The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII 13-3 to earn their sixth Super Bowl victory in franchise history and three in the last five years. The six Lombardi trophies tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for most in NFL history.

Flashback to late October, almost halfway through the 2018-19 National Football League season, I personally wrote an article titled “In Today’s NFL, Offense Wins Championships.”

In Super Bowl 53, New England and Los Angeles proved that might be the furthest thing from the truth. Although offense got these teams to the Super Bowl, this game delivered two of the best defensive performances in the title games history.

This shocked most of the fans watching, as many expected this to be a back-and-forth, shootout type of game. New England just made a few more plays on both ends to secure the title.

The Patriots defense should take most of the credit for this win as they held a historically explosive offense to three points through four quarters. They put constant pressure on third-year quarterback Jared Goff, kept superstar running back Todd Gurley to 35 rushing yards and forced a turnover late in the fourth. They never allowed the Rams to get comfortable and get into a rhythm.

After stalling on offense for most of the game, when they needed it most, Brady drove New England right down the field for a touchdown. Brady finished with 262 passing yards with one interception and zero touchdowns.

New England was led by the game’s Most Valuable Player, wide receiver Julian Edelman, who hauled in 10 catches for 141 yards on 12 targets. He now has the second most receiving yards in post-season history, behind only Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice.

Brady looked his way early, often and for most of the game, Edelman was New England’s entire offense, leading many to question why LA was not double-teaming him early. Eventually, they did, but he had already done his damage.

On the only touchdown drive of the game, when the Rams defense was devoting multiple resources to Edelman, that is when Brady looked Rob Gronkowski’s way for a big play.

“It was my time to make a play,” Gronkowski said during a post-game interview with NFL Network.

“Julian was playing great and when I saw the ball coming my way, I just knew I had to go after it and make a play,” he continued.

The one many refer to as “The Gronk” hauled in a 29-yard pass to set New England up at the 1-yard line and rookie running back Sony Michel punched it in for a touchdown on the very next play.

Gronk finished with 87 receiving yards in a game that some expect to be the last of his career as he contemplates retirement.

Michel rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries (5.2 YPC) and scored the only touchdown of the game, his sixth in the playoffs, tied for second most all-time in one postseason run.

Overall, in a game that was dominated defensively for three and a half quarters, the New England Patriots made the plays necessary for them to win their sixth Super Bowl ring late in the game.

After a rocky regular season, they turned it on in the playoffs and finished strong. One thing they want everyone to know, they are still here. They never left.