3 penalties on 3 straight plays in final minutes cost Cincy

By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — A sea of yellow flags flew onto the field in the final two minutes with the Super Bowl at stake. After the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals were flagged only twice in the first 58 minutes, penalties on three consecutive plays helped determine a champion. Matthew Stafford tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp for the go-ahead score following three costly penalties on Cincinnati’s defense, and the Rams’ defense held on for a 23-20 victory Sunday. For most of the game, the officials let the teams play. They even missed a penalty that would’ve negated Burrow’s 75-yard TD pass to Tee Higgins on the first play of the second half.