The lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history caught hundreds of millions of viewers by surprise -- Kyle Van Noy included.
The New England Patriots linebacker, whose stellar one-sack, three-QB hit showing on Super Bowl Sunday propelled the Pats to a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, was taken aback not only by the game's low score, but why the Rams didn't switch things up on offense over the course of the game.
Sean McVay's offense notoriously ran 91.2 of its offensive plays out of 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) at a 55 percent success rate during the 2018 regular season, per Next Gen Stats, the highest such frequency in the league.
In the Super Bowl, the Rams played to type, running 78.3 percent of their plays out of 11 personnel, but with a 40 percent success rate. Los Angeles adjusted in the second half, running 10 plays out of a heavier 22 personnel, but it was too late.
Van Noy was surprised that L.A. had failed to disarm the adaptable Patriots with any schematic surprises or changes.
"I couldn't believe that either," Van Noy told the Pardon My Take podcast. "They really didn't do not one wrinkle. I was like, 'What the hell?' They've got so many good players, they've got so many things they've done all year, and the one play they gave us which was a wrinkle was the [Brandin] Cooks screen that hit for a little bit. And that was it.
"Or maybe too, we were playing so good they were like, 'S---, we don't know what to do.'"
Van Noy must have taken his cues from his coach Bill Belichick, who was caught on NFL Films cameras telling the Patriots defense in the fourth quarter, "They really can't beat us. We just can't screw it up now. If we're honest, they don't got anything."
All told, New England held the Rams to a season-low three points and 14 first downs and allowed just 260 total yards and 198 passing yards. Los Angeles was the No. 2 offense in the league entering the postseason.
"We pride ourselves on watching hella film, that's for sure," Van Noy explained. "Coaches set us up for success, and players do as well. We've got elite football players. We don't got any prima donnas, which is nice."
