There weren’t many defenses that stopped the Los Angeles Rams offense this season, so the New England Patriots didn’t have much to go off of in terms of tape ahead of the Super Bowl. The Bears, Eagles and Lions all gave the Rams fits for at least part of the game – all 60 minutes in the case of Chicago – and Bill Belichick said the Patriots wanted to do what Detroit did to L.A.
He wanted to make the Rams earn points and not allow big plays down the field, forcing them to sustain 10-play drives. Los Angeles couldn’t do that, and the Patriots emerged victorious.
It only took Sean McVay one play to realize the Patriots were taking a page out of the Bears’ book with quarters coverage, as seen in this mic’d-up video.
The Patriots used man coverage more than any other team in the NFL this season, but in the Super Bowl they switched to a more zone-heavy defense – a defense that stymied the Rams and left Jared Goff mystified in the pocket.
The Rams simply didn’t adjust and fell flat on their face offensively, scoring just three points. McVay will learn from this experience and be better prepared next time he’s in a big game.
