Well, that game was objectively horrible. Two great offenses put up absolute stinkers on the biggest stage, as the Patriots limped to a Super Bowl LIII victory over the lifeless corpse of the Los Angeles Rams. For anyone that cares, I got my prediction correct Straight Up, but not Against The Spread. That brings my totals to 7-4 Straight Up, and 6-4-1 ATS. Those are some decent numbers, but I certainly have room for improvement. I guess there’s always next year.
New England Patriots win Super Bowl LIII, defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3
You read that right! The Rams were only able to muster a paltry 3 points in an entire 60 minute game of football. It was awful. It was boring. It was offensively inept. It was just a tortuous experience for all involved. Anyways, as I was saying... for the second straight playoff game, the Patriots impressively shut out their opponents in the first half. In the AFC Championship game, the Patriots led at halftime against the Kansas City Chiefs, 14-0. In the Super Bowl, they led 3-0 at halftime against the Los Angeles Rams. These two incredible defensive performances came against the two best offenses in the NFL. The Chiefs and Rams averaged 35.3 and 32.9 points per game during the regular season, respectively. And all of that came to a grinding halt, thanks to the superb play of a relatively mediocre New England defense.
I have already heard a lot of people calling this the “worst Super Bowl ever,” which is obviously hyperbolic. Without putting any thought into it, I can immediately point to Super XLVIII, when the Seahawks dismantled the Broncos 43-8, as a far worse Super Bowl. But yes, it certainly wasn’t the spectacular football game we were all hoping for. That being said, I don’t think the lack of excitement was only due the offenses struggling against two well-prepared defenses. Good defense can be exciting, too! The problem for me was that there were simply no defining plays. No impressive feats of athleticism. No creative play-calling. In fact, there seemed to be little deception from either offense at all.
There were nine straight punts for the Rams (maybe their ninth punt in a row was the defining play of the game). Nine. The Rams stalled on nine straight drives. McVay was stumped. The stretch run was ineffective. The passing game was hopeless. The offensive line was overpowered. It seemed there was nothing that the Rams (and to a lesser extent, the Patriots) could do to move the ball down the field, as they were simply unable to make chunk plays or even string together two decent plays at a time. When you think about it, the most exciting/impressive athletic play may have come during the first quarter, when Robey-Coleman made a great break on a Brady passd, deflecting it into the air, which ultimately allowed it to be intercepted by Littleton. That was exciting! For the Patriots, the best play of the game may have been Gronkowski’s 29 yard reception, which set up the only score of the game. While the pass was a pinpoint accurate throw, it was still a relatively routine play for New England. The catch was fine. The execution was solid. In any other Super Bowl, it would not have been a memorable play at all. However, in Super Bowl LIII, it was perhaps the best offensive play of the game. Oof.
So how did the Patriot defense do it? How did they dominate so thoroughly? For one, New England brought the blitz, and they were rewarded with 4 sacks and an interception that was largely due to pressure on Goff. But a good blitz should not be enough to render an offense useless. There are simple tactical decisions that can be made to counteract such a strategy! If you’re Sean McVay and the Rams, why not try to catch the defense out of position with some running back screens? Why not use some quick-hitting timing routes to beat the blitz? Why not try doing anything different? Was McVay overwhelmed on the big stage when his initial strategy failed to produce points, or even move the ball? Did he freeze up, when a far more experienced coach had found a way to break his "11" personnel, crossing/rub routes, and wide receiver motions/end-arounds? Did McVay simply forget how to utilize All-Pro running back, Todd Gurley?
Whether you credit Belichick or blame McVay, the result was all the same, an absolute defensive whooping by the Patriots. And, thanks to that phenomenal performance, Brady was able to grab his sixth Super Bowl championship, during one of the worst playoff performances of his career. So, where do both teams go from here? The Rams certainly have a bright future, but they clearly have a lot to learn. Still, with the way that the Salary Cap is structured, their window of opportunity may already be closing. In the very near future, they will have to start paying Goff an honest salary for an NFL starting quarterback. Their "win-now purchases" (Suh, Talib, Peters, etc.) soon may not be financially sustainable. And the rest of the NFC West is only getting better, which could pose another serious obstacle to the Rams' plans to be a consistent Super Bowl contender.
