NFL Legend Andrew Whitworth Opens Up About the Unspoken Advantage That Helped the Rams Win the Super Bowl With Matthew Stafford

The Los Angeles Rams surprised the entire NFL and its fans by winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 2022, marking Matthew Stafford’s first season with the team. However, 2 years post-victory, Rams icon Andrew Whitworth revealed one of the undisclosed benefits the team had while chatting with former Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman.

The Super Bowl is often held at a stadium that is impartial and not the home venue for any of the teams competing in the game that year. Nevertheless, the Los Angeles Rams were competing against the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which is their home field. Even though the tickets were divided evenly between the fans of both teams, knowing the stadium certainly gives an advantage.

While speaking on the “Games with Names” podcast, Andrew Whitworth discussed with Julian Edelman that the Rams team didn’t feel like they were playing in a Super Bowl, but rather just another home game. He remarked that it had been one of the strangest weeks of their season.

 

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“We literally went into the game like it was a home game. A night before, staying in a hotel by the stadium and just road over to the game. It was the weirdest week. We even did, they even allowed us to do the media at our facility. So, we didn’t even have a media day.”

The Los Angeles Rams secured a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in an intense Super Bowl LVI showdown. This victory was the Rams’ first Super Bowl win while representing a team from Los Angeles and their second in franchise history.

The Los Angeles Rams’s Historic Win

Only a limited number of individuals in the NFL have managed to achieve the rare accomplishment of winning a Super Bowl in their own stadium. Before the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI, Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the only ones who had that title. The following year, Matthew Stafford led the Rams to being part of this exclusive group.

Matthew Stafford led the final drive of the game, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. Kupp caught his second touchdown leaping high despite close defense.

At the same time, Joe Burrow was under constant pressure from Aaron Donald during the Bengals’ last play, which led to an incomplete pass. That is how the team made their mark in the history books. The Rams bolstered their offense by bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. in the middle of the season to complement star receiver Cooper Kupp.

This crucial decision played a key role in their Super Bowl triumph. Despite trailing for most of the game, it was likely the invigorating energy from the home crowd that fueled the Rams’ comeback victory.