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Ty Law's 47-yard TD
on an interception
showed the benefits
of pressuring the QB
|
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knew how to beat the Rams.
Pressure the quarterback. Outhit the opposition. Create turnovers. Score when your
offense is not on the field.
Belichick provided the recipe, and the Patriots cooked up a last-second 20-17 win,
dicing the Rams the same way they have chopped up opponents all season.
Red, white and blue confetti fell from the rafters of the Louisiana Superdome as the
Patriots stormed the field in celebration of PK Adam Viniateri’s game-winning 48-yard
field goal.
"We shocked the world, but we didn't shock ourselves," Vinatieri said.
"We're champions. Woooo!"
Patriots CB Terrance Shaw set the tone on the first play from scrimmage, barreling into
a streaking Torry Holt and breaking up a Kurt Warner pass. The physical play of the
Patriots’ secondary disrupted the timing and rhythm of Mike Martz’s passing
game, often forcing Rams receivers to slide early like a scared quarterback trying to
avoid a hit.
Belichick did not blitz the Rams 39 times, as he did in the Patriots’ 24-17 loss
to the Rams in Week 10, but he regularly dropped six defensive backs in coverage to match
up with the Rams’ tremendous team speed.
Down 3-0 with 8:58 on the clock in the second quarter, the Patriots stole the momentum
when Pats OLB Mike Vrabel ran unblocked past Rams ORT Rod Jones and disrupted the throwing
motion of Warner. Patriots CB Ty Law stepped in front of Rams WR Isaac Bruce to intercept
the pass and raced 47 yards untouched to give the Patriots a 7-3 lead.
St. Louis defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s revamped defense struggled to stop
the bruising north-south running style of Patriots RB Antowain Smith (18 carries, 92
yards), who consistently peeled off runs of 10-plus yards and knocked back Rams defenders
for extra yardage.
The aggressive play of the Pats’ secondary continued before the half, when CB
Antwan Harris put a helmet on the ball and jarred it loose from the hands of Rams WR Ricky
Proehl. Patriots CB Terrell Buckley picked up the fumble and returned it 15 yards. Five
plays later, QB Tom Brady hit a leaping David Patten on an out-and-up route in the corner
of the endzone for a 14-3 lead.
Vinatieri extended the Patriots’ lead to two touchdowns in the third quarter with
a 37-yard field goal.
The Rams, who were heavily favored and playing on artificial turf advantageous to their
quick style of play, nearly sealed their fate in the fourth quarter when Patriots LB Roman
Phifer forced Warner to fumble on the Rams own three-yard line, and Patriots CB Tebucky
Jones scooped up the ball and trotted 97 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, the
touchdown was called back because of a defensive holding penalty on Willie McGinest, and
Warner scored two plays later on a quarterback sneak.
The Rams kept their momentum going with 1:51 remaining in the game. Warner drove the
Rams 55 yards in 14 seconds, hitting Proehl on a 26-yard TD pass that tied the game 17-17.
But the Patriots, who started the season at 0-2 and lost their starting quarterback,
did not panic. Brady, who took over and led the Patriots to the AFC East title with an
11-5 record, calmly operated the two-minute offense out of the shotgun and drove the Pats
53 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
Few expected the Patriots to beat the Rams, who at 14-2 had the league's best
regular-season record and best offense and were trying to win their second Super Bowl in
three seasons.
Yet Belichick found a way to win, giving new meaning to the term "team."
After the Rams’ starting lineup was introduced individually and each player had run
out of the tunnel, the Patriots chose to forgo individual introductions and stormed out of
the tunnel in unison.
"There is an old saying about the strength of the wolf is the pack, and I think
there is a lot of truth to that," Belichick said. "On a football team, it’s
not the strength of the individual players, but it is the strength of the unit and how
they all function together."
After Tom Brady won the Super Bowl MVP award and was awarded a new Cadillac Escalade,
which was driven onto the field, Brady said the SUV would be the property of the team and
be available for any player who wanted to use it.
Brady appropriately credited his teammates for their contributions, especially the
defense, which pressured Warner all night, registering three sacks and creating three
turnovers. The secondary, in large part, deserved its due for intercepting Warner twice,
one of which was returned for a score, and forcing a fumble.
"We were challenging those guys all game,'' Patriots CB Ty Law said. "We were
getting up in their face. You have to do that. They say (the Rams are) the best track team
in the National Football League, but I never saw anybody win a 100-yard dash with someone
standing in front of them."
Despite being outgained by 160 yards, the largest yardage deficit by a Super Bowl
champion in the history of the game, the underdog Patriots rejoiced in victory, ending a
magical season with a nine-game winning streak.
"We shocked the world," Patriots MLB Tedy Bruschi said. "I feel like
Rocky (Balboa)." |
