The Rams and Bengals traded several punts in the second half after Los Angeles cut Cincinnati’s lead to 20-16 with 5:58 left in the third quarter.
But when the club needed it most late in the contest’s final period, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the offense were able to put together a clutch drive to score a go-ahead touchdown.
Stafford, who finished Sunday 26-of-40 passing for 283 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, said after the contest that he was pretty much speechless.
“That last drive was a special drive — one I’ll never forget. So many great plays by so many great players,” Stafford said. “Just so happy to get it done.”
While Kupp caught the final TD, he had a few more key plays on the possession. He took a jet sweep on fourth-and-1 that gained 7 yards. Then Stafford hit Kupp over the middle with a no-look pass for a 22-yard gain.
The Bengals had bottled up Kupp for much of the contest. But the best receiver of the 2021 season broke loose when it mattered most.
“It was tough,” Stafford said. “They were doubling Coop on every third down. We just missed on a few plays here or there that could’ve been big plays for us. On that final drive, I thought Sean [McVay] did an unbelievable job of letting us go out there and play with a bunch of tempo. So many guys stepped up. Coop obviously had some huge plays. And then the game-winner was icing on the cake.”
