Somehow, someway, we all knew this was coming. The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 13-3 to win Super Bowl LIII marking the team’s sixth victory. 

For anyone expecting to watch a high scoring affair between these two top-five ranked offenses, this was not the game for you. The 53rd edition of the Super Bowl was the lowest scoring in NFL history, with just 16 total points scored.

Unless you are an avid fan of defensive football, this game was likely tough to watch at points, with the score heading into halftime a measly 3-0 in favor of the Patriots.

A Stephen Gostkowski field goal was the only score on the board until late in the third quarter, when the Rams drove down the field to tie the game with a field goal of their own. The defensive dominance continued on both sides of the ball into the fourth quarter, until Tom Brady finally found a crack in the Rams armor, and led his team on the only touchdown drive for either team. On a second down with 7:42 to play, Brady threw a 29 yard pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who made an incredible catch in double coverage to put the Patriots on the 2 yard line.

(Photo: WXYZ.com)

The catch was arguably the most important play of the game, as on the next play running back Sony Michel (above right) dove in for the touchdown and what would ultimately be the game winning score.

Los Angeles had a chance to tie the game up on the ensuing possession, but the stingy New England defense made sure that didn’t happen. Safety Duron Harmon, who was forced into the game after starter Patrick Chung was injured, broke up a surefire touchdown pass in the endzone, raced in, and swatted the ball out of the hands of Rams receiver (and former Patriot) Brandin Cooks.

(Photo: BuffaloNews.com)

The proverbial nail in the coffin came with 4:17 remaining, when Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepted Rams quarterback Jared Goff (shown above). The takeaway gave possession back to Brady and the Patriots, who methodically made their way back into field goal range.

Gostkowski made his second field goal of the night with 1:12 left to play, making it a 10 point game and sealing the victory for New England. The Rams final drive stalled out on a missed field goal with just :05 ticks remaining, and the Patriots took a knee to end the game and capture the Lombardi trophy.

(Photo: TheAtlantic.com)

All in all, it was the Patriots defense as a whole that won them the game. Constantly pressuring Goff into throwing away the ball, coming up with crucial pass deflections and sacks, and holding Rams superstar running back Todd Gurley to just 36 yards on 10 carries. Rams fans were ripping their hair out early on, as their team punted on their first eight possessions. No, that was not a typo, the Rams punted on all eight of their first eight possessions. In addition, they did not run a single play inside the 20 yard line. Not a single one.

(Photo: NESN.com)

Super Bowl MVP honors were given to Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (above), and deservedly so. Edelman finished the game with 10 catches for 141 yards. His career path could be a story all on its own. Standing at just 5’9, he was a 7th round pick in the 2009 draft. Most believed he would not amount to much. 10 years later, Edelman has won three super bowls with the Patriots, and has become the team’s go-to when they need a big play. After missing all of last year with a torn ACL, Edelman bounced back big this year and was unquestionably the best player on the field throughout this years playoffs.

Patriots fan or not, you should take a second to sit back and admire what New England is accomplishing. This is a level of dynasty that we are not likely to ever see again. Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick have been together since Brady was drafted with the 199th pick in 2000 NFL draft.

Since then, no record has been safe. Brady and Belichick have now won six Super Bowls, winning the big game in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and now 2019.

(Photo: SportingNews.com)

Brady (above right) now holds the record for most Super Bowl wins by a single player (6), most Super Bowl appearances (9), most Super Bowl MVP’s (4), playoff touchdown passes (73), and playoff wins (30). There are a ton more to choose from, but these records are the most relevant.

Brady and Belichick have won their division (AFC East) an NFL record 16 times, and are the winningest duo in postseason history with 30 wins. Belichick also became the oldest coach to win a championship, at the age of 66.  In the 19 years that the duo have been together, they have gone a ridiculous 225-79.

The New England Patriots have gone to the Super Bowl three years in a row, and have been to the AFC Championship game each of the past 8 years. Unfortunately for the rest of the NFL, they have no signs of slowing down.