By Andrew Rosario
Atlanta, Ga. – The much anticipated rematch between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII did not even come close to the first and only time they faced each other 19 years ago. That was in New Orleans when the Rams were in St. Louis and their “Greatest Show On Turf” dominated the regular season. New England was guided by newcomer Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick and were heavy underdogs. The Pats defense slowed down the Rams offense and game away with their first Super Bowl win. On Sunday night at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in front of the home town of Atlanta, neither team could generate offense as the Patriots came away with 13-3 snore fest victory.
How bad was the game for both teams? Both teams combined for 14 punts. The Rams, who relied heavily on their running game in order to enhance their passing game, only gained 62 yards in 18 attempts. During the regular season, they averaged close to 140 yards. They punted the first 7 times they had the ball. Quarterback Jared Goff was horrible. He threw 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the regular season. Sunday, he looked like a 24 year old making his Super Bowl debut. 38 pass attempts and 19 completions for 229 yards. His QB rating was a putrid 16.4 out of 100. He failed to complete passes to open receivers and when he was flushed out of the pocket, could not find anyone downfield. New England and Tom Brady were not much better although they and the offensive line established a running game that averaged 5 yards per attempt. The Rams, who boasted two of the best defensive players in Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Sue, did put enough pressure Brady as he completed 10 passes for 141 yards to MVP award winner Julian Edelman.
Brady (21 of 35 for 262 yards) becomes the first quarterback to win 6 rings. He stated before the game that he would return next season regardless of the out come of the game. It was the ninth time that Brady and Belichick played in the Super Bowl. The most of any NFL team.
46 yards ago, the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins score a combined 21 points. The 16 points between the Pats and Rams became the lowest points in Super Bowl history. Los Angeles became the second team to not score a touchdown as they joined the Dolphins who failed to get into the end zone in Super Bowl VI.
The television ratings were the lowest in 10 years and the halftime show featuring Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi experienced technical issues with the sound system. It paled in comparison to the actual game.
The game that is the most watched sporting event in the United States moves south to Miami Florida next year. No telling who will represent the AFC or NFC. Ask the majority of football fans and they will root for any team other than the Patriots.
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