INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Blue and yellow confetti rained down on the field after the final whistle blew in the Super Bowl on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Rams finished off the upstart Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20. It was the Rams’ first Super Bowl title as a California team and a fitting capstone to the N.F.L.’s long journey back to Los Angeles.
The game, and its veneer of fireworks, flyovers and high-fives — watched by more than 100 million fans — also affirmed an N.F.L. axiom yet again: The action on the field trumps the league’s endless parade of scandals, controversies and debates.