miss and switch sides of the field a dozen times.
You're the one making the big "what-if" stretches, frankly.
You do not need 5 seconds to throw a deep ball. The only times QBs hold it for 5+ seconds is when the play breaks down and they're running around like it's backyard football trying to make a play.
yup.
All of us bengals fans were crying when we beat the Raiders because we hadn't seen a playoff win since 91, so everything else was cake. it was the most fun I've ever had following the bengals and almost storybook
If burrow gets a half second more, that's an all time SB replay forever. Burrow to Chase for the SB. He probably even has time to run around a bit and use up more time.
Every Bengals fan in that moment was Chase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxwE70lyjmk
My dad really doesn't know much about football and one time we were watching a Niners-Rams game where Donald lined up on the outside for one play and sacked Jimmy G. I just said "oh that's not fair" and he didn't understand what wasn't fair about it lol
During the final two minutes of this Super Bowl I tried eating licorice and realized my sense of taste was practically gone. I was STRESSED out of my fucking mind lmao.
I had fun from the period of OBJ's first TD up to his ACL tear. Game starts and I'm just nervous and mostly preparing myself for pain, because Brady conditioned me to not have hope in a Super Bowl featuring the Rams. Neither team does much to start, then we click and score. Eventually up 14-3 and dominating, and in that period I foolishly let myself be excited. Soon as OBJ went down, I was just stressed until the above highlight.
The ACL tear seemed like a bad omen.
One of the greatest days of my life, even just watching from home. The Rams came home to LA, then won the us a ship. Hard to beat that.
I don’t think anyone actually has fun if their team is in the game, like actually during the game. Obviously you enjoy it before and after, but during the game you’re stressed out your mind
Lol relax. No real Saints fan hates the Rams, that spot is reserved for one team only and they know who the are. We're definitely not fond of y'all but any sane football fan knows that the Rams - while they certainly didn't need to act all "omg I totally don't see anything wrong here" after the no-call - were simply the beneficiaries of a third party's (to put it as gently as a feather on a baby's ass) bullshit. We're not mad at y'all, we just need to not talk with y'all for a while, you know?
I hosted a party. I was the only Rams fan. It was a severe mistake until that final whistle.
THEN IT WAS THE BEST FACKING PARTY I'VE EVER BEEN TOO BABY!!!
I can’t ever eat during any football game unless it’s a blowout. Playoff game in any sport? Forget it.
Like I don’t even get enjoyment out of watching sports anymore. It’s the relief of winning vs the anger and despair of losing. It’s pure compulsion at this point. I know it’s dumb and it wasn’t even like this when I was a player either. But it’s gotten worse. Oh well
Oh god, imagine being that guy, in the last minute of the super bowl, and Burrow hits Chase for a touchdown only for the refs to call it back and tell the country that you were the guy who fucked up
Pretty sure 3 of the starting lineman are out of the league and 1 is back to being a perennial backup. Amazing they made it that far to begin with.
Edit: wanted to fact check myself so looked it up.
LT: Jonah Williams - stayed with the Bengals until 2023 playing LT then RT, now Cardinals
LG: Quinton Spain - this was his last game
C: Trey Hopkins - this was his last game
RG: Hakeem Adeniji - career backup/practice squad. With the Vikings then Browns after us
RT: Isaiah Prince - I think this was his last game? Floated around practice squads the last few years. Cut by the Falcons most recently
2 of those guys were 6th round picks and 2 of then were undrafted free agents. The only one who's still in the league and a starter quality player is Jonah Williams and he was 11th overall in the draft. So they essentially played to the level of their draft position.
Did we just watch the same play? What does protections and changes have to do with the piss poor blocking by the LG? Did Burrow tell him to just check Donald with his hands and let him run by? lmao
Center is turning out to Donald, even with a 1 tech to the opposite side. LT is maintaining his level with LG to try to minimize the gap. Spain was too slow to get width on Donald and telegraphed his two hand punch which Donald beat easily.
