New England Patriots: 5 observations from Super Bowl LIII clincher

Defense of physicality

How do you slow a high-octane offense?  Besides keeping them off the field with a steady and effective running game, being physical with them on the field is exactly what the New England Patriots did to the Kansas City Chiefs, particularly in the first half.

The Patriots’ defense was simply aggressive.  They dared Patrick Mahomes to beat them with someone other than Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.  They also attacked him and got him on his back quite a few times.

With some big plays from Trey Flowers and Kyle Van Noy, the entire defense came to Kansas City to play with physicality and an energy that led them to scoring zero points in the first half.

That is where Bill Belichick showed his genius.  Not only did they come up with schemes to take away the big threats, they rushed Mahomes at the right moments.

Although Kansas City ultimately went off and scored their share of points, if the defense had not held the Chiefs in check, the New England Patriots would not be advancing to Super Bowl LIII.