Rams Stun Saints in OT 26-23, Advance to Super Bowl

In the best playoff game of the postseason so far, the Los Angeles Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints, 26-23, in overtime to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 53. Greg Zuerlein, who hit a 47-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, drilled a 57-yarder to send the Rams to their first Super Bowl since the team was in Saint Louis.

It wouldn’t be an NFL game without some referee controversy, as a key missed pass interference call hurt New Orleans. The Saints were driving deep in L.A. territory with under two minutes in the game. If the call was made, Drew Brees and the Saints could have milked the clock and have an attempt at a game-winning field goal in regulation. The missed call will haunt Saints fans for the entire offseason.

Payton said he just got off the phone with the league and admitted the call was blown.

— Larry Holder (@LarryHolder) January 20, 2019

The Rams started off slow falling behind 10-0. After three L.A. 3-and-outs, it looked like the Saints were about to blow things wide open. But Sean McVay called a fake punt that the Rams converted. Momentum completely changed after the fake. Jared Goff–playing in his first career road playoff game–played well, finishing 25-of-40 with 297 passing yards and a touchdown. Brandin Cooks, the former Saint, had a huge game catching seven passes for 107 yards.

In the loss, Drew Brees played great and threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns. As good as he was, Brees also threw a key interception in overtime that set up the Rams for the eventual game-winning field goal. Saints running back Alvin Kamara was a problem all day for the Rams defense. Kamara caught 11 passes for 96 yards and added another 15 yards on the ground. The Saints were never able to get the ground game going as they were only able to rush for 48 yards as a team. This is the first time the Saints have lost a playoff game in the Superdome.

The city of Los Angeles will be represented in the Super Bowl for the first time since the L.A. Raiders made it back in 1984. The Rams will play the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. You can listen to the Super Bowl on February 3rd, right here on 102.9/750 The Game.