New England Patriots: 5 observations from Super Bowl LIII clincher
The New England Patriots won an overtime thriller against the Kansas City Chiefs. Here are five observations from the exciting AFC Championship triumph.
The New England Patriots play the underdog role just fine. In a thrilling 37-31 overtime victory against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night, Tom Brady and the bunch has stamped their ticket to Super Bowl LIII in a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
From the opening drive of the game, it was evident that this would be one of those games Bill Belichick and the crew would come out on top. The offensive line did their thing, the running game got going and Brady was sharp in melting down over half of the first quarter on their opening drive.
After taking a 7-0 lead, it was evident that the Patriots strategy was to keep the ball out of the hands of Patrick Mahomes II and the high-octane Chiefs’ offense. Keeping the ball the first eight minutes of the game was key. Not only did they get out to a quick lead, they took the rowdy Arrowhead Stadium crowd out of the game.
Defensively, Belichick took away Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce as the team held Kansas City scoreless in the first half. The second half, however, became a track meet between the teams. The new kid on the block, Patrick Mahomes, went head to head with Tom Brady. In a back-and-fourth fourth quarter, it was ultimately Brady who lead two masterful long drives to take the lead in the last quarter and win the game in overtime.
It was a textbook victory for a New England Patriots team that wasn’t supposed to get as far as they got. Going back to yet another Super Bowl, Bill Belichick couldn’t be any prouder of his football team.
"“Again, a great team job all the way around,” Belichick said following the game. “I thought we got contributions from all three units and so many players it is hard to single out anybody. So many guys stepped up and competed so hard tonight. These guys earned it. They deserve it and they earned it. I am happy for them and happy we are still playing.”"
In all, this game proved that the old school approach to football still wins out. Here are five observations from another New England Patriots Super Bowl clinching victory.