In one NFL season, suspensions, controversial refereeing, and coaching turnover all cast a dark shadow over the league while Tony Romo’s commentary, breakout stars, and unprecedented competition led to a good season for the NFL.

In Super Bowl LIII, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots took on Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta on February 3rd, winning 13-3 with New England’s Julian Edelman being crowned the game’s Most Valuable Player. This was the organization’s sixth championship, all of which are a result of the Brady/Belichick era.

Since drafting Tom Brady in 2000, the New England Patriots have formed one of the largest dynasties of the modern football era. Under the coaching of Belichick, Brady has led the Patriots to eight Super Bowls, earning six rings, and four Super Bowl MVPs along the way. With the addition of rookie running back Sony Michel, last offseason, the Patriots were able to establish a ground game to compliment their passing offense spearheaded by James White, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski. After the departure of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to the Detroit Lions, there were doubts surrounding Matt Flores’ defense. With the acquisition of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots’ defense turned into a shutdown unit. The Patriots lost two out of their final four games of the regular season, which made them look weak in comparison to other teams heading into the playoffs. As the number 2 seed in the AFC, the Patriots had a first round bye, allowing them to rest their team and prepare for the games ahead.

Under second-year head coach and offensive guru, Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams have gone 26-9 since their move from St. Louis, reaching the playoffs both years along the way. Quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley III led the Rams to a record of 13-3 in the regular season. After losing star-wide receiver Cooper Kupp to a torn ACL in a week 10 victory over the Seahawks, the Rams explosive offense began to slow down. With Todd Gurley III also being injured towards the end of the season, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and veteran running back C.J. Anderson were left to carry the weight of the Rams’ offense. On the other side of the ball, veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips coached a defense led by pass rushers Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh and shutdown corners Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. With Donald being targeted by opponents’ offensive linemen, Suh stepped up to fill the Defensive MVP’s shoes in the Rams’ pass rush, leading the Rams to their first Super Bowl appearance since 2001 and their first under McVay.

Neutral fans like Roosevelt senior, Nnamdi Chikere said “long story short, this was the most boring Super Bowl I’ve ever watched. Both defenses played well but that’s not really what people look for in a Super Bowl.”

Fellow senior and Rams fan, Evan Krieger, reiterated Chikere’s thought, “the Rams’ defense was impressive, and they shut down Tom Brady for the most part, as he had no passing touchdowns. Their tight coverage on defense kept them in the game, although they got beaten in a few key moments of the game.”

On the other side of the ball, Chikere said “the Rams didn’t add enough variety to their offensive schemes which, paired with the injuries to their two best offensive weapons [Gurley and Kupp] and lack of experience at QB and in the coaching staff, played a big role in their loss.”

When asked about the Patriots’ performance, freshman and lifelong Patriots fan Sophie Swart said “we played a full 60 minutes and didn’t get discouraged” even after Brady threw an interception on his first attempt.

In what is considered a snooze-fest of a first half, the Patriots took a 3-0 lead into the locker room at the break. The only points of the first half came from a 42-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal after his earlier missed 46-yard attempt.

The trend of defense-first football continued well into the second half until Goff completed a string of passes to wideouts Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods. Goff was sacked on third down by the Patriots’ Dont’a Hightower leading to a 57 yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein and a tie game at 3-3.

The Patriots responded with their own offensive streak as Brady completed passes to Gronkowski, Edelman, and running back Rex Burkhead putting the Patriots on the Rams’ two yard line before rookie Sony Michel ran it in to make it 10-3 in favor of New England with the only play of the game in the red zone.

With another string of completions to Cooks, Reynolds, and Woods, Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense refused to give up. Moving the ball all the way to the New England 27 yard line before a Jared Goff fade was picked off by star corner Stephon Gilmore.

Gilmore’s interception allowed the Patriots to move down the field and make it a two possession game with another made field goal from Gostkowski. A failed attempt from Zuerlein meant that the Patriots could run out the clock and win their second title in the last three years with a 13-3 win over the Rams.

In albeit a “boring” game, at least offensively, the Brady-led Patriots’ dynasty continues to roll through its competition.