Super Bowl LIII - Feb 3rd

[OldSchool101]

Classic SB inexperienced rook plays SB seasoned veteran. Geoff took too many sacks when all he needed to do was throw the ball away. At least 1 cost him points, several more throws cost him additional opportunities on a drive and eventually the game.

I was surprised NE went for that 4th down when they could’ve went up 6-0. The Pats were fortunate their D played so well and completely negated any Rams Offense. Nobody had scored for several quarters.. I’d take the points in a Defensive game like that. Unless we were trading TDS.
It didn’t end up being a factor once they scored on the Gronk catch inside the 5 late 4th quarter tho

Once again. The Defenses completely stole the show here but the O get the credit. Had NE not had a top 10 D this game would’ve turned out different.

 

[rmontro]

Eh, I can appreciate a good defensive struggle. Watching teams go back and forth trading touchdowns every week is what's boring.

Last year Belichick took a lot of criticism for not playing Malcolm Butler and the Eagles put up 41 points. This year the Rams only score three. Every year you wonder if this is the last for the Patriots, I've given up thinking about it.

It did make me sad to see Vince Lombardi drop to fourth on the all time list of coaches with the most championships. But at least we have two coaches in the top four.

 

[brandon2348]

Go easy on them, it's been so long that we have seen one in Green Bay, some Packer fans don't know what a good defense looks like!

Hey, were on pace to have one by 2030. Everything should be fully developed by then.

 

[Stanger37]

I think what is rubbing people the wrong way is the fact there was not a BIG play in the game until Gilmore picked off Goff with 4 minutes to do. There was not a huge offensive play in the game. I am not even sure there was a 4th down attempt. Each team left the game into their defenses hands, which contradicts everyone that complains that there is too much offense and the NFL makes rules to negate defense, just favor offense. It was lack luster and by no means was it the greatest game, but it was a defensive chess match. And living in Chicago, I call out all the delusional Bear fans that raved about their game against the Rams, because the stats are very similar, but this one is the "worst game of all time"

 

[Mondio]

The pats left points out there to go for it on 4th down before the half leaving the Rams a great opportunity with decent field position to go tie the game before the half.

I though it was a good game, not one of the best, but certainly not as bad as some people are making it out to be. The game was always a play away for each time thru the entire game. It's not like it was slop that kept it from being a higher scoring game. There were a few mistakes by both teams, it wasn't a perfect game by any means. I guess i'm an odd one, I enjoyed watching the drama unfold of the will they or won't they capitalize when each opportunity presented itself.

 

[gopkrs]

Eh, I can appreciate a good defensive struggle. Watching teams go back and forth trading touchdowns every week is what's boring.

Last year Belichick took a lot of criticism for not playing Malcolm Butler and the Eagles put up 41 points. This year the Rams only score three. Every year you wonder if this is the last for the Patriots, I've given up thinking about it.

It did make me sad to see Vince Lombardi drop to fourth on the all time list of coaches with the most championships. But at least we have two coaches in the top four.

Yeah but Lombardi rose to the top very fast and did not coach nearly as many years. Does not look like 5 out of 7 will be beat.

 

[PackAttack12]

A game like this highlights why it’s tough to make the argument that Brady is the best quarterback ever (best and greatest are different) This was a Bill Belichick game. Those two guys at the very least are 50/50 in terms of their importance to the success of the Patriots.

Much easier for Brady to be great when he almost always has a more than formidable defense. You see what happens when the Patriots defense has the occasional clunker like the Packers have been known to do over the years? 41-33 loss in last years Super Bowl happens. The same thing that happens to Rodgers.

 

[scotscheese]

A game like this highlights why it’s tough to make the argument that Brady is the best quarterback ever (best and greatest are different) This was a Bill Belichick game. Those two guys at the very least are 50/50 in terms of their importance to the success of the Patriots.

Much easier for Brady to be great when he almost always has a more than formidable defense. You see what happens when the Patriots defense has the occasional clunker like the Packers have been known to do over the years? 41-33 loss in last years Super Bowl happens. The same thing that happens to Rodgers.

i have a sense of deja vu here

 

[Mondio]

A game like this highlights why it’s tough to make the argument that Brady is the best quarterback ever (best and greatest are different) This was a Bill Belichick game. Those two guys at the very least are 50/50 in terms of their importance to the success of the Patriots.

Much easier for Brady to be great when he almost always has a more than formidable defense. You see what happens when the Patriots defense has the occasional clunker like the Packers have been known to do over the years? 41-33 loss in last years Super Bowl happens. The same thing that happens to Rodgers.