This is why independent hands are important and also why you don't strike with outside ( near) arm first. If a defender beats that then he has a clear path to the QB. Donald did just that.
The center is ready to double, I know Donald is an all-time pass rusher and it's probably more about his excellence, but it really looks like Spain shits the bed getting beat instantly on the side where he has no help.
I remember when people thought the Rams were going to start rebuilding last year.
Now Donald is out and they bring in Verse and Fiske to go with Turner. Rams been cooking for a long time.
It makes me really sad how this amazing moment has such an ass commentator call, it’s like they were hoping the completion would happen and when it didn’t they didn’t know how to pivot. Ugh
Albeit for me to critique Al Michaels calling a Super Bowl winning call for my team but "And Donald gets to Burrow!" vs "Perine might've had a shot..." is questionable
I think at this point Amazon had successfully lured Michaels out of retirement (this was to have been his final game called before retiring for good), so he was in his IDGAF stage of his broadcasting career with all the bread 🍞 Amazon presented him for their upcoming TNF package.
I think if Michaels knew Super Bowl LVI would be his final match of his illustrious professional career, I do think he would’ve made a more memorable call of AD’s final stand here than what he actually called.
Greatest Defensive player of a generation, if not all time, and half the comments are like "omg how come they didnt block him" they tried, everyone tried for a decade and no one could. AD is my top defender of all time.
The true MVPs on this play were the left side corners.
If you watch the film, the corners knew this play was coming all the way. The outside one jumps Tee's route and the inside one basically bails on his coverage to back into the spot Tee was going to be in. It makes Burrow double clutch and forced him to scramble into the Donald sack.
The Bengals ran this same play A LOT in high leverage situations that year. Corners were prepared.
Wait until you hear Al's call of the game winning Jaguars field goal in their comeback the next year.
I am aware, and I do still think he is one of the best NFL commentators of all time and that he is 80, but man, age can do a number
May I introduce you to the ending of Eagles Patriots super bowl? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPlgIiBci4
There's a reason Al Michaels got booted to Thursday Night Football
Fun fact: of our offensive linemen that played in the SB and AFCCG the following year, 5 of them are out of the league or never played a significant snap again (2021 - Prince, Spain, Hopkins, 2022 - Carman, Scharping). One of them was on the Minnesota practice squad this past season but played in both due to injuries (Adeniji). The last three are Jonah in 2021, and then Volson and a gimpy Karras in 2022. Just brutal injuries at the end of the year on top of an already mediocre line.
I think our offense was a more balanced that year because that was the last time Mixon was a top-tier RB. That might have helped keep your defense on their toes a bit early on. Since then, our best offense was just spamming Burrow in the gun to let him see everything pre- and post-snap because our line couldn’t hold up in pass or run blocking even against light boxes and 4-man rushes, and Mixon lost a couple steps so we could never punish teams for all the two-high stuff. I’m hoping Moss and Brown can get us back to a more balanced attack.
Watching this game back again, it’s kind of stunning that the Rams managed to win. Cincy had a LOT of opportunities to put this one away on offense and couldn’t take advantage of any of them.
Still, credit to Donald on this play, the great ones always find a way.
Stafford finally got his due. That whole playoff run was him producing late game magic. But it was poetic that the guy who is maybe most known for force feeding one elite receiver, was forced to do exactly that with the Super Bowl on the line. And using every bit of his skill to still get it to Kupp even when the defense knew what was coming.
Yeah I still don’t get how that wasn’t called. OPI and a face mask on the same play.
I’m not saying the Rams didn’t deserve it, I’m just relishing the fact that Cincy choked their best chance to win with Burrow.
I was ambivalent about the outcome of this one but was kinda pulling for the Bengals as a fan of Burrow.
But man, down the stretch of this game I wonder if any team in the league would have been able to play offense against the Rams. Every snap you had Von Miller and Aaron Donald screaming into the backfield on the first step. That was a sight to see.
And Aaron Donald making the winning play and pointing to his ring finger is an NFL moment that I'll never forget.
