It's an absolute shame it's taken me this long to address the Patriots SIXTH Super Bowl win. Finally, in my busy schedule of searching for lesson plans to "borrow" online I have finally found the time to talk about the game.
With the over/under set at 55.5 I don't think too many people were expecting the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever, but that's exactly what we got in Super Bowl LIII. 13-3 final score with the only touchdown of the game coming on a Sony Michel 2 yard run with 7 minutes left in the 4th. It was not 2018 football. A true defensive struggle. A battle in the trenches if you will. Like Harvard-Yale amirite? The Patriots tied the record for fewest points allowed in the Super Bowl and also set the record for fewest points scored by a winning team further emphasizing the fact that football is a TEAM game. The idiotic trolls of the world like Max Kellerman and Rob Parker will try to say the fact that Tom Brady didn't throw a touchdown in this game tarnishes the win and his legacy. That take is just the cherry on the top of their "I'm a moron" sundae. Although his postseason TD to INT ratio was 2:3 Brady had the 3rd highest competition percentage AND passing yard total of any postseason of his career in 2018-19. No cliff yet. Tom for sure didn't have a classic "Tom Brady game", but this idea that he's not still the best QB in the league (and all time) is laughable. With their logic if you throw for 80 yards on a drive but your team scores on a rushing TD you don't matter. Oh okay bro. You do have to give the Rams D credit for making 12 look mortal though. After his first pass (which was tipped) of the game was intercepted Tommy went 21/34 for 262 yards. Considering how well the Rams defense played I'd say that's pretty impressive. Did we forget he's 41 years old?? Give the guy some credit. Brady threw for 262 yards when he basically only had two guys to throw to. 16 of his 21 completions were to Jules or Gronk. James White was completely taken out of the equation thanks to the Rams' game plan which led to more Burkhead. Hogan's target was a pick, Patterson is a gadget guy. It's not like Tom played like Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50. Peyton unable to throw the ball 15 yards in the air and put no legitimate scoring drives together. Dudes still got it.
Sony Michel has been an absolute animal these playoffs. Arguably the greatest rookie running back postseason ever. 336 yards (112 yards/game) and 6 TD.
That man is why Tom Brady can play another 2+ years.
The Pats were moving the ball with some success and that's what was the most frustrating part of the game. I don't understand how people could say it was boring, I guuuuess if you had no legitimate rooting interests a 13-3 game could be "boring" but I was on the edge of my seat all night. a 3-0 lead is by far my least favorite lead in football now. SoOoOo stressful. No margin for error. It was like a pitchers duel. I think it's just the ADD generation who can't enjoy the nuance of sports. It doesn't have to be a pinball shoot out to be a great game, and honestly after last year's Super Bowl it was refreshing to see some defense. The Patriots drove into Ram territory on their first four drives of the game, and five times in total in the 1st half. They only had three points to show for it. Had they lost that would've given me nightmares for years. It had that like the 2012 AFC Championship Game vibe to it. The Patriots lost that game 28-13 and had like 7 drives where they got into Raven territory and didn't score. Gotta finish drives to win in the playoffs. Really in any other game too. So screw you if you said it was boring, cause I was fucking terrified, man! It was an "ugly" win but that ring will still shine. It was only ugly if you don't like defense. The Pats were able to drive the ball with decent success, yet they had essentially nothing to show for it. ​ Very similar to the start of Super Bowl LII. Against an offense as explosive as the Rams who scored 527 points this season, it still felt like even though the Pats made Jared Goff look like he who really is (a fake good QB)... at any play the Rams could've taken the lead. Their offense was like my poops after chipotle...explosive. It's a ticking time bomb. Had they connected on a deep ball, or let Todd Gurley break a big run I really don't know if the Pats would've won. It was 3-3 going into the 4th! I feel like it could've been a really deflating moment considering how the game had been going to that point. Like we need to give the Rams defense more credit for keeping an offense who punted on 8 straight drives within 24 points...forget 3. They were incredible. It was like baseball game where your team has 9 hits but only 1 run. All it takes a bloop and blast to take the lead. Yards and hits don't matter if you can't score. This game may have not had a lot of touchdowns but there were a ton of a great special teams plays! Matthew Slater making his daddy's team pay. I'll be the first to admit I have doubted this defense...really for the last 2 years, they played out of their mind. It felt like the Rams had 3rd and million a bunch. So many TFLs. Danny Shelton making the first play I can remember this season! They balled TF out. Kyle Van Noy is a beast. He had like a break-dance sack it was nuts. The secondary is low key one of the best in the NFL. But game ball has to go to the front 7 as a whole. They had to have been the most impressive of the bunch. I've been one of the biggest bashers of that unit. A bunch of dudes who are 72's in madden. They shut me up by having statistically one of the best team performances in Super Bowl History. They held Todd Gurley (who definitely wasn't at 100%) to 35 yards. The team that scored the 2nd most points in the league (527) was held to a single field goal. And a long one at that! ​Jason McCourty's pass break-up on Brandin Cooks which at the time looked like easy untouched touchdown was the biggest play of the game in my eyes. This could've woken up the Rams offense.
