TOM BRADY AND the New England Patriots clinched a historic sixth Lombardi Trophy as they outlasted the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII with a 13-3 victory that marked the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
“We’ve been this far and lost which is really tough,” a jubilant Brady said after the game.
“We had a lot of resolve the last couple of weeks I wish we played a little better on offence but we won. Super Bowl champs.”
Brady also re-stated his desire to play at least another season.
“How could this not motivate you? It’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Tom Brady reacts to winning his SIXTH @SuperBowl ring! 🐐#SBLIII #EverythingWeGot pic.twitter.com/8rMqGxqWxg
— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2019
With the Rams having shocked the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game to reach the season-ending showpiece following a campaign in which they piled up 527 points, a high-scoring matchup was expected after the Patriots outgunned the Kansas City Chiefs in an overtime thriller.
Instead what the Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd were treated to was a defensive struggle in which the Rams were shutout in the first half, punting on eight successive drives before Greg Zuerlein’s third-quarter field goal cancelled out Stephen Gostkowski’s kick on Sunday.
Yet New England’s decisive control of possession finally told in the fourth quarter as Brady led a five-play, 69-yard drive capped off by a two-yard touchdown run from Sony Michel that proved decisive when Rams quarterback Jared Goff was intercepted by Stephon Gilmore.
Bill Belichick makes his way through the crowd to get to Tom Brady. #SBLIII pic.twitter.com/ejcMh9xxra
— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2019
Brady and the Patriots offence ground out the remaining minutes to set up another Gostkowski field goal that made sure their quarterback becomes the first player to win six Super Bowls, with New England tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most won by a team in NFL history.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said the team had been determined to dispel suggestions they were a dynasty in decline.
“It’s sweet,” Belichick said. “Everybody counted us out from the beginning of the season, mid-season, but we’re still here.”
Meanwhile receiver Julian Edelman was crowned MVP and passed Michael Irvin on the all-time postseason receiving yards list.
Edelman now only trails Jerry Rice after leapfrogging former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Irvin in Sunday’s showdown.
It’s been a testing few years for Edelman, who missed the 2017 season, including the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, with a torn ACL. He was also suspended for the first four games of the 2018 regular season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
He chose not to reveal publicly what substance he had tested positive for while accepting he had to be “accountable” for the ban.
“It’s pretty surreal. Tough times don’t last, tough people do,” Edelman said. “I preach that – I have to try to live to that.”
The Patriots star entered the clash with a league-leading 247 postseason receiving yards this season.
The 32-year-old is just the 11th player to record six or more catches in multiple Super Bowls and the seventh wide receiver to earn Super Bowl MVP honours.
“I was just trying to get open. I was asked to make a couple plays and we were able to do that,” Edelman said. “The defence was unreal. It’s pretty crazy they should be MVP on D.’
“I think we just had to worry about one play at a time and keep knocking at the door,” Edelman said. “It wasn’t pretty but we’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day.”
“He played the best game of the year,” Brady said. “He’s a fighter, I’m just so proud of him, he’s been an incredible player for this team.”
He led the Patriots in regular-season receiving yards with a mark of 850 despite missing the first four games of the competition.
“It was unreal,” Edelman concluded. “Sometimes the cookie crumbles that way.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
