NEW ORLEANS, LA — The Los Angeles Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game Sunday and will play in Super Bowl 53. Kicker Greg Zuerlein booted a 57-yard field goal in overtime to send his team into the title game Sunday afternoon. This will be the first time the Rams will play in the Super Bowl since 2001.
The Rams, led by young quarterback Jared Goff, fell behind early 13 points as the roaring New Orleans crowd caused headaches for the offense.
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The Saints and Rams went to overtime following a wild — and controversial — ending to the fourth quarter. The teams exchanged field goals in the final six minutes. The first came when Rams coach Sean McVay elected to kick a field goal at the goal line to tie the game at 20-20 with about 5 minutes to play.
But Saints quarterback Drew Brees quickly drove down the field, threatening to answer. The drive stalled, however, when referees missed what appeared to be a blatant pass interference call on third down. Rams defensive back Nickel Robey-Coleman collided with Tommylee Lewis — their helmets clanging off one another — as the ball was in the air and before it arrived. Saints coach Sean Payton appeared livid when a flag wasn’t thrown.
New Orleans kicker Wil Lutz knocked a 31-yard field goal through the uprights to put his team up by three with less than two minutes to play. But Los Angeles answered with a long drive of its own, setting up Zuerlein’s game-tying 48-yard field goal with 19 seconds left to make it 23-23.
In overtime, New Orleans received the ball first; but a Brees interception near midfield set up Goff and McVay’s offense nicely. The Rams got a first down before getting stopped on a third-and-7 at the 39 yard line. Zuerline then kicked the game-winner.
Goff and Brees saw similar stat lines on the day. Goff completed 25 of his 40 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown. Brees completed 26 of 40 yards for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Both also threw an interception in the game.
New Orleans’ vaunted rushing attack led by Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram II struggled to find room on the day. The dynamic duo combined for 17 carries and just 46 yards on the day. The Rams fared slightly better, with C.J. Anderson surprisingly getting the lion’s share of the work over star runningback Todd Gurley II. Anderson rushed 16 times for 44 yards while Gurley finished the day with just four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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