I can't front it was extra sweet to see him drop that pass after the fuck ups he had for us last year in the super bowl....like you're Brandin Cooks..wiggle an inch and you'll be able to get the first down. Don't need to go MJ from the free throw line.
The Rams would score their only points of the game on that drive. It had to have felt like a disappoint on that sideline to have to settle for a 53 yard FG after it looked like they had an easy TD. What a play by McCourty to close in and get contact to break up the ball. His story coming from the 0-16 Browns to make that play and win a Super Bowl with his twin brother could end up a Disney movie someday. Eventually, the Patriots finished a drive that was equally balanced in rushing and passing highlights. Gronk had two huge catches including a classic peak-Gronk diving catch to set up Sony for the game-winner.
Probably Brady's best throw of the game, as well. Classic Brady put it right where only Gronk could get it. If that ends up being the final catch of his career it's basically the best non-Gronk spike scenario.
After seeing this during mic'd up I think it is more probable than not that this is Gronk's last game. :(
Sounded more like an awkward goodbye by two guys who have gotten a little sick of each other, but deep have a mutual respect and maybe even a little love for each other.
There's a parallel between the way the Pats have won their last two Super Bowls. Each fixing their fatal mistake that cost them the year. In 2015 the Patriots lost the AFC championship game when they couldn't convert on a 2 point conversion to tie the game. In 2016 during the Patriots 25 point comeback in Super Bowl LI they had to convert on two do or die 2 point conversions to tie the game. Last year Tom Brady threw for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns but the defense did him no favors, giving up points on 8 of 10 Eagle drives allowing 41 points. The front 7 didn't touch Foles once. This year Brady threw for half as many yards and the defense forced 8 straight punts. 38 fewer points allowed from the Super Bowl last year and the front 7 dominated the line of scrimmage. I say front 7 but at times it's like 5-6 because of all the db's lol. The point is the defense won them the Super Bowl and picked up an offense who had a rough day. I'll admit that I gave up hope for a brief moment after Josh Gordon got suspended. Call me Sam Smith cause I know I'm not the only one. But they got hot and found their identity. Pound the rock. They bought into the underdog thing. Sure on paper that may seem a little ridiculous considering the resume this franchise has the last few decades, but this team had it's doubter. They were completely written off by the "experts". Funny how it worked out. Of all Super Bowl wins this path to the Lombardi may be one of the most impressive. Beat the two best teams in the AFC (record wise) in the Chargers and the Chiefs. After going 3-5 on the road in the regular season the Pats had their biggest road win at Arrowhead to go to the Super Bowl. Then in the Super Bowl they beat 13-3 Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots have officially gone San Fran Giants of the first half of the 2010's. Every even year. 2014, 2016, 2018 Super Bowl Champs. #StillHere indeed. P.S. ​Father of the year.
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