By: Cullen McIntyre, Sports Editor
As the National Football League season came down to its final game, Super Bowl LIII, a familiar team was playing for the third year in a row. The New England Patriots, after battling their way through the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, played in their ninth Super Bowl since 2001.
The Patriots foe, the Los Angeles Rams, had not played in a Super Bowl for 17 years, having faced none other than the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI in the 2001/02 season.
Both teams had extremely different seasons, as the Rams finished with a 13-3 record, an extremely successful record as they placed second in the NFC and tied the New Orleans Saints for the best record in the NFL.
While the Patriots, known for their success not only in the playoffs but in the regular season, had an underwhelming 11-5 record. The team dominated at home, finishing with an undefeated 8-0 record at Gillette Stadium, but a horrible record of 3-5 on the road.
The game kicked off in the hands of the Patriots, who seemed to have not lost a step in their offense since the AFC Championship game, as they ran all over the Rams defense. The Patriots drove down the field with ease until Patriots quarterback Tom Brady attempted his first pass of the game, only to be intercepted.
Luckily for the Patriots, the Rams offense was unable to get anything going and had to punt. Punting was a common theme throughout the game, as the Patriots forced the Rams to punt on eight consecutive drives, with the Rams punting on a total of nine out of their 12 drives in the entire game.
The Patriots offense wasn’t exciting either, mustering up a total of 407 yards and a single touchdown in the fourth quarter. Super Bowl LIII ended as the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history, with each teams defense being the main part of the game.
The Patriots would get the first score in the second quarter, on a 42-yard field goal from Patriots kicked Stephen Gostkowski, taking a 3-0 lead. The lead would hold until their were 2:11 left in the third quarter, when Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein, nursing a heel injury during the game, kicked a 53-yard field goal to draw the game level at 3-3.
The Patriots would come back in the fourth quarter, getting into the end zone for the first time all game on a 29-yard pass to Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, putting them on the two yard line. New England would score on the next play from rookie running back Sony Michel’s two-yard rush giving the Patriots a 10-3 lead.
The Patriots would add to their lead, and have the final score of the game with a 41-yard field goal from Gostkowski to win the game 13-3.
Following the game, wide receiver Julian Edelman would receive the honor of Super Bowl MVP following his 10 receptions and 141 yards. Tom Brady would make history as the first player to have six Super Bowl championships, and head coach Bill Belichick would make history as the head coach with the most Super Bowl rings at six (seven in his entire career in the NFL).
Though the game is already regarded as “The most boring Super Bowl in history”, the Patriots capped off a season full of adversity, by winning their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history and tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for most all time.