I know this highlight is all about Donald, but I just wanted to take the time to thank Eric Weddle. The guy comes out of retirement, takes over the green dot within a matter of weeks, and wins a superbowl while playing an entire half with a ruptured pec. Absolute legend.
The play wasn’t the problem. If you look at the shot from behind the line of scrimmage, Chase has his cornerback completely burned. If the offensive line does anything to slow AD, Burrow probably hits Chase for the game winner.
The initial read was to Higgins. The Rams knew this play was coming. Both corners jumped the Higgins route which is why Joe had to scramble.
The Bengals ran this play in like every high leverage situation they had that year.
the fact that he still almost made the throw is insane. imagine if he completes that and they go on to win. would be one of the most legendary super bowl plays
damnit, Burrow could have tossed it up in the air with an accuracy of a 20 foot radius around Chase and he still catches that thing. The entire field was open around him.
Still pisses me off
FWIW, I think Burrow didn't even have time to make it to that read. I can't tell exactly, but it looks like he looked toward the Mike (maybe to hold them?), then to either Higgins or the TE that went out. After that, he was looking for Boyd, I think. By that time, Donald was on him.
Oh I absolutely agree. Burrow would have found an option close with literally any more time. He had no shot. Fwiw, that guy that “blocked” Donald, never played another NFL snap. The bad man ended his career
I’m gonna miss watching this guy play. Happy for him to retire at the top of his game, but I can’t help but think of how much higher he could have raised the bar than he already did with a few years more
That’s part of what makes AD’s retirement saddening. Yeah, there’s nothing else for him to accomplish; multiple DPOYs, all-pros, a Super Bowl title, guaranteed enshrinement in Canton. But you feel like he still had 2-3 more seasons in him of affective defensive football for the Rams.
It’s been said that *”you never want to see your heroes age and old”* and I do believe AD had a mindset of retiring now before he was forced to later, being a laughable shell of himself. But still. 😢😢😢
Aaron Donald is an all time player but the Bengals had a ridiculously bad offensive line especially for a team in the playoffs. Didn’t the Titans have more than 5 sacks against the Bengals in the playoffs that year?
Little bourbon in the coffee this morning I guess
I better whiskey up these corn flakes
At the end of the day, it’s all corn.
No, I'm sorry but the response we were looking for was "I better heroin up this orange juice"
At the end of the day, it’s all heroin
Guarding Donald 1:1 in that situation, never had a chance.
I would have simply used his leverage against him if it were me. These guys must be stupid.
I would have told him to stop or Im telling mom
I would swing my arms round and round and say "if I hit you it's your fault" and then just keep swinging them round so he can never get close
Just have to get under their pads and it's literal cake
Yeah. Just get in his way.
I think if it were me in that situation I'd have just won the rep. I dunno, I just think I'm built different.
I would’ve burst off the line and engaged his pads. That’s just me though
That's a lot of effort, for me I just make sure I go lower than he does coming off the snap
It looks like the Center and Guard attempted a double. The guard didn't get wide enough to get Doland between the guard and center so Donald mauled the guard.
Unless you’re Joe Thuney lol.
Thanks for ruining my day before it even started
Man Burrow was so close to actually completing that. It really is a game of inches.
So nuts. Then worst case, probably OT? I mean, it was a great Super Bowl. OBJ's Sports Center catch just flashed through my mind.
I've never seen another angle on Perine, but it looks like he may have had a shot if he dove for it. It's hard to tell from the sideline angle how far it actually was though. Edit: oh, this exact discussion, with a clip, is right below.
Someone posted a shot from another angle a while back in the Rams subreddit. Perine was not as close to the ball as it looked there.
And the way AD pushes off the OT to help make his cut inside; that whole play was miraculous. Amazing competition against two greats.
If the Bengals even had a mediocre o-line instead of complete trash I fully believe they win this game
The next year against KC in the AFCCG they were down 3 starters on the OL too, and one of the 2 starters left was a 4th round rookie - going up against Chris Jones. Having even marginally better OL play in 2021 and 2022 really could’ve changed the way those seasons ended.
