ELI APPLE

APTOPIX Rams Bengals Super Bowl Football Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) can't make the catch against Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Marcio Jose Sanchez)LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Van Jefferson won the Super Bowl on Sunday, and it wasn't even the best part of his weekend. The Rams receiver welcomed a newborn son hours after Los Angeles beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. Jefferson's wife, Samaria, attended the Super Bowl, but left on a stretcher during the game after going into labor. After the Rams finished off Cincinnati, Jefferson rushed to the hospital to join her, later posting a photo of himself holding his son. Jefferson had four catches for 23 yards in the Rams' victory over the Bengals to complete his second NFL season.

Van Jefferson won the Super Bowl on Sunday, and it wasn’t even the best part of his weekend.

Eli Apple couldn't contain Cooper Kupp in the Super Bowl, and everyone from Chiefs receivers to NFL fans made sure to let him know about it.

Kupp nearly did it all on the final drive of the Rams’ return trip to the title game, capping off his Triple Crown receiving season in fitting fashion with a Super Bowl MVP award. Kupp joined Joe Montana in 1989 as the only players to win Super Bowl MVP and AP Offensive Player of the Year in the same season. The performance in the Super Bowl was just as good when he had eight catches for 92 yards and the two TDs to go along with his key run. His injury midway through the 2018 season left him a spectator for the Rams' 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots in their previous Super Bowl trip. ___More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

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 straight penalties on Cincinnati’s defense, and the Rams’ defense held on for a 23-20 victory Sunday. The barrage of flags started on third down from the 8 with 1:47 left when Stafford’s pass to Kupp was incomplete. On the next play, Stafford tossed a 4-yard TD pass to Kupp but the play was nullified by offsetting penalties. After Stafford got stuffed on a sneak, he tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Kupp.

A sea of yellow flags flew onto the field in the final two minutes with the Super Bowl at stake.

Cooper Kupp was helpless when the Los Angeles Rams went to the Super Bowl three years ago, only able to watch after tearing a knee ligament earlier in the season.

The Los Angeles Rams carried off the crown jewel in a venue built for champions by winning the Super Bowl trophy.

Trailing 20-16 going into the fourth quarter, the Rams drove the field and took a 23-20 lead with 1:25 remaining on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp.

Across both Super Bowl rosters, there is a great divide.

The Kansas City Chiefs had 13 seconds they'd rather forget late in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game.

The NFL has issued a warning to teams that they could lose a draft pick and face significant fines if club representatives conduct themselves unprofessionally in interviews with draft prospects.

The NFL is exploring changes to the annual NFL scouting combine to improve the professional and medical experience for draft prospects, a person familiar with those discussions told The Associated Press.

Titans: CB Joshua Kalu, LB Derick Roberson, LB David Long Jr., OL Daniel Munyer, T Isaiah Wilson, DL Matt Dickerson. Washington: T Geron Christian, WR Isaiah Wright, DE James Smith Williams, WR Robert Foster, LB Thomas Davis, DE Casey Toohill. ___DETROIT AT ATLANTALions: QB David Blough, CB Desmond Trufant, S Miles Killebrew, OL Logan Stenberg, WR Quintez Cephus, RB Bo Scarbrough. ___GREEN BAY AT HOUSTONPackers: QB Jordan Love, CB Kevin King, S Darnell Savage, RB Tyler Ervin, RB Aaron Jones, T David Bakhtiari, DL Tyler Lancaster. Texans: WR Keke Coutee, CB John Reid, LB Peter Kalambayi, T Charlie Heck, TE Jordan Akins.

___GREEN BAY AT TAMPA BAYPackers: RB Tyler Ervin, CB Kevin King, QB Jordan Love. ___NEW YORK JETS AT MIAMIJets: QB James Morgan, QB Sam Darnold, CB Quincy Wilson, LB Jordan Willis, T Mekhi Becton, DL Nathan Shepherd. Dolphins: B/WR Malcolm Perry, RB Salvon Ahmed, RB Jordan Howard, LB Kyle Van Noy, DE Jason Strowbridge. ___HOUSTON AT TENNESSEETexans: WR Keke Coutee, CB Cornell Armstrong, RB Buddy Howell, ILB Peter Kalambayi, OT Charlie Heck, TE Jordan Akins. ___ATLANTA AT MINNESOTAFalcons: CB Jordan Miller, RB Qadree Ollison, S Jaylinn Hawkins, RT John Wetzel, DE Takk McKinley.

Jones had been listed as questionable after missing practice throughout the week with a hamstring injury. Even so, the winless Falcons’ secondary gets a boost with safeties Keanu Neal (hamstring) and Ricardo Allen (elbow) returning from injuries. ___PHILADELPHIA AT PITTSBURGHEagles: TE Hakeem Butler; RB Jason Huntley, WR DeSean Jackson, WR Alshon Jeffery, CB Avonte Maddox, QB Nate Sudfeld, DE Casey Toohill. Falcons: S Jaylinn Hawkins, WR Julio Jones, CB A.J. Ravens: RB Justice Hill, WR Chris Moore, QB Trace McSorley, DT Broderick Washington, DT Justin Ellis, OL Tyre Phillips.

You'd never know it watching Bridgewater break the pocket, juke two defenders and race 18 yards to the end zone on Sunday, helping the Carolina Panthers defeat the Arizona Cardinals 31-21 for their second straight win. Bridgewater also threw for 276 yards and two scores as the Panthers solved their red-zone issues from a week ago by scoring TDs on their first four trips inside the Arizona 20-yard line. It was tough to catch up all day.”Said Panthers DE Brian Burns: “We put emphasis on keeping eyes on (Murray). After the game, Bridgewater gave his offensive line the game ball. “We didn’t play well enough or coach well enough in any phase,” Kingsbury said.