THE MATCHUPS

RAM PASS OFFENSE VS. PATRIOT PASS DEFENSE

Although Kurt Warner threw for 365 yards, his two interceptions led to 10 points for the Patriots. The hard-hitting New England secondary caused a third turnover when Antwan Harris jarred the ball loose with a hit on Ricky Proehl, giving the Patriots the ball deep in St. Louis territory. The Patriots disrupted Warner’s timing by alternately blitzing him or dropping seven men into the secondary, which led to two drive-ending coverage sacks. Warner went deep only twice.

RAM RUN OFFENSE VS. PATRIOT RUN DEFENSE

The Patriots held Marshall Faulk to 76 yards in 17 carries. The Rams’ most dangerous weapon never had the opportunity to break the game open as his longest run went for only 15 yards. St. Louis had six of its drives enter New England territory and came up empty.

PATRIOT PASS OFFENSE VS. RAM PASS DEFENSE

Tom Brady was content to take the routes underneath and only went deep once, overthrowing David Patten on a sideline route. Patten would only see one more pass, but he made it count, beating Dexter McLeon to snare Brady’s pass in the end zone and give the Patriots a 14-3 lead. Troy Brown found enough room in the coverage to grab six passes for 89 yards, with 23 of the yards coming with 29 seconds to play, putting the Patriots into range for Adam Vinitieri’s game-winning field goal.

PATRIOT RUN OFFENSE VS. RAM RUN DEFENSE

Antowain Smith found most of his running room off tackle, as the Patriots attacked the Ram gap defense with brute force. Smith was the Patriots’ most effective weapon, finishing with 92 yards. By establishing the run, the Patriots minized the impact of the Rams’ defensive playmakers Aeneas Williams, London Fletcher and Grant Wistrom.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Although Brady drove away with the shiny new SUV along with the MVP trophy, Vinitieri deserved the award the most. In addition to kicking two clutch field goals, Vinitieri pinned the Rams on their six-yard line just before the half with a perfect kickoff that angled toward the right sideline. In the first half, the Rams’ Jeff Wilkins missed a 52-yard attempt after nailing a 50-yard try. While the miss was not the game’s turning point, it proved to be the margin of loss for St. Louis.

COACHING

Bill Belichick turned in what perhaps will be considered the greatest coaching in Super Bowl history. The bend-but-don’t-break defensive scheme worked to perfection, as the Patriots repeatedly surrendered 30 to 40 yards, only to cause a turnover or force a punt. The Rams’ three turnovers, combined with Coach Mike Martz’s failure to make the proper adjustments, led to St. Louis’ demise.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Before the game, St. Louis had just about everything in its favor, or so it appeared on paper. None of the Rams’ big playmakers, Faulk, Warner, Holt or Bruce, did anything to turn the game around when the Rams needed a spark. Where was the “Greatest Show on Earth?” Where were the supposed mismatches because of the Rams’ superior speed and skill?

Roy Jurgens