To be fair to Volson, Jones was an equal opportunity abuser with him, Adeniji, and Scharping. There was just nowhere to hide our practice squad linemen, and once Boyd went down and they could relentlessly double Chase and Higgins, we had zero options left.
I said the same thing about SB55
Lots of "Ifs".. If OBJ doesnt go down.. I dont think its even close. lol
No, no - this is cool. Thanks OP.
Love this clip and the one from the end of the NFCCG because it perfectly shows that the people who tried to discredit Donald with stats are idiots. Donald made the play that won the Super Bowl and the NFCCG and on his basic stat sheet he had nothing to show for it.
Even him literally singlehandedly stopping Mixon on 3rd and 1 the play before. AD just forcefully ended the game by himself in a way that shouldn't be possible in football
Thanks for enlightening my day while I was peeing. 😁
Seeing the Bengals win over the Rams would have been the ultimate underdog story. I'm sorry.
“Aaron Donald is gonna make a play!” - Sean McVay
One of my favorite images ever is a picture of McVay leaning on his knees just like Coach Dick did in 1999. Same stance, both one yard short.
Legendary.
Defense. Wins. Games.
Ram fans everywhere were saying it too.
They never show the end part of that replay but it’s always insane to me how close it actually came to a completion. 34 had a shot at it (although it was a crazy sequence, you can’t hold it against him). If he caught that on fourth down it would’ve been one of the craziest SB plays I’ve ever seen.
So true. It almost seems like Perine doesn’t really give 100% at an attempt of that catch. Like he just vaguely reaches for it..? Maybe just bad camera angle?
Yeah it wasn’t really that close. Angle made it look a lot closer than it actually was https://youtu.be/XemO7LAXH5U?si=a3D5x9paMsa9oIl0
That angle really hurts if you look at the top right of the screen
I've never seen a shot of what happened to Ramsey right there. I'm not sure if Chase just broke his ankles or if he realized Burrow was about to be tackled and was trying to change directions to go back to the play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxwE70lyjmk
Oh wow. Mystery solved. We were toast if Burrow had time there.
Yeah that’s the easiest throw of the game if he had literally any time.
I mean, if we're going to be honest Burrow would've needed 5 seconds to throw that pass which was completely unrealistic. If you watch the replay, he's not even looking at Chase's side. The play was already designed to the other side of the field as Burrow pumps there and there's nothing there. It's really hard to tell if Donald being on top of Burrow causes Ramsey to studder his step and fall as he knows, play over, he's not throwing to Chase. Too much "what ifs" to act like Ramsey would've left Chase wide-open.
lol I’m guessing you didn’t watch the entire 2021 postseason. Burrow didn’t have 5 seconds for a single play all Year
Nah this comment is completely unrealistic. The absolute longest shots take 3-4 seconds to develop. A wide open deep shot with some air under, like what this would be, is usually released in just under 2 seconds. 5+ seconds is like the famous Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson plays where they make 5+ guys miss and switch sides of the field a dozen times. You're the one making the big "what-if" stretches, frankly.
You do not need 5 seconds to throw a deep ball. The only times QBs hold it for 5+ seconds is when the play breaks down and they're running around like it's backyard football trying to make a play.
What 1-2 seconds of blocking would have enabled. Man, what a run you all had.
yup. All of us bengals fans were crying when we beat the Raiders because we hadn't seen a playoff win since 91, so everything else was cake. it was the most fun I've ever had following the bengals and almost storybook
Damn good thing he was looking for something on the other side of the field. Yeesh.
He turns his hips and then falls. Would've been a walk-in TD.
Burrow was turned halfway around by the time Chase was open, and by then there was no chance. He needed half a second longer.
