By Justin DiLoro / Billswire.usatoday.com
Super Bowl LIII may have lacked the offensive explosion that many anticipated, it still ranked as one of the most suspenseful games in NFL championship history. The New England Patriots won their sixth NFL championship, besting the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.
Even though Buffalo was not involved in this year’s post-season proceedings, Bills fans still watched several former Bills take the field on the ultimate stage for the NFL season.
Both the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams featured ex-Buffalo players who used to call One Bills Drive home. No matter what, multiple ex-Buffalo players were going to earn a ring as part of their performance.
Here’s how several former Bills fared during a Super Bowl bereft of offensive output:
Stephon Gilmore
As much as Bills fans hate to hear this, Gilmore performed impressively Sunday night. The first-team All-Pro blanketed Los Angeles’ top receiving option, Brandin Cooks, all game.
While Cooks caught eight passes, none of the receptions really put fear into the eyes of the Patriots. Gilmore forced a fumble early in the fourth quarter. The former first-round pick from the University of South Carolina took advantage of an errant pass from Rams quarterback Jared Goff, by intercepting it, a play forced by the all-out blitz by the Patriots.
The pick turned the tables and put the Patriots offense in position for the game-clinching drive. Gilmore showed why he was graded as the top cornerback by Pro Football Focus, registering five tackles, three passed deflected, in addition to his takeaway. Gilmore may have had the largest impact among Patriots players during this contest.
Robert Woods
While Woods had an unspectacular stat line, he had multiple catches that helped move the chains. The six-year veteran made an impressive tip-top sideline catch in the second quarter. He made a nice grab on the only drive in which the Rams produced points. Overall, Woods caught five of his targets for 70 receiving yards. The Rams’ offense as a unit was stuck in the the mud all day as Sean McVay was held to zero points in the first half for the first time since becoming a head coach two seasons ago.
Nickell Robey-Coleman
Robey-Coleman made created bulletin-board material earlier during the calm leading up to the Super Bowl by saying how “age has taken a toll” on New England quarterback Tom Brady. While Brady did not necessarily light the world on fire throughout the night, neither did Robey-Coleman. In fact, Rams cornerback had an underwhelming game, being credited for two total tackles and one pass deflected. In career games against the Patriots, Robey-Coleman is now 2-7 and 0-7 in games when Brady plays from start to finish.
Chris Hogan
Hogan had a disappointing performance in the Patriots win. He was targeted six times by Brady but failed to catch any of the offerings. Hogan became an afterthought as the game progressed, as Brady looked to Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski during important moments on the team’s game-winning drive. On the game’s first drive, it looked like Hogan might cost the Patriots as he tipped a pass that was picked off. The New England defense held its own on that ensuing drive and throughout the game, though.