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Maddie Meyer / Getty Images
The game had to have two legendary quarters. Instead, it turned out to be a singular legendary coach.
Tom Brady, the best quarterback of all time, and Aaron Rodgers, the best football player of all time, were at the origin of the confrontation between the Patriots and the Packers Sunday night.
But this meeting turned out to be boring. Instead, the most glamorous, sexy and fascinating aspect of the Patriots' 31-17 win at Foxborough was to watch Bill Belichick totally, without mercy, dismantling Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
If the match against the coaches was a match, Belichick would have won 300-0.
In a way, it is unfair to expect McCarthy to live up to Belichick. Few coaches can. In truth, the only person who has ever been flat with Belichick was Tom Coughlin in two Super Bowls.
But that's all. Most of the time, almost all the time, Belichick surpasses its counterpart.
Still, what he did to McCarthy was a crazy one.
Rodgers and the Packers kept him close to him. Jimmy Graham tied the score at 17 in the third quarter. The Green Bay defense was able to confuse Brady during part of the match.
Aaron Rodgers did his best to keep the Packers close to the Patriots in Week 9, but New England's pressure and shenanigans finally took control of the game.Maddie Meyer / Getty Images
The problem for Rodgers was that while he was involved in a fictitious, non-credible infringement of McCarthy's apparent design, he was also attempting to defeat an organization based on extreme skill and innovation.
The Patriots played without Rob Gronkowski (who had a back injury) and their best halfback, Sony Michel (who is still recovering from a knee injury suffered a few weeks ago). Most coaches (in fact, almost all of them) would run a conservative offense. That's what McCarthy would do.
Not Belichick.
The Pats attack opened quickly after the crossing, scoring on a 10-piece drive but a little over three minutes.
Later, the Patriots sent James White's spit to Brady, who then sent the ball 33 yards to Julian Edelman, scoring a goal on the field early in the second quarter.
NFL @NFL
. @ Patriots & # 39; Flea Flicker executed to perfection. ? #GoPats
: #GBvsNE on NBC https://t.co/HRZAWWlOnz
When White had to leave the game due to an injury, Belichick achieved one of his best achievements. Kenjon Barner was the only other to return to the list. So, Belichick, as he has done a few times this season, has wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson to relay. He scored five yards (en route to a 61-yard touchdown) to give New England a 17-10 lead at half-time.
The Patriots were also aggressive in defense. They were constantly in front of Rodgers' face and, although he was not sacked in the first period, he was put under pressure several times. In the second half, the Pats finally joined Rodgers, dismissing him once.
They were not made. At the start of the fourth quarter when the match was tied at age 17, Brady pitched to Edelman, who sent the shot to White, who totaled 37 yards to place Brady and Co. on the line. 2 yards of Packers.
The aggression wins in football. Not only in terms of physics, but also at stake. And on Sunday, the patriots had it; the Packers, well, if they had any, that was not enough.
Patriots of New England @patriots
DOUBLE PASS ALERT!
JULES ➡ JAMES
@ Edelman11 | @SweetFeet_White | #GBvsNE https://t.co/ReqQcOZwSG
Green Bay suffers from a syndrome that can be called GOAT surreliance syndrome. McCarthy has relied on Rodgers for so many plays, over many seasons, that he has not bothered to create scenarios that help Rodgers.
the rams, the saints, the leaders, the patriots – all have coaches who open up the recipients, not just the hope of being able to complete high school. Not McCarthy. He has caught GOAT's surreliance syndrome and can not shake it.
It's really a shame, as it ended the duel of two of the NFL's biggest players, one built on mutual admiration. The whole week before the match, Brady and Rodgers spoke openly about this addiction rather than trying to minimize it.
Once at the Packers Training Camp, not so long ago, Rodgers was sitting in front of his locker and chatting football when Brady's subject came up. Rodgers' face lit up suddenly. He saw Brady as one of the prototypes of the post. That day, Rodgers explained to me that this was what every quarterback aspired to be. Including Rodgers.
Rodgers and Tom Brady did not hide that they admired each other's matches in the week leading up to their Sunday night game.Steven Senne / Associate Press / Associated Press
Rodgers is that kind of guy now. Too bad that there is not much to admire on his side.
The Packers and Patriots are not expected to play until 2022. This means that unless the two teams meet at the Super Bowl this year, Sunday will likely be the last time Brady and Rodgers will face each other.
So enjoy this moment.
And remember that no matter how good these two QBs, there can only be one coach who could overshadow them, and he did it only Sunday night.
Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefreemanNFL.
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