This season the New England Patriots have changed their ways, but the result has been the same one: a trip to the Super Bowl.
For the third straight year the Patriots are in the big game and knowing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady it’s no secret that they won’t be satisfied with just being there, especially after their last year loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
So, what is New England planning to focus on offensively to beat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII?
The Pats offense has evolved. Although Brady still is their leader, this year’s unit is a bit more run-heavy after they drafted Sony Michel and turned into a three-headed monster that helped New England outlast their opponents during the present postseason run.
During the last four games, the Patriots have run the ball more than anybody in the league. In fact, since week 16 they’re running the ball 61.5 percent of the time, that’s 10 percentage points more than they were through the first 15 weeks of the season.
That commitment to the run has allowed the Patriots to control the clock throughout the playoffs as in their two postseason matchups New England has been able to hold the ball for an average of 41 minutes.
No matter how explosive an offense is, if they can’t have the ball they can’t score and that proved to be true against the Kansas City in the AFC Conference Championship as the Chiefs were held scoreless through the first half.
In the Super Bowl the Patriots goal will be to try to keep the ball away from quarterback Jared Goff and the rest of the Rams’ offense, but for that, all three Patriots running backs (Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead) will have to step up.
The ground attack of the Patriots works so well because each of these backs has a defined role and they will perform it to perfection to help the Pats win.
With Michel now healthy and leading this group there is no reason to think that they can’t continue to run the ball the way they have done it in the last month. If that happens New England will have the foundation to beat the Rams and take home their second Lombardi trophy in three years.
