One of the highest-scoring seasons in NFL history culminates Sunday with a matchup of high-octane offenses in Super Bowl LIII, but I will have a close eye on both coaches come Sunday.
In a rematch of the Super Bowl 17 years ago — won by the Pats, 20-17, on a 48-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal as time expired — that kicked off New England’s dynasty.
The Patriots are appearing in their ninth Super Bowl of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era and their 11th overall. A victory would pull them even with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the record of six wins overall. The Rams are playing in their fourth Big Game and are looking for a second trophy to add to their win in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.
The game matches up the NFL’s youngest head coach (Sean McVay, 33) with its second-oldest (Belichick, 66). The Rams opened as slight favorites before Pats money flooded sportsbooks, pushing the line to Patriots by 21/2 points.
Belichick vs. McVay is a classic battle of the minds. Belichick is a seasoned coach, arguably the best coach ever, and his ability to pick young teams apart is legendary. McVay, of course, is a coaching wunderkind, and every team is scrambling to find their own version of him.
On Monday, we learned that Belichick and McVay have a deep mutual respect for each other. After meeting at the NFL Combine last year, they developed a texting relationship, with McVay saying they would message each other after nearly every game this year.
You can bet no texts were exchanged this week.
At 66, Belichick is not the oldest to coach in the Super Bowl; that would be former Buffalo coach Marv Levy, who went to the game with the Bills at age 67 and 68. But Belichick could become the oldest winner, breaking the record held by Tom Coughlin, who was 65 when the Giants beat the Patriots in 2012.
McVay took over the Rams last season after a meteoric rise as an NFL assistant and is the youngest head coach in Super Bowl history. He breaks the record held by Mike Tomlin, who was 36 when his Pittsburgh Steelers won the big game in 2009.
McVay is known for his brainy offensive designs, his youthful energy, and his relationship with just about everybody who filled an NFL coaching vacancy this offseason.
Belichick isn’t very likeable to the average NFL fan, but the guy in the hoodie only worries about wins. He now ranks third in career regular-season victories (328, behind Don Shula and George Halas) and 10th in career regular-season winning percentage (.680). His 30 postseason wins are 50 percent better than Tom Landry, who is in second place. Of the six gentlemen who own a better postseason winning percentage, only Vince Lombardi (9-1) has a sample size of more than five games.
The last time Belichick’s team won fewer than 10 regular-season games was 2002. The last time the Patriots failed to make the playoffs was 2008 — when they went 11-5. And here they are, playing in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years.
Everything, from an experience standpoint, screams Patriots.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
