Super Bowl 53 is in the books and if you managed to stay awake for the entire thing then hats off to you. In what was anticipated to be a high scoring action-packed game, the two teams had a punt fest that led to the lowest scoring Super Bowl in NFL history. It was a game where most people were picking the over that was around 56-58 points depending on the sports book and the two teams managed to only score a combined 16 points, 10 of which were scored in the 4th quarter. The game did bring an end to the NFL Power Rankings Playoff Pool and we have a winner.
The Rams looked like a team that was overwhelmed by the big stage and they we never really in the game. If it wasn't for their defence being able to stale patriot drives the game could have been much more one-sided. The Rams offence sputtered throughout the game and the team MVP might well be the punter that was able to force the Patriots to work from deep- often. The big question of the night surrounded the disappearance of Todd Gurley. Yet again, he was grossly under used and fans got a heavy dose of CJ Anderson for most of the game. The only problem was that this time, Anderson was a dud. Gurley spent long stretches of time on the bench watching while the Rams offence struggled to get going. Rumours of Gurley still feeling the effects of the knee injury suffered back in week 15 continue to swirl but both he and the team insist he is healthy. Not sure I can believe that because the alternative is just very bad coaching!
The win for the Patriots put a massive stamp on their decade-plus long dynasty. In a season where many thought they might finally regress, the Patriots just went out and did what the Patriots do. WIN! Tom Brady wasn't at his best in this game but he was good when it mattered and he made enough consistent plays to help the Patriots dominate field position. He set up the only touchdown of the game with a picture perfect pass to Gronkowski who was being covered by two defenders. This would prove to be the nail in the coffin for the Rams who were only able to put any points on the board thanks to a 53 yarder by Greg the Leg. The Patriots have now won 6 Super Bowls during their magical run. They have now tied the Steelers for the all-time record for most Super Bowls ever and Brady has now set a standard for Super Bowl winning quarterbacks that will most likely never be equalled.
With the Patriots victory, it means that the tiebreaker came into effect for the NFL Power Rankings Playoff Pool. There was a two-way tie for the top spot and a three-way tie for 3rd. The points total selections from last weeks post determined who the Champion would be. The possibilities for the different results were:
With such a low scoring game, everyone went over with the total points they picked. Therefore, it came down to the closest to the total
The NFL Power Rankings Playoff Pool Champion is:
@kp33 (91) (54pts) 50 SCR
Second place and 30 SCR go to @thebull who also ended with 91 but had a points total of 55 for the big game.
Third place saw a three-way tie between @galasek, @davor27, and @robbijg who all finished with 90. There was only one person who submitted a point total for the Super Bowl out of these three so 3rd place goes to @robbijg who wins 20 SCR
The biggest loser and winner of 20 SCR was @hanshotfirst who had the Super Bowl champion Patriots ranked as his worst team in the pool.
Final Standings
A huge thank you to everyone for participating. It was great to have so many entries in the pool and the engagement through the playoffs made is even more fun. Thank you to @hanshotfirst, @mikey, and @cayelispor53 who all generously donated to the pool prizes.
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