The Patriots found one play that worked in the Super Bowl and then ran it over and over to score the game’s only touchdown

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday.
The only touchdown of the game came thanks to a single play that the Patriots ran three times in a row to tear through the Rams defense in the fourth quarter.
The play was able to work again and again for the Patriots thanks to their deep pool of potential receivers and the brilliance of Tom Brady.
Follow along with all of INSIDER’s coverage of Super Bowl LIII here.

The New England Patriots are once again Super Bowl champions, defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, on Sunday to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the sixth time in 18 seasons.

The final score was a shocking result after a record-setting year of scoring in the NFL, as Super Bowl LIII will go down as the lowest-scoring championship in NFL history.

Points were tough to come by in the game, with the Patriots managing the single touchdown that was scored on Sunday. The fourth quarter scoring drive was sparked by a single play — Hoss Y-Juke — that the Patriots ran on three straight plays, gaining 49 yards to get to the Rams one-yard line and set up Sony Michel for the game-winning touchdown.

The play is rather simple, and a fantastic example of what makes the Patriots so good, with its success depending on individual execution and Brady’s decision-making.

New England lines up with five receivers, sending the outside men on quick hitch routes, and the two receivers inside them on seam routes. The slot receiver — usually Julian Edelman — is left with the option to find space depending on how he’s covered.

You can read a detailed breakdown of Hoss Y-Juke here, but watching the Patriots run the play three times in a row, it’s easy to see why the play works well for Brady and his talented receiving corps.

With the ball at midfield, Brady found Edelman in the middle of the field, who was able to turn and take the ball for a 13-yard gain. With the other four receivers taking the lion’s share of the Rams’ attention, Edelman was left with linebacker Cory Littleton as the only defender on him.

On the next snap, the Patriots turned to the play again. This time, it was Rex Burkhead who was the open man, running the hitch route on the left side of the field.

After finding both Edelman and the hitch route, Brady used their third time running the play to throw over the top to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was able to gain a step on his defenders and bring the ball down to the Rams’ one-yard line.

The Patriots were able to pull this play three times in a row thanks to two of their most valuable assets — a slew of great pass-catchers, and Tom Brady.

Hoss Y-Juke needs five viable receiving threats to work, and between Edelman, Gronk, and running backs including James Develin, Rex Burkhead, and James White, the Patriots have plenty of options to fill out the play as they see fit.

Additionally, the play requires a quarterback you can trust both to find the right receiver and to handle himself in an empty backfield — no small feat when the opposing pass rush features Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.

On Sunday, Brady ran the play to perfection three times in a row, putting the Patriots at the one-yard line to set up Sony Michel for the only touchdown of the game.

There were countless moments that could have swung Super Bowl LIII one way or another, but in the end, it was one play, run three times in a row, that gave the Patriots the win.

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Source: Business Insider