Belichick shouts out the Lions during ESPN's Super Bowl post-game show.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is giving Detroit a consolation prize. He says he modeled his Super Bowl defensive strategy off the one the Lions employed in their December game against the Los Angeles Rams.
"We felt like if we make them drive it, make them earn it, similar to what the Lions did to them, to make them run a lot of plays and get them in third down, we felt like we've have a chance to get them off the field on third down," he said last night on ESPN's post-game show.
It makes sense that Belichick might look to his former defensive coordinator, current Lions head coach Matt Patricia, for guidance. What doesn't totally make sense is that he'd take his cues from a game the Lions lost, 30-16.
At any rate, the plan worked, enabling the Patriots to hold the Rams to just 3 points in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
This is the sixth time Belichick has captured the Vince Lombardi Trophy with the Patriots.
The Lions have never made it to a Super Bowl. They placed last in their division this season, their first year under Patricia.