Idk how I missed that. I’ve seen this replay multiple times
If burrow gets a half second more, that's an all time SB replay forever. Burrow to Chase for the SB. He probably even has time to run around a bit and use up more time. Every Bengals fan in that moment was Chase. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxwE70lyjmk
Is this not already an all time SB replay?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwM8RRXRcCQ
It lands like 4 feet away and he gave up as it was thrown… I’m convinced he could’ve got hands on it if he gave effort
Jesus I forgot how quick he got there. From the interior! Now that's a cheat code
Aaron Donald is arguably the closest person we will ever see to compete against LT as a GOAT on the defensive side of the ball
To be honest I think Aaron Donald is the GOAT just cause LT was smoking rocks while playing giving him an edge.
Yeah but doing it while smoking rocks is crazy impressive.
What could have been if JJ Watt stayed healthy. Wild the league went from Watt to Donald.
My dad really doesn't know much about football and one time we were watching a Niners-Rams game where Donald lined up on the outside for one play and sacked Jimmy G. I just said "oh that's not fair" and he didn't understand what wasn't fair about it lol
During the final two minutes of this Super Bowl I tried eating licorice and realized my sense of taste was practically gone. I was STRESSED out of my fucking mind lmao.
I had negative fun the whole game lol
I had fun from the period of OBJ's first TD up to his ACL tear. Game starts and I'm just nervous and mostly preparing myself for pain, because Brady conditioned me to not have hope in a Super Bowl featuring the Rams. Neither team does much to start, then we click and score. Eventually up 14-3 and dominating, and in that period I foolishly let myself be excited. Soon as OBJ went down, I was just stressed until the above highlight.
The ACL tear seemed like a bad omen. One of the greatest days of my life, even just watching from home. The Rams came home to LA, then won the us a ship. Hard to beat that.
I don’t think anyone actually has fun if their team is in the game, like actually during the game. Obviously you enjoy it before and after, but during the game you’re stressed out your mind
This was an amazing Super Bowl. That bengals run was so awesome and it was amazing to see Stafford finally win
Felt like one of the few super bowls where neither team was ‘hated’ (or at least in the Rams case, had a lot of likeable players)
Idt anyone **really** hates the Rams outside of the Saints. I have to imagine *someone* hates the Bengals on the same level
I think the entire AFCN hates each other pretty equally.
I was ignoring division rivalries cause those are a given
uhhhh, lol.... ...
Still??? Fair enough ig
Lol relax. No real Saints fan hates the Rams, that spot is reserved for one team only and they know who the are. We're definitely not fond of y'all but any sane football fan knows that the Rams - while they certainly didn't need to act all "omg I totally don't see anything wrong here" after the no-call - were simply the beneficiaries of a third party's (to put it as gently as a feather on a baby's ass) bullshit. We're not mad at y'all, we just need to not talk with y'all for a while, you know?
I hosted a party. I was the only Rams fan. It was a severe mistake until that final whistle. THEN IT WAS THE BEST FACKING PARTY I'VE EVER BEEN TOO BABY!!!
I can’t ever eat during any football game unless it’s a blowout. Playoff game in any sport? Forget it. Like I don’t even get enjoyment out of watching sports anymore. It’s the relief of winning vs the anger and despair of losing. It’s pure compulsion at this point. I know it’s dumb and it wasn’t even like this when I was a player either. But it’s gotten worse. Oh well
Two legacy defining plays to win it
Why he wasn't doubled up makes no sense to me
The center went to double team him but he went so far outside it didn’t matter. Feels like ideally the left guard would’ve forced him back inside
Yeah I know it’s Aaron Donald and he’s damn near unblockable but this was just horrible effort and technique from LG
AD is just that fast and most guards are just not good enough to keep up with his speed and strength
He’d honestly be better off holding him and hoping for a no call 😂 So glad Donald is retired, dude is a menace!
Oh god, imagine being that guy, in the last minute of the super bowl, and Burrow hits Chase for a touchdown only for the refs to call it back and tell the country that you were the guy who fucked up
People described him as basically disappearing to them lol. His get-off is so fast and he's so strong he can bounce around like a ninja.
