America’s underdog has done it again. Yes, one of the most winningest NFL Empires will bring home yet another Lombardi trophy to round out the five already stationed at Gillette.
The game seemed to move at a molasses pace, and to the average fan, the lack of offensive momentum made the sixty minutes of play time feel remarkably drab.
The early pick against Brady in the first quarter in the Patriots’ first possession by Littleton gave glimpses of hope for the Rams, but Todd Gurley’s inability to get yardage and Jared Goff’s inability to move the ball downfield kept the Rams at one singular field goal for the entire game.
Dont’a Hightower had a monster game and gave Jared Goff a night he would never forget with two huge sacks against the young quarterback. Hightower had a notable effect on Goff, who was clearly rattled by the pressure that his offensive line was unable to contain.
The key to upsetting New England was to get interior pressure on their offensive line, but the Rams defense came up short. The two biggest names on LA’s defensive line, Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh, neither were able to reach Brady and each recorded only one tackle the entire game. The Patriots’ run game was hindered somewhat, with six tackles for Cory Littleton, and five for Brockers, Peters, and Johnson, respectively.
There were two major mistakes made by the Rams that would define their overall performance, both somewhat poetically involving the former Patriot Brandon Cooks. Starting with the late throw by Goff in the third quarter to Cooks in the end-zone, and followed by the fate-sealing interception in the fourth quarter intended for Brooks by Gilmore at the NE 4 yard line.
Julian Edelman, the 2019 MVP, had 10 receptions with 141 yards plus 8 yards rushing, dominating the Rams’ coverage. Edelman suffered a torn ACL in the 2017 preseason, but made a strong comeback this year with 1,097 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.
While the sting of a loss will undoubtedly travel back to Los Angeles, the Rams have so many reasons to be optimistic about their future.
Championship experience is what has contributed to the Patriots’ success and is an integral part of the formula for sustained winning. If the Rams can keep this momentum moving forward into the 2019 season and embrace this adversity as a chip on their shoulder, they could follow in the Patriots footsteps.
But for now, whether you love them or hate them, what happened for the Patriots was an exceptional moment in NFL history.
Congratulations to the New England Patriots and best of luck to those who like myself are desperately clinging to the final moments of the NFL season.
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