As for the Patriots, it seems that this dynasty may never go away. While Brady certainly had another solid season (especially for a 41-year-old), it is hard not to bring up the question of how much longer he will be able to succeed at this level. If the defense is this good, New England may be able to continue to win in spite of their aging legendary quarterback. If not, New England should have some concerns (though Brady has continued to defy Father Time until now) about how many more seasons, or games, Brady has left in him. In Super Bowl LIII, Brady looked bad. His passes were not crisp. His spirals were wobbly. His movement was slow. And he simply didn’t look like his dominant self. If it hadn’t been for a phenomenal performance from the Patriot defense, every post-Super Bowl headline would be discussing whether or not it were time for Brady to retire (in fairness, some sports analysts have been asking that question after every imperfect New England game for the past 3 years or so). Still, it was hard not to notice the deteriorating quarterback. Brady says he wants to play until he is 45. He'll have to show me that he can play effectively while he is 42 first.
Prop Bets
As for the Patriots, it seems that this dynasty may never go away. While Brady certainly had another solid season (especially for a 41-year-old), it is hard not to bring up the question of how much longer he will be able to succeed at this level. If the defense is this good, New England may be able to continue to win in spite of their aging legendary quarterback. If not, New England should have some concerns (though Brady has continued to defy Father Time until now) about how many more seasons, or games, Brady has left in him. In Super Bowl LIII, Brady looked bad. His passes were not crisp. His spirals were wobbly. His movement was slow. And he simply didn’t look like his dominant self. If it hadn’t been for a phenomenal performance from the Patriot defense, every post-Super Bowl headline would be discussing whether or not it were time for Brady to retire (in fairness, some sports analysts have been asking that question after every imperfect New England game for the past 3 years or so). Still, it was hard not to notice the deteriorating quarterback. Brady says he wants to play until he is 45. He'll have to show me that he can play effectively while he is 42 first.
Prop Bets
But enough about the actual game. I’m sure what everyone is really wondering about is how I did on my many Prop Bet predictions. And I have good news. They went quite well! Had you followed all my advice, and placed bets on all my brilliant Prop Bets, you would have made A LOT of money, as I got 4 out of 6 bets correct. Not bad, considering they were not all even odds. Check out the results below:
Correct Picks:
- Length of National Anthem: Knight’s National Anthem was… controversial. Apparently a lot of Sports Books pay out after the end of the first “brave.” However, Knight kept going and let out a second one that took her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner from approximately 1:45, all the way up to 2:01. Other Sports Books that do not make it clear when the song is technically over are paying out both sides of the bet. So, should I consider my bet to be correct? Yes. Since the rules were not made clear to me, and since I get to do whatever I want because I have no Editor, I have decided that my bet was correct. Point, Adam.
- First Player to Score: The first player to score a touchdown was also the only player to score a touchdown, and I predicted who it would be correctly. Michel found the end zone in the 4th quarter of New England’s game-sealing drive. It was followed by the only touchdown celebration of the night.
- Total Score: The total score added up to 16 points. SIXTEEN POINTS. The game that had the highest Over/Under in Super Bowl history also had the lowest final score in Super Bowl history. Of course it did.
- Winner of the Puppy Bowl: I heard Team Ruff won a close game, defeating Team Fluff, 59-51. I was also told that an adorable puppy named Bennet was given the Chewy Lombarki Trophy, since he was team captain of the winning side. Congrats to all the puppies, as they were the only true winners on Sunday.
Incorrect Picks:
- Coin Toss: For the second straight year, I embarrassingly predicted the coin toss incorrectly. Tails made a big play, extending their series lead over Heads in the history of all Super Bowls to 28-25.
- Color of Liquid Thrown on Winning Coach: I incorrectly predicted that Lemon-Lime Gatorade would be dumped on Belichick. It was instead Blue. I was obviously disappointed in the miss here. However, I hear that the players who dumped the Gatorade are being investigated for collusion, as there is a possibility that they had a big money wager on this exact Prop Bet!
