LSU alumni Odell Beckham Jr. and Andrew Whitworth hoisted the Lombardi trophy Sunday evening for the first time since the organization’s move to Los Angeles in front of a home crowd in Sofi Stadium Super Bowl LVI.
In a Super Bowl that felt like LSU was playing in, the Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase connection of old came up short for the Cincinnati Bengals in the team’s first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history since 1989. This game featured four active players who came from LSU in total, but it was Whitworth and Beckham who capped off their fairy tale season with a championship.
Beckham exited the game early with a knee injury, but not before he managed to score the first touchdown of the game on an impressive catch in the corner of the endzone. Whitworth came into this game fresh off winning the Walter Peyton Man of the Year and was a key contributor in what might have been his final career NFL game.
No matter how Super Bowl 56 ended, an LSU Tiger was guaranteed to receive their first Super Bowl Ring.
Odell ham Jr., Rams Wide Receiver
Beckham’s best game during the postseason was in the NFC Championship Game with nine receptions for 113 yards, which was complemented by Cooper Kupp’s 11-of-14 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Beckham still has the ability to make dynamic plays with the ball in his hands, and, working in tandem with Kupp, he found exploits in the Bengals’ defense. McVay loves to scheme receivers open and largely targeted Eli Apple, the weakest starting member of the Bengals secondary, all Sunday night.
LSU 2011-2013
The Rams have one of the greatest players to put on the Purple and Gold every Saturday, Odell Beckham Jr. During his junior year in 2013, Beckham averaged 20 yards per catch and recorded four of the top-10 all-purpose yards games in school history. When paired with Jarvis Landry, Beckham turned into a cheat code. The duo was the first pair of receivers to each record a 1,000-yard season in the same year.
Andrew Whitworth, Rams Left Tackle
The most experienced and tenured member of NFLSU and oldest player in the NFL, Whitworth is nearing the end of his career and had one last goal remaining: a Super Bowl ring. After winning a BCS National Championship when Nick Saban was the coach at LSU in 2003, Whitworth was drafted by the Bengals in 2006 and joined the Rams in 2017. The three-time All-Pro, and four-time Pro Bowler turned 40 this past December and is signed through the 2022 season. Although he is still under contract, Whitworth has hinted this week that retirement may be likely after this game.
“We’ll see. More than likely this will be it. There’s always a scenario, but to me, I think I’ve accomplished about everything that I’d wanna accomplish in my career and I’ve got a lot of other things I want to do,” Whitworth told People Magazine.
The offensive tackle of the Rams won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his Big Whit 77 Foundation, which benefits families and youth in his local community.
This is the Rams’ second Super Bowl appearance in four years, having lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl 53, and first super bowl victory since the start of the century.
LSU 2001-2005
The sheer size of this man is maddening, standing at 6 feet 7 inches and weighing 322 pounds, Whitworth gave his matchups nightmares. Whitworth set an LSU record of 52 consecutive starts, and in his four years he never sat out of a game. The sheer dedication to ignore limiting factors and to go out and perform for LSU made him a gritty favorite. During the 2003 National Championship season, Whitworth started all 14 games and led the team in total snaps played with 920 snaps.
Joe Burrow, Bengals Quarterback
Joe Burrow kept cool these playoffs despite making an 18-point comeback in the AFC Championship Game and overcoming nine sacks against the Titans. All three games this postseason have been nail biters – and the Super Bowl was no exception.
“He’s a warrior, a pure warrior. A stone-cold killer. Said if there’s one QB he wants to play for, it’s Burrow,” Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie said about Burrow’s toughness on Sunday.
“I’m still going to celebrate with the guys and reminisce on what we did all season,” Burrow said after the loss.
Despite coming up short, Burrow put together another solid performance, adding 263 yards and a touchdown while being harassed all game by the Rams’ stout defensive line. Burrow may not have provided the storybook ending in this game, but at just 25 years old with a young team, this will not be the last time he has a chance to make history.
In the AFC Wild Card round, the Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was intercepted with 12 seconds left and just two yards away from the endzone. Following an interception against the Titans with 20 seconds left in a tied game, Burrow hit Chase and then Mixon to get into field-goal range, eventually leading Evan McPherson to drill a 52-yard field goal to win.
When chances were dimming in the AFC Championship against the Chiefs in overtime, another timely interception followed by a 42-yard drive had McPherson once again bringing the Bengals a victory, this time punching their ticket to the Super Bowl.
LSU 2018 & 2019
In just two seasons with the Tigers, Burrow climbed to second place in career passing yards (8,565) and first in career passing touchdowns (76). To top off his already impressive resume, Burrow led his team to a national championship after the undefeated 2019 season. Burrow was not only rewarded for his efforts with a national title, but he also became one of only two LSU players in history to be named a Heisman trophy winner.
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals Wide Receiver
Leading the Bengals in receiving stats this postseason, Ja’Marr Chase has been the same game-changing receiver he was during the regular season. Despite fielding some strange interviews and questions during recent media day coverage, Chase has lived up to what the Bengals needed from him when he was drafted fifth overall. His longest play came against the Titans when he caught a pass at the line of scrimmage and flipped field position, picking up 57 yards in the process. His single touchdown that came against the Chiefs played a part in the Bengals’ comeback from an 18-point deficit.
One could argue that with Chase at the helm, the Bengals have a top-five receiving trio in the league; the ability for each to open passing lanes up for the others is noteworthy. Chase commanded the most attention during the AFC Championship Game, and, although he was able to have a nice stat line of 6-54-1, Tee Higgins was able to make the most of his opportunities during the game, completing six receptions for 103 yards to lead the team in receiving yards.
LSU 2018-2020
Alongside Burrow during that 2019 season was his right hand man, Ja’Marr Chase. These two were an explosive duo who still prove they can torch defenses alongside one another. Chase started his tenure at LSU the same year Burrow did and managed to work his way up to the No. 4 spot on LSU’s career receiving touchdowns leaderboard. In the 2019 National Championship game, Chase led the team in receiving yards (221) and receiving touchdowns (2). His blazing speed combined with his sharp route running skills makes defensive backs across the league lose sleep.
Thaddeus Moss – Bengals Tight End and Tyler Shelvin – Bengals Defensive Tackle
Both Thaddeus Moss and Tyler Shelvin were ruled out prior to kickoff in Los Angeles on Sunday. Moss has missed majority of this season with a hamstring injury and was placed on the Injured Reserve list. Shelvin, the Lafayette native, was ruled inactive for Sunday’s game.
Son of hall of famer Randy Moss, Thaddeus played one season at LSU after transferring from North Carolina State. Having to sit out in 2017 to comply with transfer rules, Moss suffered a foot injury in 2018 and was granted a medical redshirt. However, when 2019 came around he was ready to show his talent. Moss caught 47 passes at LSU for 570 yards and four touchdowns. In the 2019 National Championship game, Moss caught not one, but two touchdown passes to help the tigers reach the promised land.
Tyler Shelvin arrived on campus in 2017. Redshirting his first year, he followed this by playing in six games the 2018 season with the most impact performances in the final four games of the season. Shelvin moved full blast towards the 2019 season, playing in all 15 games, with him manning the nose tackle position in 14 of those appearances.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay hugs offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth (77) after the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. The Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
