Mark Daniels

Sunday

Feb 3, 2019 at 6:41 PM

ATLANTA — If Super Bowl LIII was the last time Rob Gronkowski was ever going to play, he made a great lasting impression. If the Patriots defense hoped to make amends for a dreadful Super Bowl appearance last season, they did the same.

In one of the more bizarre Super Bowls in the history of the NFL, the Patriots shrugged three quarters of offensive futility and scored 10 points in the final quarter to beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3. The win ties them with the [...]

The Patriots and Los Angeles Rams entered the fourth quarter tied, 3-3. Those six points marked the lowest after three quarters in Super Bowl history. The previous record (9 points) was Super Bowl IX in 1975. For three quarters, this contest was full of defensive play and punting.

Up until that point, the Patriots defense dominated, but the offense lacked any rhythm. That’s when Gronk stepped up. The big tight end started the Patriots game-winning drive in Super Bowl LIII when Tom Brady found him for an 18-yard catch with 9:49 remaining. Four plays later, Gronkowski hauled in a 29-yard reception while in triple coverage.

The play set up a game-securing Sony Michel 2-yard touchdown run as the Patriots became six-time world champions with their victory inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was a fitting end to the 2018 season for the Patriots. All season long, they heard outside noise and took it as motivation. Brady was "too old" and Gronk (six catches for 87 yards) was "too slow." However, perhaps no group was questioned more than this defense had been in recent years.

The Patriots lost Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles due to their defense. On Sunday, they beat the Rams because of this group.

That point was emphasized following Michel’s game-winning touchdown. With seven minutes left in the game, Jared Goff and the Rams started to charge. The quarterback hit Brandin Cooks for a 19-yard gain to start the drive. On third down, he hit Josh Reynolds for 11 and then Robert Woods for 17 yards on the next play.

All of a sudden, the Rams were 27 yards from tying this game.

That’s when Stephon Gilmore stepped up. The Patriots All-Pro cornerback intercepted Goff with 4:17 left in the Super Bowl LIII. That was all she wrote for the Rams.

Brady and the offense took over at the 2-yard line. They rumbled down the field on the backs of Michel and Rex Burkhead. Michel ran for a gain of 26 yards with 3:38 remaining. Then Burkhead scampered for 26 yards with 2:42 left in the Super Bowl. That set up a 41-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski with 1:16 left in the game.

The Rams ensuing drive end ended with a missed 48-yard field goal by kicker Greg Zuerlein. When Brady stepped on the field next, all he had to do was take a knee to secure his sixth Super Bowl trophy.

For an offense that struggled for most of four quarters, the final two drives made amends for a frustrating evening in Atlanta.

Brady’s start on Sunday wasn’t very good. His first pass of the Super Bowl was an interception at 12:14 of first quarter by Rams linebacker Cory Littleton. The quarterback finished 21 for 35 with 262 yards. Brady’s top target on the day was Julian Edelman, who was outstanding with 10 catches for 141 yards.

Thankfully, for the Patriots, the slow start for the offense didn’t carry over to the Patriots defense. They forced punts on the Rams first eight drives of the game.

Following Brady’s interceptions, frustrations continued for the Patriots.

The next time they took the field, things looked a little better, but it ended in disappointment. A personal foul call on Nickell Robey-Coleman granted the Patriots a first down when they could’ve been looking at a third-and-18. Brady and the offense pushed over midfield following a Gronkowski 19-yard reception.

At 5:39 of the first quarter, however, Stephen Gostkowski missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt wide left and the game remained scoreless.

It took some time, but the Patriots took a 3-0 lead at 10:29 of the second quarter.

Edelman came up big on this drive as the receiver hauled in a 25-yard reception on third-and-1. That pushed the Patriots into field-goal range and this time Gostkowski connected on the 42-yard attempt.

That field goal represented the only points scored in the first half in Super Bowl LIII.

The Rams first third-down conversion came with 4:25 seconds left in the third quarter. It was a big one as Goff hit Woods for an 18-yard gain at the 25-yard line. On the next play, Cooks was wide open in the end zone, but Goff was late on the throw. That allowed Jason McCourty to get to the back of the end zone and break the pass up.

It was a huge play as Greg Zuerlein ended up hitting the 53-yard field goal at 2:11 of the third quarter.

It took some time, but the Patriots offense would finally catch up to their defensive teammates. When it was all said and done, red, white and blue confetti rained down from the ceiling of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

When it was all said and done, Brady and the Patriots were just ‘still here.’ They were once again, Super Bowl Champions.

SIX-CESS: Patriots beat Rams 13-3 for sixth Super Bowl title

Sunday