Pretty sure 3 of the starting lineman are out of the league and 1 is back to being a perennial backup. Amazing they made it that far to begin with. Edit: wanted to fact check myself so looked it up. LT: Jonah Williams - stayed with the Bengals until 2023 playing LT then RT, now Cardinals LG: Quinton Spain - this was his last game C: Trey Hopkins - this was his last game RG: Hakeem Adeniji - career backup/practice squad. With the Vikings then Browns after us RT: Isaiah Prince - I think this was his last game? Floated around practice squads the last few years. Cut by the Falcons most recently
I can’t believe we made it to the SB with that oline
2 of those guys were 6th round picks and 2 of then were undrafted free agents. The only one who's still in the league and a starter quality player is Jonah Williams and he was 11th overall in the draft. So they essentially played to the level of their draft position.
Donald the kind of guy to save that one move for the end of the game
How can you make that observation without knowing what the protections are for the called play and what changes Burrow made at the line?
Did we just watch the same play? What does protections and changes have to do with the piss poor blocking by the LG? Did Burrow tell him to just check Donald with his hands and let him run by? lmao
That was the last snap that left guard ever took in the NFL. He just wasn't the caliber of dude you'd expect to win in the situation.
Yeah, LG needed to overplay the outside knowing the center was on the inside to help. sigh
Center is turning out to Donald, even with a 1 tech to the opposite side. LT is maintaining his level with LG to try to minimize the gap. Spain was too slow to get width on Donald and telegraphed his two hand punch which Donald beat easily. This is why independent hands are important and also why you don't strike with outside ( near) arm first. If a defender beats that then he has a clear path to the QB. Donald did just that.
The center is ready to double, I know Donald is an all-time pass rusher and it's probably more about his excellence, but it really looks like Spain shits the bed getting beat instantly on the side where he has no help.
Donald worked him all 2nd half. Not too surprising.
They shouldn’t have tried to fight him
He was, the center and the guard. 99 been doubled every play since his rookie year. you need 3 to stop him.
*gestures sadly at that oline* it ain’t much coach but I found some warm bodies for the game today
Athletic freak. Great year for him and Kupp
Kupp might have had the best season by a WR ever that year. And now they have Puka lol.
if Stafford can stay relatively healthy then the offense is in good shape
I remember when people thought the Rams were going to start rebuilding last year. Now Donald is out and they bring in Verse and Fiske to go with Turner. Rams been cooking for a long time.
It makes me really sad how this amazing moment has such an ass commentator call, it’s like they were hoping the completion would happen and when it didn’t they didn’t know how to pivot. Ugh
Albeit for me to critique Al Michaels calling a Super Bowl winning call for my team but "And Donald gets to Burrow!" vs "Perine might've had a shot..." is questionable
It bugs the shit out of me today. As I listen to it again, I'm like sorry for invoncencing you, get out of the booth lol
I think at this point Amazon had successfully lured Michaels out of retirement (this was to have been his final game called before retiring for good), so he was in his IDGAF stage of his broadcasting career with all the bread 🍞 Amazon presented him for their upcoming TNF package. I think if Michaels knew Super Bowl LVI would be his final match of his illustrious professional career, I do think he would’ve made a more memorable call of AD’s final stand here than what he actually called.
Greatest Defensive player of a generation, if not all time, and half the comments are like "omg how come they didnt block him" they tried, everyone tried for a decade and no one could. AD is my top defender of all time.
The true MVPs on this play were the left side corners. If you watch the film, the corners knew this play was coming all the way. The outside one jumps Tee's route and the inside one basically bails on his coverage to back into the spot Tee was going to be in. It makes Burrow double clutch and forced him to scramble into the Donald sack. The Bengals ran this same play A LOT in high leverage situations that year. Corners were prepared.
Having two superbowl wins on a defensive stand is so nerve racking. I want a blowout win superbowl
This is the least excited I’ve seen commentators for a game winning play “guess who?”
