LOS ANGELES – Matthew Stafford is heading to his first Super Bowl after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.
Stafford completed 31 of 45 passes for 337 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He helped the Rams convert 11 of 17 third-down attempts, which ended up being the difference in the 20-17 victory.
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It only took the former Detroit Lions quarterback one season to reach the pinnacle of the sport after being dealt by the team that drafted him No. 1 overall 13 years ago. The Rams went 12-5, won the NFC West and took down the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 49ers in consecutive playoff matchups.
That sets up a Super Bowl meeting with the surprise Cincinnati Bengals, led by rising star Joe Burrow. The Bengals came back from a 21-3 road deficit to beat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
For the second year in a row, the Super Bowl will involve a team playing in its home stadium. Stafford and the Rams will have a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy inside SoFi Stadium, where they went 5-3 this season.
Stafford passed for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in his first year with the Rams.
