Super Bowl LIII cannot be described as anything other than a massive disappointment for the Los Angeles Rams. L.A. was the league's second highest-scoring team during the regular season, scoring 32.9 points per game, but managed only three points against the Patriots in the title contest.
Rams coach Sean McVay stated after the game that he was out-coached by Bill Belichick and takes the blame for the loss, but he was not the only one. Quarterback Jared Goff, who finished 19 of 38 for 229 yards and an interception, took the weight of the loss on his own shoulders as well.
"What really stings for me, especially as a quarterback, is that our defense played so well -- and I wasn't able to deliver," Goff said, per NFL.com. "It was me. It was our offense. And we -- well, I -- couldn't do my part. It wasn't a game we needed 30 points to win. We needed two touchdowns, and I couldn't get it done. That's on me. I'm the guy who has to drive this offense."
Goff gave credit to the New England defense, which pressured him all night (40.7 percent of his drop-backs, per Pro Football Focus) and had excellent coverage on pretty much every one of his passes.
"I think you see why they are so good, and why they've done it for so long," Goff said of Belichick and the Pats. "You have so much respect for them, and you really understand why now. It sucks. I didn't do enough. But at the same time, it's 3-3 in the fourth quarter, and we had our chances. We didn't take advantage of those chances, and that's my job."
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Goff's biggest regret was his fourth-quarter interception. He had come oh-so-close to hitting Brandin Cooks for a touchdown just one play earlier, but the Patriots sent an all-out blitz and forced him to get rid of the ball quickly on this play. He simply lofted the ball into the air and it fell right into the arms of Stephon Gilmore.
WOW.@BumpNrunGilm0re PICKS OFF Jared Goff with 4:17 left in the game. @Patriots leading 10-3.
— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2019
📺: #SBLIII on CBS pic.twitter.com/Yv2KXuTkaP
"Obviously, I should have thrown it away," Goff said. "I knew it was 'zero' -- of course I did -- but I thought I could make a play. I didn't realize Gilmore was staring at me, and I threw too early. I put it in a bad spot. It was dumb. It was stupid. I will learn from it. But it really hurts right now."
The good news for the Rams is they could get the chance to avenge this loss next year. Vegas has already hung their Super Bowl 2020 odds, and McVay's team is one of the favorites.