LSU Stars Odell Beckham Jr., Andrew Whitworth Capture Super Bowl 56

Beckham hauls in touchdown in win over Bengals, Burrow and Chase fall short in first Super Bowl appearance

It wasn’t quite the story book ending LSU fans had in mind for Tiger greats Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in Sunday night’s Super Bowl, but the Bayou Bengals put their talent on display for the entire world to see.

Despite Burrow and Chase coming up short, former Tiger standouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Andrew Whitworth reigned supreme as the two earned their first Super Bowl rings with the Los Angeles Rams.

For Beckham, this was everything he could have ever asked for. After leaving the Cleveland Browns midseason and finding a new home in Los Angeles with hopes of competing for a championship, it all came full circle for the LSU icon.

Though his Super Bowl performance came to an end in the first half after suffering a non-contact knee injury, Beckham reeled in an acrobatic touchdown to put the Rams on top early. Showing flashes of prime OBJ during his short stint with the Rams this season, tonight was supposed to be the cherry on top.

Beckham's injury rose questions regarding artificial turf in NFL stadiums. Once he went down with injury, a myriad of players took to Twitter to express their displeasure with turf in stadiums, feeling as though it played a factor in Beckham's injury and many others over the last few years.

Beckham's presence was felt early, playing a factor in achieving the ultimate goal of winning a championship for the first time in his career. He showed out for all of LSU faithful Sunday night alongside his teammate and Tiger legend Andrew Whitworth.

Coming back year after year in hopes of bringing home a championship, Whitworth finally got over the hump to win his first title. No one is more deserving than the ageless Walter Payton Man of the Year, who has solidified himself as one of the great offensive linemen in league history.

Whitworth’s relationship with Burrow is a piece that has gotten tremendous praise as the buildup for Super Bowl Sunday drew greater. The two developed a relationship last summer while Burrow rehabbed his torn ACL in L.A., watching film together and even spending their birthdays together.

"There's actually a really funny video of (my wife) Melissa, when they make the kick at the end of the game against Kansas City, of her and the kids like running through the suite, just going absolutely crazy before our game started," Whitworth said before the Super Bowl.

It was an LSU on LSU crime Sunday night, with Whitworth and Beckham Jr. winning this round, but the tandem of Burrow and Chase showed this won’t be their last time suiting up in February. Being just as effective as fans thought, the two connected on five receptions for 89 yards.

The continuous poise of Burrow is what will have this Cincinnati Bengals group back in this position again. With the moment never too big, always coming up when needed, he’s proven in just two years that this is the new normality in Bengal territory.

In the longest season the NFL has ever had, playing 21 games, it’s a learning experience for this young squad. As Burrow and Chase got a taste of what it feels like to play in the granddaddy of them all, it adds that much more fuel to the fire this offseason.

"I think it's gonna propel us in to next year, we're gonna have a really good offseason," Burrow said. "I know a lot of hard workers in that locker room who are gonna attack this offseason like they did last year. We're not satisfied but we're gonna attack next year with the same intensity."

For Beckham and Whitworth, their 2021-22 season is something that couldn’t have been scripted any better. Having the stars align and compiling an all-star lineup, this was the fairy tale ending this group had been praying for since this year began.