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- The New England Patriots took down the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 to win Super Bowl LIII.
- Cornerback Jason McCourty — who spent last season winless with the Cleveland Browns — made what was arguably the play of the game by sprinting across the field to break up a would-be touchdown.
- McCourty’s heroics were so stunning that even notoriously stoic Patriots head coach Bill Belichick became animated when asked to discuss it postgame.
- Check out the full video of the play and Belichick’s reaction below:
New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty made a stunning, cross-field play to break up a seemingly wide-open touchdown pass during Super Bowl LIII that many referred to as the play of the game.
The play was so remarkable, in fact, that even notoriously stoic Patriots head coach Bill Belichick became animated when asked to discuss it postgame.
"Oh my God," Belichick said, per NJ.com. "That was a tremendous effort and a great play on the ball. It looked like [Cooks] was going to fair catch the ball. McCourty came out of nowhere to make that play."
McCourty’s heroics came late in the third quarter of the low scoring affair. New England held a 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Rams when, on first-and-10, Rams quarterback Jared Goff bombed a more than 40-yard pass into the middle of the endzone for a wide-open Brandin Cooks. McCourty beelined for Cooks from his post near the sideline and arrived just in time to knock the ball out of Cooks’ hands.
Check out the full play below:
And here’s the overhead view:
Belichick wasn’t the only one stunned by McCourty’s efforts. When asked during his postgame comments how he possibly reached Cooks in time, McCourty revealed that he wasn’t even sure he would make it.
"I was running my tail off," McCourty said. "I didn’t know if I was going to make it."
He also revealed that he had seen the play before.
"They had called that play earlier in the game," McCourty said. "I said … I’ve got to be there if that play comes up again. We messed it up a little bit on the front side but luckily I just put my head down and took off and was able to get the ball out."
Many thought that the game-saving pass breakup was enough to warrant the MVP honors that ultimately went to wide receiver Julian Edelman. But McCourty was just happy to get his hands on the Lombardi Trophy.
"I don’t even know if I had a vision for it, man," McCourty said. "Last year I spent the season in Cleveland and didn’t win a football game. God, it’s good. I couldn’t imagine that I’d be sitting here with you right now at this desk after the 2018-2019 season."
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Source: Business Insider