Once again, the magic that Field Marshal Tom Brady displayed on the pitch was decisive for the New England Patriots to secure their third straight and eleventh trip, in the whole history of the team, to the National League Super Bowl. American Football (NFL).
If in Kansas City Brady was the protagonist in the game for the title of the American Conference (AFC), in New Orleans, the referees stayed when defining the National Conference (NFC).
The referees did not point out an interference and decided the final result with which the Los Angeles Rams secured the title and their passport to the match for the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Brady is back on the field and leads the Patriots to their third straight Super Bowl game, after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-37 in overtime.
The five-time NFL champion led the Patriots 75 yards after winning the coin toss in overtime, and runner Rex Burkhead got two yards to put the ball in the end zone and seal the New England victory .
For the Patriots it will be their ninth trip to the SuperBowl game in the last 18 seasons and they will look to get the sixth title, since they first arrived in 1986 and lost it to the Chicago Bears by 10-46, the same thing that happened to them. in 1997 when they lost by 21-35 against the Packers of Green Bay.
They returned in 2002 and won their first title by beating the Rams de San Luis 20-17, with whom they will return 17 years later in rematch, although they are now based in Los Angeles.
In 2004, they returned to the Super Bowl with another 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers; in 2005 they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.
But in 2008 they lost 14-17 against the New York Giants, and in 2012 the Giants beat them again 21-17.
In 2015, they resumed the form and beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24; in 2017 they beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28, and in 2018 they lost 33-41 against the Eagles.
The Patriots will travel to Atlanta where they will face the Rams, who will play their fourth Super Bowl, the first since they lost it in 2002, just before New England.
Previously, they played another two, the first, in 1980, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost by 19-31 and the second, in 2000, based in San Luis, and they won by 23-16 against the Titans of Tennessee .
Brady completed 30 of 46 passes for 348 yards with one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
The Chiefs lost to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who completed 16 of 31 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, in New Orleans, in a controversial match, kicker Greg Zuerlein scored a field goal in overtime and sealed the victory for the Rams, who beat the Saints 23-26 at home.
Zuerlein scored a 57-yard field goal with 2:12 left of overtime to send his team to the Vince Lombardi title for the fourth time in their history.
For the Rams, champions of the National Conference, it will be their fourth trip to the Super Bowl, where they will try to get their second title of champions.
The final was sealed when the Saints received the ball for the first time in overtime and their quarterback Drew Brees sent a pass blocked by John Johnson, who was able to hold on to the interception while falling backwards on the pitch.
Due to the distance of the play, the Rams opted for a field goal, which Zuerlein, who had already scored a 48-yard one to tie the game with 15 seconds left of regulation time, made it effective again.
The 73,000 attendees of the Superdome were immediately silent, as they were witnessing the first playoff loss at home for the Saints with Brees and coach Sean Payton.
This time the forecasts that gave up to 84 percent as winners to the Saints, Zuerlein threw them overboard with his field goal.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 25 of 40 passes for 297 yards, with a touchdown pass and interception.
The controversy arose when the referees did not point out a clear interference from Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who collided violently with Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived.
Saints head coach Sean Payton said the head of the NFL referees had called and acknowledged that the referees “did not point out the fault.”
“I hope that never again another team will have to lose a game like we did,” said Payton, who acknowledged that it will be very hard for the group to recover from the defeat they had suffered.
Meanwhile, for the first time, the two games of the conference title had to be decided in extra time, and since 2012 it was not seen that the two visiting teams were the winners.
Víctor Carrillo
