Belichick Outcoaches McVay and Rams to Deliver 6th Super Bowl for Patriots

New England plodded their way to their 6th Super Bowl victory 13-3 over a listless LA Rams team that struggled to mount an offense for basically the entire game.

The coaching experience discrepancy between 66 year-old Pats coach Bill Belichick and 33 year-old Rams coach Sean McVay was evident throughout. Belichick, also the New York Giants Defensive Coordinator in their two Super Bowl victories over Denver and Buffalo (before McVay was born), designed a defense that Rams QB Jared Goff could not overcome, not in the least. Goff was pressured all game, misread defenses and routinely threw into tight coverage. He had so little success (going 19-38 for only 229 yards) that the Rams failed to run a play inside the Patriots 25 yard-line. The Rams managed only one FG and punted eight consecutive times at one point.

Even with the stifling defense stumping Goff, the Rams were actually still in the game, tied 3-3, with 7 minutes to go before the first and only TD was scored, a 2 yard Sony Michel run set up by a fantastic 29 yard pass from Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski. Down 10-3, with 4:17 to go, Goff threw up a terrible pass to Brandin Cooks that was intercepted by Stephon Gilmore. Cooks was unable to haul in a TD pass the play before. Starting from their own 4 yard-line, the Patriots reeled off a succession of runs and were able to seal the deal with a Gostowski FG with 1:12 to go, effectively ending the game at 13-3. The Rams needed their defense, which was very strong all game, to step up and get the ball back to Goff with some time to work the clock, but they failed miserably when they needed it most.

With the exception of Julian Edelman, the Patriots offense was flat as well. The Rams forced Brady into quick, short passes and held the previously successful running game to limited success. The Pats were only 3-12 on 3rd down. Holding the Pats to 13 points usually would assure a Rams victory but in this case, great defensive schemes by the always overly prepared Belichick dominated the contest. Even his counterpart McVay acknowledged it after the game. Simply and obviously the younger McVay was outcoached. But the Rams, Goff and Coach McVay will have plenty more opportunities to get back in the big game, just ask Dan Marino, lol).

Edelman’s 10 catches for 141 yards earned him the MVP, which easily could have been split among the entire New England defense.
If you, like most casual fans, want to see 60 points and long passes all day, this game was not for you. Most people were disappointed with such a low scoring lame game, however watching Belichick outsmart every move McVay and Goff attempted was watching true football genius in action. The New England coach is the #1 coach in NFL history and the tandem of Belichick and Brady is the most successful. Nine Super Bowl appearances in 18 years, what more can you say? They are a “hated” team, but you have to tip your cap to them.

This game was won before the players took the field and before Gladys Knight’s annoying National Anthem. It was won in Bill Belichick’s office while reviewing film and reading and listening to great coaches of the past for the past 45 years. How he transferred that knowledge to his players and their quality execution of the defensive game plan was the difference in this otherwise unremarkable Super Bowl LIII.

-HB