Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won their sixth Super Bowl on Sunday while holding the high powered Los Angeles Rams to a lone field goal in a 13-3 victory. The Rams were the second highest scoring team in the NFL this season, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs, but on their way to a record eleventh Super Bowl appearance the Patriots were able to outscore those two offenses.
In their Championship Game win at Arrowhead Stadium, the Patriots defense had stifled the Patrick Mahomes led offense for three quarters, then a combined explosion of points, 38, in the fourth quarter sent the game to overtime. The Patriots won the coin toss, and Brady led a winning New England touchdown drive to beat the Chiefs.
In Super Bowl LIII, Brady was the leader in many ways, but not necessarily with his overall play at quarterback. If one could have known in advance that the Rams defense was going to limit Brady and company to one touchdown and 13 points, the chances for a Los Angeles victory would have seemed inevitable.
But, this one belongs to Belichick. The Patriots coach became the oldest in his role to win a Super Bowl, 66, and while beating the youngest coach to ever lead his team to a Super Bowl, 33-year-old Sean McVay, he schooled the second-year head coach. The Patriots took away the Rams running game and third-year quarterback Jared Goff took away the Rams passing game.
Goff was not hiding his disappointment in the Rams losing locker room. “All we needed was two touchdowns, and I couldn’t deliver in a game our defense played so well.”