Yeah - I’m not a football fan myself, but if I were, I would say that was an interesting game. Even tho NE seemed to be dominating in terms of offense, the Rams’ defense kept it close enough that any single play coulda made the difference. Was disappointing that the Rams’ offense never did anything more - yeah, NE’s defense was tough, but it seemed like there were openings that were not exploited.
Definitely a better SB than some of the blowouts I vaguely remember - but again, like I said, I’m not a fan. When I WAS a fan, I was a young Vikings fan. Now THOSE were some unenjoyable SBs!
A very interesting breakdown here about the Patriots’ defensive game plan, focused on rattling Goff with rush pressure from people he didn’t expect to rush, and zone coverages he didn’t expect to see.
The game was not interesting in the least. It was filled with sloppy playing, which is why the score was so low. It was interesting only in that the tactics were a bit fun to see at first, to figure out what each team was going to do to disrupt the other team’s offense. But unless you had a rooting interest in the game, nothing exciting was happening, with only one or two exceptions (the missed post pattern by the Rams for example). And when the game finally turned into something potentially interesting (after the Patriot TD), the Rams never managed to make it interesting again; inevitablilty reigned.
Thanks for the link. Interesting that the Pats played zone for the first time all year, albeit with new wrinkles in blitzing and coverage. Also interesting in the fact that the Rams didn’t ever really adjust to the Pats defense.
The article also gives kudos to Wade Phillips, whose own adjustments held the Pats to only 13 points. That should have been enough to win the game.
I thought that the game was gripping. I love defensive battles. Those 51-48 shootouts where every receiver is wide open, and you know that whoever has the ball last is going to win, bore the hell out of me.
To each their own. I spent the game on the edge of my seat watching two of the best defenses I’ve ever seen, and plays like Jason McCourty sprinting halfway across the field to break up a >40-yard wide-open bomb to Brandin Cooks, one that should have been the go-ahead touchdown pass for the Rams after a blown coverage.
Few controversies (I only recall one “hitting a defenseless player” penalty being questioned) and few penalties at all (especially by New England). It certainly had that going for it.
I can’t say it was too boring because I pretty much watched the whole thing despite having no emotional investment in the result (aside from enjoying the loss of either team). But I can’t say it was thrilling either.
Contrast that with last year’s game which I’d planned to completely avoid, started watching anyway, and got sucked into enjoying as I became a Nick Foles fan for a couple of hours.
I think if one is a fan of either the Pats, or the Rams, then they likely think it was a nervous nail-biter of a game. I initially thought it was a game of two great defensive game plans that shut down two top-5 offenses. Brady at times was off, accuracy wise, and he looked old. Goff looked off, plain and simple. And Todd Gurley was mostly a non-entity besides a couple of decent runs. On local sports talk radio, former 49er tight end Brent Jones was wondering if there might be psychological / mental issues with him.
I’m actually thinking of watching it again this weekend, to see if it really was two great defensive performances, or if it really just was a Stupor Bowl. Because I got nothing else going, this weekend.
It wouldn’t be unprecedented. The Seahawks signed undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls in 2015 as a backup for Marshawn Lynch. When Lynch got hurt that year, Rawls was thrust into the role of a starter and was incredible, racking up massive yards and risked eclipsing the man he replaced, with his best game against the Bengals getting 169 yards (including a 69 yard TD). He seemed like the answer to the question Seattle fans had been asking for a while, which was what to do after Marshawn inevitably left someday. He had talent and a crazy drive that had him seeking out defenders to run over, and it worked.
Then he broke his leg, cutting his rookie season short. He completely physically recovered but was never the same, playing with hesitation and without discipline, and he was finally let go in 2017. He has bounced around between a few teams since, never staying long, and I don’t like his chances of ever being a starter again in the NFL.
It seems like being a successful running back has a lot to do with what’s between the ears, and you need confidence and patience (waiting for holes to open and/or for blockers to get in place) and all your physical skills are useless if you can’t employ them properly. That role is physically and mentally demanding, and just having one won’t make up for lacking the other.
I’m glad to see that other people besides me enjoyed the game. I love defensive struggles and pitcher’s duels. Low scoring games make each score more important and adds tension to the game.
Definitely one of those games where it was a lot of fun to simply ignore where the ball was and watch the line play. All the stunting and adjustments going on back and forth were really interesting.
I really wish that the NFL made the all-22 films of games available somewhere. I think they added them to their streaming package for one year and then took them away again the next year. So much more interesting than just watching a closeup of the QB every play.
