INGLEWOOD, Calif. — On the first play of the second half in Super Bowl 2022 on Sunday, Tee Higgins hauled in a pass from Joe Burrow at the 35-yard line and completed a catch-and-run for a 75-yard touchdown hookup. How did Higgins shed the coverage of Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey? It sure looked as if Higgins grabbed Ramsey’s facemask and yanked him to the ground. 

There was no flag. 

“The crew did not see any contact that warranted pass interference,’’ referee Ron Tolbert said after the game. “It was a contested catch, and the crew didn’t see any contact that rose to the level of pass interference.” 

Asked specifically about the facemask non-call, Tolbert said “Our rule is that if there is a grab and twist and turn, there’s enough for a foul. If there’s just a rake across the facemask, where there’s not a twist and turn even if there’s a grab, there is no foul. The officials did not see any contact that rose to the level of a foul for a 15-yard facemask.” 

Rams DT Aaron Donald told NBC’s Rodney Harrison that if he wins a Super Bowl he might step away from the game. “He’s big on legacy, but he also told me this: If he wins a Super Bowl, there’s a strong possibility that he can walk away from the game and retire,’’ Harrison said. Donald, 30, just completed his eighth NFL season. 

“I’m just in the moment right now and enjoying this today, a couple of days, it’s a blessing,’’ Donald said after the game, when asked about the possibility he retires. 

Rams safety Eric Weddle came out of retirement for this playoff run and said he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the game. 

Any player getting called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty risks the ire of his head coach. When that player is not even in uniform? Oy vey. That is what happened late in the second quarter after Bengals safety Jessie Bates intercepted Matthew Stafford in the end zone. Bengals cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, inactive for the game, came off the bench to be part of the celebration, which is not allowed. He was flagged for a 10-yard penalty to push the Bengals back to their 10-yard line. 

Joe Mixon took a pitchout in the second quarter and tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Higgins to bring the Bengals within 13-10. It was the first pass attempt of Mixon’s five-year NFL career. … This is the first championship for the Rams since 1999, when their “Greatest Show on Turf’’ attack outlasted the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. 

Sean McVay becomes the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl. He is 36 years and 22 days old. Mike Tomlin was 36 years, 10 months and 18 days old when the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII. 

The Bengals won two games in 2019 and only four in 2020, making this postseason run a case of accelerated growth. Before this season, they had not won a playoff game in 32 years. This was their third appearance in a Super Bowl — their first since 1988 — and they are now 0-3. 

During the pregame warm-ups, Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. gave his gloves to North and Saint West, the children of Kanye West. Beckham hurt his knee and was forced out of the game in the second quarter.