You could clearly see Brady is losing something. He under threw a number of balls, was probably fortunate to not have more INT's and for almost all of that game it was special teams and defense that even game them the opportunity to win. and then when they needed it most, he delivered and on the other side of the field Goff tossed up a gift.

this was game was just good 'ol football. Fundamentals at it's finest. Preparation was obvious for one team. Discipline and execution. On paper the Rams should win every time. But it takes all 3 phases and in typical Patriots fashion, they took away what would kill them and told the Rams to find another way. It was way too big of a game for Goff and the Patriots didn't make it easy on him either.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

It just drove me nuts that someone would be so damn stubborn they just keep running the same old 1 WR 2 TE and QB under center sets drive in and drive out all game long and not change it. Keep on falling behind the chains to 3rd and long every time. RIDICULOUS! 1980s offense right there for you.

Weren't you advocating for the Packers to find someone as innovative as McCay just several weeks ago??? Well, never mind.

 

[HardRightEdge]

There's that cliche that says the NFL is a coaches game. While that is often not the case, it was yesterday. The game was played from 40 seconds down to 15 seconds on the play clock. The limitations of running an offense from the sidelines with a robo QB such as Goff was on display.

This game was the logical culmination of a season that conformed to another cliche that again is often times not realized: offenses innovate and defenses then adapt. Take note that New England frustrated the Ram's outside zone blocking by attacking gaps, not flowing to the sidelines, as Romo observed. The Rams offense is built around run-to-set-up-the-pass and that was not working.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The pats left points out there to go for it on 4th down before the half leaving the Rams a great opportunity with decent field position to go tie the game before the half.

I though it was a good game, not one of the best, but certainly not as bad as some people are making it out to be. The game was always a play away for each time thru the entire game. It's not like it was slop that kept it from being a higher scoring game. There were a few mistakes by both teams, it wasn't a perfect game by any means. I guess i'm an odd one, I enjoyed watching the drama unfold of the will they or won't they capitalize when each opportunity presented itself.

I actually enjoyed the game for some of the same reasons you mentioned and more importantly, the referees had a great game as well! Very few, if any, controversial calls. The refs called the obvious ones and let the teams decide the winner.

 

[Ogsponge]

Patriots win a close game, BB is an absolute genius and Brady and the rest of the team are geniuses at executing that plan.

The sooner you all realize I am the greatest armchair QB/Coach/GM/Analyst on the Planet. The better off y’all be.

 

[Stanger37]

The pats left points out there to go for it on 4th down before the half leaving the Rams a great opportunity with decent field position to go tie the game before the half.

I though it was a good game, not one of the best, but certainly not as bad as some people are making it out to be. The game was always a play away for each time thru the entire game. It's not like it was slop that kept it from being a higher scoring game. There were a few mistakes by both teams, it wasn't a perfect game by any means. I guess i'm an odd one, I enjoyed watching the drama unfold of the will they or won't they capitalize when each opportunity presented itself.

That is my feeling. The entire basically 60 minutes, each team was ONE play away from taking over. It didn't happen until Gilmore. But the Rams were one huge strike to Cooks away. It was a game of sitting on the edge of your seat anticipating something to happen, it's just nothing happened. And I think that is where people are mad. The defenses were pretty outstanding and waited until the biggest stage to play their best games.

I imagine the same people that were calling the Rams/Chiefs MNF game stupid and defense doesn't matter anymore, are some of the same people mad at this game.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

If I am a Ram's fan, I want to know what has happened to Gurley. For a guy that was a very big part of the Rams Offenses success all season, he quickly became a no factor.

McVay and Gurley himself said there wasn't an issue with the knee, but what than? Was it just that both the Saints and the Patriots figured out how to stop him or something going on off the field?

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Weren't you advocating for the Packers to find someone as innovative as McCay just several weeks ago??? Well, never mind.

It was probably SunshinePacker.

Either way, I'd say some of us just simply in a passionate way offered constructive criticism to the young head coach. He made the mistake that many of the other famous coaches who've been slain by Bellichek's sword made. Developing a game plan that they stick just a bit too closely too even if the way the game unfolds is showing that it's not going to work.

Contrast that last year with Doug Pederson showing the willingness to go off script and make unexpected play calls and decisions and of course calling the Trey Burton trick play among them. McVay refused to do this and didn't start getting more aggressive until way too late in the game.

Now to be fair, yes both he and Jared Goff are young, got room to grow, and they'll learn from this. Rams will still be a good team next year, or the year after. But still ... I know what I saw last night.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Either way, I'd say some of us just simply in a passionate way offered constructive criticism to the young head coach.

