Sunday night stars and stripes: Patriots win Super Bowl
Artwork by Grace Choe
March 28, 2019
Surrounded by the smell of buttery popcorn, cradling a bowl of chips and dip and dressed in team jerseys, football fans sat in front of their big-screen t.v.’s. Super Bowl LIII had begun.
The Super Bowl was the 53rd annual National Football League championship match.
The Los Angeles Rams played the New England Patriots for the Lombardi Trophy at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This Super Bowl was the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history.
Even before the Super Bowl began, there was controversy surrounding the teams. The Los Angeles Rams game against the New Orleans Saints included a heavily debated referee non-call on pass interference. This won the Rams their place at the Super Bowl.
The Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl championship with a final score of 13-3. Wide receiver Julian Edelman of the Patriots received the Most Valuable Player award.
The Rams started the night with a win at the coin toss and chose to give the Patriots possession of the ball during the first half of the game. Leading with a strong defense, the Rams were able to stop the Patriots’ offense from moving down the field and converting any third downs. The Patriots were able to make nothing but a three-point field goal during the second quarter.
“[O]ffensively the people that you wanted to step up like [Patriots Quarterback Tom] Brady and [Rams quarterback Jared] Goff didn’t have a good game,” said Assistant Football Coach at South David Harris.
The Patriots provided the same treatment for the Rams, who made a field goal during the third quarter, but like the Patriots, could not make a touchdown of their own.
Harris commented the teams were “pretty evenly matched” and that “both of them had good defensive strategies.” He explained that this is why the final score was low.
After an uneventful first three quarters, the Patriots and Rams were tied 3-3 score. During the fourth quarter the Patriots were able to rally and get a touchdown and additional field goal, leaving the Patriots with a 10 point edge and the Rams with no time to catch up.
With this win, Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, has tallied six Super Bowl championships, making him the quarterback with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.
“[A]t the end of the day, the better coaching and the better quarterback won,” concluded Harris. “The [Patriots] earned their win.”
Brady and Patriots Head Coach Belichick’s legacy first started Super Bowl XXXVI during the 2001 season. That season, the 36th annual Super Bowl was also the Patriots’ first against the Rams.
During the 2001 season, the Patriots were the unlikely choice for the Super Bowl win after the death of their head coach.
Belichick was appointed the new head coach. Under his leadership, the Patriots lost the first two games of the season. During the second game of the season, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured. Brady was chosen as his replacement.
The duo proved to be successful and was able to win the Super Bowl against the Rams with a 20-17 score. The Rams did not return to the Super Bowl until this year, 17 years after their loss to the Patriots.
According to the official New England Patriots website, since Super Bowl XXXVI, Brady and Belichick have the most Super Bowl Wins with a Quarterback/Head Coach combo. “[The Patriots] have the best quarterback in the history of football and one of the best coaches,” agreed Harris.
Brady and Belichick’s history with the Rams made this Super Bowl more than just another win but a chance to prove how far they have come. Harris said that in this Super Bowl, despite the low score, Brady lived up to the legacy he has built “100 percent.”
