Bill Belichick knew he had the Los Angeles Rams dead to rights.
The New England Patriots head coach crafted a masterful defensive gameplan for Super Bowl LIII, flustering young offensive guru Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff all night long.
Once the Patriots took a 10-3 lead on Sony Michel’s 2-yard touchdown run, Belichick gathered his defense for one final pep talk. Knowing McVay and the Rams had no answers for what he was throwing at them, Belichick’s message to his defense was a simple one: don’t mess up.
“We don’t got a lot of calls left now,” Belichick said, as seen in a behind-the-scenes video released by the Patriots. “Let’s make sure we get it right. They really can’t beat us. We just can’t screw up. If we’re on it, you know, they don’t got anything.”
Belichick’s words proved true, as Stephon Gilmore picked off Goff to end the Rams’ last real chance of tying the game, giving the Patriots their third Super Bowl title in five seasons.
The 66-year-old held the Rams to 260 yards of total offense and three points (29.9 below their regular season average) by playing more zone than normal, cluttering the Rams’ runways and forcing Goff to hold onto the ball longer which allowed New England’s pass rush to pressure the third-year quarterback.
McVay failed to make the necessary adjustments and Belichick knew the wunderkind didn’t have answers for the Super Bowl test he had created.