There's no doubt in my mind that McVay didn't call a good game vs. the Patriots. Your criticism definitely wasn't constructive though.

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

There's no doubt in my mind that McVay didn't call a good game vs. the Patriots. Your criticism definitely wasn't constructive though.

Of course it was.

 

[rmontro]

Looks like the guys who bemoan the lack of offense were right. This game had the lowest ratings of any Super Bowl in the last 10 years. The masses apparently need to have a lot of scoring in their football games or their attention will suffer. Personally, I liked it. I don't want to see a shootout every game, once in awhile it's nice to have a defensive struggle.

The Rams offense is built around run-to-set-up-the-pass and that was not working.

Considering that LeFleur comes from the McVay coaching tree:
I hope our offense doesn't depend on our ability to run the ball, or we're in trouble.
And yes, I know we finished second in yards per attempt.

 

[Mondio]

This game had the lowest ratings of any Super Bowl in the last 10 years. The masses apparently need to have a lot of scoring in their football games or their attention will suffer. .

I think the fan bases could use a little culling myself. Seems we've picked up a lot of video gamers, gamblers and those that just like to follow controversy and stardom over fans of the actual game. I hope to see more of these games in the future. Remind football fans what football is, and get rid of the rest. So the cap goes down, I'd rather that then this continuous catering to the "casual fan"

 

[PackerfaninCarolina]

Looks like the guys who bemoan the lack of offense were right. This game had the lowest ratings of any Super Bowl in the last 10 years. The masses apparently need to have a lot of scoring in their football games or their attention will suffer. Personally, I liked it. I don't want to see a shootout every game, once in awhile it's nice to have a defensive struggle.


Considering that LeFleur comes from the McVay coaching tree:
I hope our offense doesn't depend on our ability to run the ball, or we're in trouble.
And yes, I know we finished second in yards per attempt.

I think part of that is most of America has grown tired of the Pats always being in it. I wonder if Goodell is going to try and fix games so that the refs make bad calls against them moving forward? Who knows, but having the same team in it four of the last five years certainly probably has most neutral fans ready for change. Then add in the missed PI in New Orleans which kinda dampened the buildup, or at least was one of those things that I kept on hearing being talked about leading up to the game.

Do a lot of fans probably prefer shootouts on the big stage as opposed to defensive shows? Maybe. But one difference between this game and other defensive showcases such as the Broncos vs Seahawks or Broncos Panthers, or past SBs like the Ravens and Giants or Bucs and Raiders was lack of defensive TDs. I believe this game had a record number of punts, and it's just no secret fans hate punters.

I'm starting to get with the idea that the game actually might be more exciting if the league eliminates punts from it. Force coaches to have to go for it.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Considering that LeFleur comes from the McVay coaching tree:
I hope our offense doesn't depend on our ability to run the ball, or we're in trouble.

I don't know how much emphasis LaFleur will place on the run game, but judging from his comments I do not expect some copy of the Rams offense. He wants to throw deep with regularity and that was his approach with Mariota.

The Packers run blocking was pretty good in 2018, and the outside zone blocking that the Rams and 49ers (Stenavich's former team) run should look familiar since it is similar to the stretch zone in the McCarthy offense. We'll just have to wait and see what the O-Line personnel turnover looks like.

What you do with Aaron Rodgers is not what you would do with Jared Goff. And then there's the matter of what happens once the play clock is under 15 seconds where Goff is locked into the play whereas Rodgers will have more latitude.

 

[Packer96]

I enjoyed the game, I love watching BB adjust to whatever type of team he is up against. McD drawing up plays on the sidelines. I wanted McDaniel's and I'm worried we picked the wrong guy. Time will tell but I didn't see the Rams do anything in the playoffs the last 2 years to have this love fest for any coach tied to McVay.

 

[rmontro]

I think part of that is most of America has grown tired of the Pats always being in it.

I hadn't considered that some Patriot fatigue might have something to do with the low ratings. Usually the more a team wins, the more bandwagoners jump on. I did think that maybe the fact that the Rams haven't really had time to establish a home following might have something to do with it.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Considering that LeFleur comes from the McVay coaching tree:
I hope our offense doesn't depend on our ability to run the ball, or we're in trouble.

I highly doubt the success of an offense quarterbacked by Rodgers will depend on the running game.

I'm starting to get with the idea that the game actually might be more exciting if the league eliminates punts from it. Force coaches to have to go for it.

Boy oh boy, you're absolutely on fire tonight