RAMS KICK PAST SAINTS TO EARN SUPER BOWL SPOT
New Orleans led through most of game but L.A. hung around, finally forcing OT
Every time the Saints started pulling away, the Rams refused to go away.
Problem was, while the Rams twice caught back up, they could never pull ahead in Sunday’s NFC championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Until overtime.
After a Drew Brees interception to start overtime, stronglegged Rams placekicker Greg Zuerlein attempted an NFC championship-winning 57-yard field goal attempt from the right hash mark.
And he nailed it with 11:43 left in the extra quarter to win it for the Rams, 26-23 — the first thing all afternoon to totally quiet a raucous, loud throng of 73,028.
The Rams (15-3) advance to Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, where they will play the the New England Patriots, who beat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in a thrilling overtime game late Sunday night.
It figured if neither of these run-centric teams, the Rams and Saints, could dominate through the air, then whichever quarterback could complete the most clutch passes would win it for his team.
Old-man Brees of the Saints and young hotshot Jared Goff were equally up to that challenge — Brees in the opening quarter, Goff in the second, and both thereafter.
The Saints had a great chance to win in overtime after winning the toss and electing to receive.
On the second play, Brees threw deep incomplete, but officials ruled pass interference.
No matter, the NFL’s best defensive player — Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald — dumped Saints running back Mark Ingram for a six-yard loss.
And on the next play Brees was hit as he threw.
The fluttering deep ball landed nowhere near a Saints receiver, but in the arms of safety John Johnson III at the Rams’ 46.
The Rams, needing only a field goal to win, needed about 20 yards to get comfortably inside Zuerlein’s range.
On 3rd-and-7 from the Saints’ 39, Goff threw a tunnel screen left to receiver Brandin Cooks, who dropped it.
Zuerlein then drilled the biggest kick of his life.
The Rams have not played in a Super Bowl in 17 years.
This will be the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl, after previously reaching what’s otherwise known as the NFL championship game following the 1979, 1999 and 2001 seasons, winning in 1999. The later two appearances came when the Rams were based in St. Louis.
In their third Super Bowl appearance the Rams were upset by the New England Patriots and first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady following the 2001 season.
Meantime, New Orleans (14-4) suffered its first home playoff loss in the Sean Payton/ Brees era. The Saints are now 6-1 in post-season games at the Superdome, and 1-for-3 in NFC championship games.
Over the past 13 years, Payton and Brees have enjoyed success unmatched in the Saints’ 52-year history. But they have reached just the one Super Bowl, which they won following the 2009 season.
The Rams won here after losing here earlier this season, a 45-35 decision to the Saints in Week 9.
Trailing 13-10 after a fabulous all-around second quarter, the Rams began the second half as cold as the unseasonably outdoor weather here this weekend, and as cold as they’d played throughout the first quarter, going three-and-out after a blown-up jet sweep and two Goff incompletions.
The Saints offence, in contrast, came out of the halftime locker-room on fire.
Brees was magnificent, driving the Saints 71 yards in 12 plays, finishing it off with a nifty, quick two-yard screen pass to backup gimmick-play quarterback Taysom Hill: Saints 20, Rams 10.
That thawed the Rams. They answered with a clutch touchdown drive covering 10 plays and 75 yards. Goff hit tight end Tyler Higby with a one-yard pass for the score, narrowing the Rams’ deficit to 20-17.
That was the score entering the fourth.
Starting with 10:55 remaining, Goff raised his game to perhaps its highest level yet in three NFL seasons. Amid the deafening screams, he rolled right on a 3rd-and-3 from his own 16 and calmly found a receiver open deep downfield — backup tight end Gerald Everett — and ripped a 39-yard pass into his hands.
Two plays later, Goff completed another deep throw, to wideout Josh Reynolds down the left side for 33 more yards.
But when the Saints held to force a 4th-and-goal from their one-yard line with just over five minutes left, Rams head coach Sean McVay opted to kick a tying field goal rather than try to take L.A.’s first lead of the game.
After the Rams deliberately took a delay penalty to give kicker Zuerlein a slightly better angle, Zuerlein hit a 24-yard field goal to tie the game, 20-20.
Then Brees showed his special class.
The 18th-year pro, who turned 40 on Tuesday, on a 2nd-and-12 from his 44, rolled left, calmly looked for potential pass recipients, and still with time looked back deep right, where speedster Ted Ginn was open.
Brees boldly chose that difficult throw and completed it to Ginn for a 43-yard gain on the last play before the two-minute warning.
Two more plays were followed by one they might be screaming about here forever.
Brees on third down threw in the right flat to receiver Tommylee Lewis.
Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman arrived too early to break it up. Flag, right?
None. The Saints were forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal to go up 23-20 with 1:41 left. It was a 57-yard, nine-play drive.
After the kickoff, and following an incompletion, Goff ripped a nice throw over the middle to Reynolds for 19. Then he hit Cooks for seven yards. Then Roberts Woods for 16.
There, McVay took L.A.’s final timeout.
On 1st-and-10 from the New Orleans 33, Goff dumped to Gurley for three.
He then threw two incomplete passes.
With 15 seconds left, Zuerlein drilled a game-tying 38-yard field goal from the right hash.
That brought overtime. jokryk@postmedia.com Twitter.com/JohnKryk