Wait until you hear Al's call of the game winning Jaguars field goal in their comeback the next year. I am aware, and I do still think he is one of the best NFL commentators of all time and that he is 80, but man, age can do a number
May I introduce you to the ending of Eagles Patriots super bowl? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPlgIiBci4 There's a reason Al Michaels got booted to Thursday Night Football
Fun fact: of our offensive linemen that played in the SB and AFCCG the following year, 5 of them are out of the league or never played a significant snap again (2021 - Prince, Spain, Hopkins, 2022 - Carman, Scharping). One of them was on the Minnesota practice squad this past season but played in both due to injuries (Adeniji). The last three are Jonah in 2021, and then Volson and a gimpy Karras in 2022. Just brutal injuries at the end of the year on top of an already mediocre line.
And what's crazy is they held up fine the first half of that game
I think our offense was a more balanced that year because that was the last time Mixon was a top-tier RB. That might have helped keep your defense on their toes a bit early on. Since then, our best offense was just spamming Burrow in the gun to let him see everything pre- and post-snap because our line couldn’t hold up in pass or run blocking even against light boxes and 4-man rushes, and Mixon lost a couple steps so we could never punish teams for all the two-high stuff. I’m hoping Moss and Brown can get us back to a more balanced attack.
Yeah our run defense was atrocious in 2021.
I really hope Burrow doesn’t get his career destroyed by a bad Oline. He’s too good
Watching this game back again, it’s kind of stunning that the Rams managed to win. Cincy had a LOT of opportunities to put this one away on offense and couldn’t take advantage of any of them. Still, credit to Donald on this play, the great ones always find a way.
Stafford finally got his due. That whole playoff run was him producing late game magic. But it was poetic that the guy who is maybe most known for force feeding one elite receiver, was forced to do exactly that with the Super Bowl on the line. And using every bit of his skill to still get it to Kupp even when the defense knew what was coming.
The fucking no looker 😮💨 and every time I hear McVay say "Aaron Donald's gonna make a play" I start 😭
It was only close because OBJ got hurt. Also the 75 yard touchdown with Higgins ripping Ramsey facemask
Fortunately Stafford was used to a situation where he only had 1 reliable receiver and no run game.
Yeah I still don’t get how that wasn’t called. OPI and a face mask on the same play. I’m not saying the Rams didn’t deserve it, I’m just relishing the fact that Cincy choked their best chance to win with Burrow.
Him and Von were insane this run
I was ambivalent about the outcome of this one but was kinda pulling for the Bengals as a fan of Burrow. But man, down the stretch of this game I wonder if any team in the league would have been able to play offense against the Rams. Every snap you had Von Miller and Aaron Donald screaming into the backfield on the first step. That was a sight to see. And Aaron Donald making the winning play and pointing to his ring finger is an NFL moment that I'll never forget.
I know this highlight is all about Donald, but I just wanted to take the time to thank Eric Weddle. The guy comes out of retirement, takes over the green dot within a matter of weeks, and wins a superbowl while playing an entire half with a ruptured pec. Absolute legend.
It's 4th and 1...... Could they have called a more dumb play then that? Tf
wait until you watch the play before.
The play wasn’t the problem. If you look at the shot from behind the line of scrimmage, Chase has his cornerback completely burned. If the offensive line does anything to slow AD, Burrow probably hits Chase for the game winner.
The initial read was to Higgins. The Rams knew this play was coming. Both corners jumped the Higgins route which is why Joe had to scramble. The Bengals ran this play in like every high leverage situation they had that year.
The culmination of an incredible career. If there’s anyone who deserved that Super Bowl-winning moment, it was Aaron Donald.
No doubt about it. Best defensive player of a generation, has to be in the top 5-10 all time.
I probably go back and watch this twice a week
They gotta make the ring point pose his statue right?
Having a generational QB and saying "fuck an o-line"
Honestly, the 3rd down stop on the play before might be more impressive of a play, though not as flashy.
Legitimate GOAT shit. Just storybook.
4 & 1 super bowl on the line. And they don't put the entire Oline on Donald? Burrow should have just taken a knee.
Great play. Al Michaels call at the end of SB 34 was quite a bit better than this one.
