Patriots Beat Rams for Sixth Super Bowl Title

Nobody predicted Super Bowl 53 would be a defensive struggle but that’s what we got. For some, the game might’ve been boring. To someone who loves a defensive chess match, it was riveting and tense. You knew just one or two plays would make the game. Luckily the Pats made them and earned the win.

It’s hard to wrap my head around it all. I remember how satisfying 49 was after falling short for a decade. Now, after an impossible comeback overtime win in 51, the Pats have won three of the last five Super Bowls.

After a pointless debate of his Hall of Fame worthiness last week, Julian Edelman won MVP and pretty much cemented his HOF status. The Pats offense flamed out twice (INT, missed FG) and sputtered for most of the middle of the game. But it was Edelman who was always getting open, moving the chains. He also chipped in with a 13-yard catch on the only touchdown scoring drive.

Tom Brady moves to 6-3 in Super Bowls. It wasn’t his greatest Super Bowl performance, but I’m sure he’d take the 262 yards and an interception in a win over the 500 yards and three touchdowns in a loss.

Really, the story was the defense, and in that way the flat circle that is the Patriots Dynasty, was a little more complete. This wasn’t the Greatest Show on Turf Rams but they were a potent offense, and the Patriots defense completely snuffed them out like no Patriots defense has done in a Super Bowl.

Few were ranking the 2018 defense with the greatest defenses under Belichick, but they’re certainly in the conversation now. They were not flashy, but there were no weak links and outside a few sputters on the road, they were as tight as any defense under Belichick. Fundamentally sound. Good, hard tacklers. Got takeaways. And on the biggest stage they were flying around, causing chaos and generating consistent pass rush disruption on Jared Goff. The marriage of coverage and pass rush was a thing of beauty and the Super Bowl was a fitting coronation of the work they did this season.

Offensively starting the game with a nice drive then a sloppy interception, followed by a missed field goal on the next drive was so Super Bowl Patriots. It’s been well documented that they’ve only scored three first quarter points in (now) nine Super Bowls. Why they just can’t have a good start is only part of “who really cares because they won six of them” Patriots lore.

The two plays the game hinged on:

• Gronk 29-yard catch: Brady threw it up on second and short to Gronk who made the tough catch going up the seam. It was the only time all game either team would make it inside the red zone.
• Gilmore Interception: The Rams put together their best drive of the day making it to the Patriots 27 before a blitz forced Goff to throw it up to Gilmore

After that, the Patriots were able to ride Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead to victory. They had marginal success on the ground early, but late it was the perfect hammer to finish things off.

So much more to process, but wow, Super Bowl champs again. Crazy.