BALTIMORE _ If every Super Bowl offers insights about the NFL's past, present and future, the New England Patriots' sixth title typified the lesson that has become as dull and resounding as their 13-3 triumph Sunday over the Los Angeles Rams.
The Patriots still have Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, and no one else does, and that's usually enough.
A year after losing a shootout to the Philadelphia Eagles, New England won Super Bowl LIII with defense, a game that was half-slugfest, half-punting battle. Two years after running off a 25-point comeback against the Atlanta Falcons, the Patriots all but sat on the Rams and waited for the game to end and the confetti to fall.
On a macro level, New England's infrastructural advantages _ a quarterback and a coach with claims to being the sport's greatest ever _ are unmatched. But as the Ravens approach free agency and the draft, there are lines in the champions' blueprint worthy of closer examination.
If the Ravens want to build on last season's playoff run, want to build a Super Bowl contender, they can look to how the Rams got to the precipice _ and how the Patriots have kept their dynasty alive.
