Even Dynasties Can Fall Short of Expectations

The Patriots lost the Super Bowl, but Boston sports have felt this heartbreak before. Failure comes with success. Super Bowl LII was the tenth Super Bowl appearance for the New England Patriots, eight of which came under the leadership of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. The Patriots now hold a 5-5 record in Super Bowls and have made the most appearances by any team. Despite some of the domination that this team has over their competitors, they always manage to keep their fans on their toes. The Patriots have never won a Super Bowl by more than 6 points. Additionally, in the eight Super Bowl games under Belichick, their biggest loss occurred last Sunday to the Eagles.

The Patriots Defensive Gurus, Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia

Tom Brady did not lose Super Bowl LII. The defense lost the Patriots the Super Bowl, which is all of head coach, Bill Belichick’s, and defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia’s, faults. Many will blame them for benching Super Bowl 49 hero, Malcolm Butler. However, that is how the Patriots operate. Belichick holds all of his players responsible for their actions. Butler violated team rules by smoking weed and violating curfew by inviting a woman to his room. Since Belichick knew that the benching of Butler would create gaps in the defense, he should have prepared for the worst outcome of that game and made necessary adjustments at halftime.

Malcolm Butler makes game ending interception to clinch Super Bowl 49 for the Patriots

The worst possible outcome of Super Bowl LII came to life starting with the first drive. Belichick deferred the kickoff putting faith in his defense to stop Nick Foles. One of the few good defensive stops of the game occurred on this drive where the Patriots managed to hold the Eagles in the red zone to a field goal. From this point on, the Patriots had to continuously play catch up on offense to make up for their defensive woes. The Patriots managed to take their first lead of the game at 33-32 with just over 9 minutes left in the 4^th quarter. However, their defense squandered that lead after an 11 play, 75 yard drive that took over 7 minutes. Zach Ertz reeled in the 11 yard touchdown pass leaving Brady with only 2:21 left on the clock. Brady’s forced fumble on the ensuing drive left the Patriots hopeless to win their 6^th Lombardi Trophy. The Eagles tacked on a field goal for insurance and won their first Super Bowl in the history of their franchise by a score of 41-33.

Super Bowl MVP, Nick Foles, gives Eagles first Super Bowl title

This game was one for the record books. There were 29 Super Bowl records tied or broken this year. However, most of these records that were broken were the ultimate reason the Patriots lost the game. Both teams combined for 1,151 yards, which is the most yards in any playoff game in the history of the NFL. Additionally, the Patriots scored the most points in a Super Bowl game by any losing team in 52 years. Brady also threw for a record 505 passing yards. Needless to say, Brady put his team on his back.

Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator for the Patriots

Despite all the heartbreak that Patriots fans are feeling now, there is still a bright future ahead. Josh McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, just announced that he will not accept the head coaching job for the Indianapolis Colts and will return to New England for next season. Brady says he has at least 2 more years in him. Julian Edelman is returning from his torn ACL injury next season. All of these people will contribute to create another Super Bowl caliber team. Vegas seems to think the same by giving the Patriots 9-2 odds to win Super Bowl LIII. Stay strong Boston, more championships are on the horizon.

Never Forget.