The Patriots’ dynasty started with Bill Belichick stymieing a juggernaut Rams offense—2001’s “The Greatest Show on Turf”—in Super Bowl XXXVI. Eighteen years later, Belichick faces another prolific Rams offense, led by wunderkind architect Sean McVay.
The second-year head coach’s system is defined by condensed formations. The Rams don’t have wide receivers so much as “tight” receivers, with Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds almost always aligning just a few yards outside the offensive tackles.
This has several benefits. One is that it puts receivers close to one another, where their routes easily crisscross and intertwine, creating traffic for man-to-man defenders and poor leverage for zone defenders.