LEGEND GROWS
Patriots rub out Rams as Belichick/Brady snag sixth Super Bowl
ATLANTA — You may hate the New England Patriots now more than ever. That’s fine.
But how can anyone, anywhere, anymore doubt that we aren’t witnessing the greatest dynasty in NFL history?
The south-of-the-border version of professional football never has seen anything the likes of the Bill Belichick-coached, Tom Brady-quarterbacked New England Patriots this century.
Not after Sunday night, when that dynamic duo in Year 18 of their unprecedented partnership led the Pats to their sixth Super Bowl victory in nine appearances since 2001, with a 13-3 defeat of the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams, before 70,081 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was the lowest scoring Super Bowl yet — ironically, in the most prolific season for offence in the NFL’s 99-season history.
The New England defensive coaches, led by Belichick, once again came up with a gem of a plan in a huge game against a juggernaut of an offence.
The Patriots held quarterback Jared Goff and the NFL’s No. 2 scoring offence this season — which averaged 33 points per game in the regular season — to zero points at halftime, and just three by game’s end. Yes, the Patriots held the Rams to an incredible 30 points below their season average.
Look, even if you believe that Belichick, Brady and the whole dang Patriots franchise were a bunch of unrepentant cheaters up to and including
the 2014-15 Deflategate scandal, well, they’ve been to three of the four Super Bowls since then, and won two — in and of itself worthy of a “dynasty” label.
Indeed, that’s been done
only three times previously; one was by the Belichick/ Brady-led Patriots last decade, 2001-03, which won a third Super Bowl the next year to make it 3-of-4.
Belichick now has won as
many NFL championships (six) as the NFL’s all-time iconic leaders in that category — George Halas and Curly Lambeau — and Brady will now own six Super Bowl championship rings, more
than any other player, alive or dead.
This latest New England victory in February was won late in the fourth quarter. Surprised? Yeah, right.
With 9:49 left in a 3-3 game that had far more punts than points, Brady went to work — precision work. In consecutive plays to start the drive, the 41-year-old hit tight end Rob Gronkowski with a floating pass right for 18
yards.
Then he hit Edelman left for 13. Then running back Rex Burkhead left for seven.
Then, in the play of the game to this point, Brady floated a perfect deep ball left to Gronkowski, arguably his favourite pass target this decade. Gronk hauled it in with two Rams defenders blanketing him, for a 29-yard gain down to the L.A. two.
On the next play, Sony Michel extended his NFL playoff record for rookies with his sixth touchdown of this post-season.
With 7:00 left, the Patriots led 10-3.
The Rams didn’t wait around to try to tie it back up. On the first play after the touchback, on a nifty screen pass left Goff hit Brandin Cooks and he zig-zagged for 19 yards.
Two plays later, on 3rd-and-9 from the L.A. 45, Goff stuck the ball into the hands of receiver Josh Reynolds on a crosser for 11 yards.
Goff then hit receiver Robert Woods for 17, to the New England 27 with 4:30 left.
Then Goff got too greedy. He lofted a pass deep right to a double-cover Cooks, who couldn’t haul it in.
On the next play, Goff tried another lofted deep pass right to a single-covered Cooks, but there was some miscommunication. Cooks didn’t look back immediately. The Patriot covering him, Stephon Gilmore, did. And he just waited for an easy interception at the New England four-yard line, with 4:17 left.Then the Patriots rushing game went to work to salt the victory away — a nine-play, 72-yard drive all on the ground against a spent Rams defence.
Michel, the rookie runner, and Burkhead took turns ripping off huge gains.
By the two-minute warning, and the Rams out of timeouts, the Patriots had smashed their way to the L.A. 24, where they had it 3rd-and-1.
Michel ran for no gain, setting up 4th-and-an-inch with 1:16 left.
Here was the ball game. Belichick opted to have Stephen Gostkowski attempt a game-sealing 41-yard attempt.
He nailed it, for a 13-3 New England lead, with 1:12 left.
After a season rife with thrilling shootouts, no one could find many bullets in this one.
Especially the Rams. Halftime score: Maroon 5, New England 3, Los Angeles 0.
It was the second-lowestscoring first half in Super Bowl history.
Halftime stats? The Patriots dominated, with stark advantages in first downs (12-2), total yards (195-57), offensive plays (4022), passing yards (151-32) and the edge in rushing yards (44-25).
The Rams offence could barely have played more feebly.
Before the game, Brady told interviewer Jim Gray of Westwood One Radio — in reference to last year’s heartbreaking 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII —that “we came up short last year, and I think that stuck with me all year, and I know how badly I want this one.
“I asked God this week, ‘One more, and I’ll never ask for one more.’ ”
Maybe so. But if you’re doubting the Patriots won’t be back for Super Bowl LIV in Miami, are you willing to find a bookie and bet on that? Didn’t think so.
In a couple of days, after (yawn) yet another pro-sports championship parade in downtown Boston, the Patriots will add a Super Bowl LIII Lombardi Trophy to the franchise’s trophy case in Foxboro. It’ll sit alongside those from Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX and LI.
A championship every third year, over 18 years. You won’t find any accomplishment in NFL history as X-tremely impressive as that.