15 Best Performances of Super Bowl LIII

Highlighting the 15 best performances from the New England Patriots' 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

15. Jason McCourty
McCourty made one of the most crucial plays in the Patriots' Super Bowl LIII victory when he chased down a pass from Rams quarterback Jared Goff, knocking the ball away from the intended target Brandin Cooks, who was open in the back of the end zone.

Per @NextGenStats Jason McCourty was 19.2 (!!!) yards away from Brandin Cooks when Jared Goff released this pass pic.twitter.com/krJDeZoNtV

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 5, 2019

14. Johnny Hekker
Hekker, a Pro Bowler for the Rams in 2018, set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt and had five punts inside the 20-yard line.
13. Dont'a Hightower
The Patriots linebacker recorded a game-best two sacks.
12. Stephen Gostkowski
The Patriots kicker sealed the deal with a 41-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 10 with a little over a minute remaining. He missed a field goal in the first quarter, but made a 42-yard kick in the second quarter and converted his only PAT.

Stephen Gostkowski puts the Patriots up 10! #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/hbBrW2zHPm

— Sports Daily (@SportsDGI) February 4, 2019

11. Jonathan Jones
Jones led the Patriots in tackles (eight) and had one sack.
10. New England's Offensive Line
The Patriots' O-line dominated throughout the playoffs. They paved the way for their running backs to run wild in their Super Bowl win.
9. Brandin Cooks
The former Patriot, Cooks was the only Rams player to produce on the offensive end. He caught eight passes for 120 yards.
8. Rob Gronkowski
Gronkowski's 29-yard reception, which set up Sony Michel's decisive fourth-quarter TD, was the game's longest play from scrimmage. He had six catches for 87 yards. Gronkowski holds Super Bowl records among tight ends in catches (23) and receiving yards (297).
7. Tom Brady
Brady was far from great—throwing an interception on his first pass and finishing with a 71.4 passer rating—but considerably outplayed Goff. He finished with 262 passing yards in the win to claim his sixth Super Bowl title.
6. Sony Michel
Michel rushed for 94 yards and the lone TD of the game. He extended his rookie record with his sixth TD of these playoffs.

Sony Michel scored the only TD of Super Bowl LIII. (Image via Boston Globe)

5. Kyle Van Noy
Van Noy was all over the field on Super Sunday, totaling four tackles, a pass defended, three QB hits and a critical sack. 
4. Brian Flores
Flores, set to be the newest coach of the Miami Dolphins after serving as the linebackers coach of the Patriots and the team's defensive play-caller, put forth a great scheme on Sunday. While it may be Belichick's defense, Flores deserves a lot of credit for holding the Rams, the No. 2 scoring offense in 2018, to three points.
3. Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore had the biggest defensive play of the night, intercepting an errant Goff pass. Gilmore, one of two Patriots players to earn a Pro Bowl nod, had five tackles and three passes defended.
2. Bill Belichick
The greatest coach in NFL history won his sixth Super Bowl title with New England, stiffing the Rams' high-powered offense. The Rams gained just 260 yards (4.3 per play), their second-lowest total of the season and finished 3-for-13 on third downs. The Rams tied the 1971 Dolphins for fewest points in a Super Bowl. LA ran zero plays in the red zone.
1. Julian Edelman
The Super Bowl MVP finished with 10 catches for 141 yards, accounting for more than half of the Patriots' total receiving yardage (262). 

Julian Edelman holds his Super Bowl MVP trophy. (David J. Phillip/AP)

Edelman routinely came up with big plays in huge moments, converting on critical third downs and helping to spark an otherwise ineffective offense. Edelman has 115 career postseason catches for 1,412 yards, ranking second only to Jerry Rice all time in both playoff categories.