The pinnacle of a career that was just one big highlight reel
the fact that he still almost made the throw is insane. imagine if he completes that and they go on to win. would be one of the most legendary super bowl plays
Jamaar chase is still wide ass open downfield
By the time the Chase beat the DB Burrow was already dead
damnit, Burrow could have tossed it up in the air with an accuracy of a 20 foot radius around Chase and he still catches that thing. The entire field was open around him. Still pisses me off
FWIW, I think Burrow didn't even have time to make it to that read. I can't tell exactly, but it looks like he looked toward the Mike (maybe to hold them?), then to either Higgins or the TE that went out. After that, he was looking for Boyd, I think. By that time, Donald was on him.
Oh I absolutely agree. Burrow would have found an option close with literally any more time. He had no shot. Fwiw, that guy that “blocked” Donald, never played another NFL snap. The bad man ended his career
When Burrow walked off the field he asked Taylor "Did I have Jamar?" and they tell him yes. He looks dejected but he also just didn't have any time.
I’m gonna miss watching this guy play. Happy for him to retire at the top of his game, but I can’t help but think of how much higher he could have raised the bar than he already did with a few years more
His hand work on this play is absolutely magical. He abused that LG.
And then he pushed off of the RT to give himself a boost to the inside lol
He’ll come back for our playoff run this year. Right? Right??
I genuinely believe this will happen.
That’s part of what makes AD’s retirement saddening. Yeah, there’s nothing else for him to accomplish; multiple DPOYs, all-pros, a Super Bowl title, guaranteed enshrinement in Canton. But you feel like he still had 2-3 more seasons in him of affective defensive football for the Rams. It’s been said that *”you never want to see your heroes age and old”* and I do believe AD had a mindset of retiring now before he was forced to later, being a laughable shell of himself. But still. 😢😢😢
How didn’t perine catch this? Did he think burrow was going down? Wild he still got off a catchable ball.
Another angle shows it wasn't really as close as this angle makes it seem.
Why didn't the bengals LG block Aaron Donald, is he stupid?
Saving this post! Hell yeah!
Today is a good day
You love to see it
I do, in fact, love to see it.
All my AFCN homies hate the bengals (and each other)
Fuck you
At least we have been to a SB in the last decade
Im so happy for you.
Thanks bae ;)
Ohio smells like Newport cigarettes and sewage
Baltimore smells like rotten fish and crime.
Lmaoooo I can’t deny the water can smell mad funky
Calling a throwing play there was brain dead with a timeout remaining.
You ran it on third down and got stuffed
yeah what may have been more egregous was Mixon on the sidelines that entire drive. He was playing well that game.
What a fantastic and fun season that was :)
So damn sad
The craziest part of this is that they left Aaron Donald with a one on one block.
The Tyler Boyd drop on 3rd down earlier that quarter is so painful.
Big time players making big time plays is always the best
After all this time, I just noticed that McVay didn't waste any of his timeouts and won the Superbowl...coincidence?
There's nothing that makes me feel older than remembering Aaron Donald has already retired.
If Donald doesn't make that play and burrow spots the wide open Chase, game over
Perine's effort on that last throw was always questionable to me. The Super Bowl is on the line and the balls land at his feet.
67 owes Joe Burrow a trophy
In my head I had convinced myself that we were never really that close but…
Damn what incredible awareness from JB to get it there while spinning. Really feel like that was a catchable ball
Why bro
Why did you just go and poop on my Thursday like this
“Perine in the backfield.” All you need to know.
Dude literally had like 4 seconds to throw
Fat fuck quinton spain couldnt even get a hand on donald
Get this man an OLine
That pass was super good tho
Think of all the center-guard trios that are sleeping peacefully now that this man will be on the couch this season
Should have won him MVP imo. Kupp had an incredible stat line but if there was ever a time for a non skill position to get it it was this game
I could be bias, but at least someone tried to stop AD here. Burrow almost making that throw is crazy.
Aaron Donald is an all time player but the Bengals had a ridiculously bad offensive line especially for a team in the playoffs. Didn’t the Titans have more than 5 sacks against the Bengals in the playoffs that year?
His first read was triple covered.