Buffs in the NFL: Awuzie shines in Super Bowl loss for Bengals

Chidobe Awuzie made the best of his first Super Bowl experience on Sunday.

The former Colorado Buffaloes standout finished with five tackles and an interception in the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Awuzie was part of a turnaround season for the AFC champs, despite not coming away with a victory on the world’s biggest stage.

“Football is a game of momentum and I think we had that momentum all the way up until that last drive,” Awuzie said after the game.

‘I think it’s one of those things where you have the momentum, but if you don’t push your foot on their throat, some things aren’t going to go your way. I still love the effort that we put in and the fight we put forward as well.”

The fifth-year veteran defensive back took an offseason risk joining the Bengals, who came off a four-win season in 2020. And one that paid off immediately. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime of the AFC Championship game, claiming the franchises’ first conference championship in 32 years, a feat that didn’t come easy for Cincinnati after needing an 18-point second half comeback to silence an over capacity crowd at Arrowhead Stadium.

Awuzie signed a three-year contract with Cincinnati after spending his first four seasons holding down a starting corner spot in Dallas. He joined fellow CU teammate Josh Tupou, who has been on the Bengals roster since 2017.

The Rams are now the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at their home stadium. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first with a 31-9 victory over the Chiefs last year. Also, LA’s frontman Sean McVay, who turned 36 years old three weeks ago, is the youngest NFL coach to win a championship. He passed Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (36 years, 323 days), who accomplished the feat in Super Bowl XLIII.