other selections, perhaps other than Wesco, could take some time before becoming regular contributors.WHAT’S NEXT?New York still has quite a few holes, including at cornerback, where Trumaine Johnson is a certain start

ATLANTA (AP) — In a Super Bowl short on scoring Will Grier Jersey , it was the New England Patriots‘ defense that set the tone.For most of the season the Patriots have stuck to their principles on defense, making just enough plays to win.They were much more than that Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams.The Patriots battered and bewildered quarterback Jared Goff and the Rams, stifling the NFL’s second-ranked scoring en route to a 13-3 Super Bowl victory.New England quarterback Tom Brady said the Patriots’ defense set the stage for a win that gave sports fans in New England another set of bragging rights over rival rooters in LA. Last October, the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.It also sent linebackers coach Brian Flores, the Patriots’ de facto defensive coordinator this season who is expected to be named Miami Dolphins coach as early as Monday, out with a victory.“They played unbelievable,” Brady said of the Patriots’ defense. “Challenged all these plays. …. They held them.”The Rams’ 3 points equaled the fewest scored in a Super Bowl.When Goff began to find his groove late in the fourth quarter and the Rams trailing 10-3, Los Angeles drove inside New England’s 30 for just the second time in the game.The momentum proved to be short-lived.Enter safety Duron Harmon.Playing in place of Patrick Chung after he suffered an arm injury in third quarter, Harmon combined with cornerback Stephon Gilmore to break up what would have been a touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks. Then, on the next play, Harmon pressured Goff on a blitz and forced him into a throw into coverage that was intercepted by Gilmore .“It was clutch,” Gilmore said of his interception. “I knew he was going to force it up there. Our defensive line put a lot of pressure on him and he chucked it up there and I was able to make a play.”New England’s offense took it from there, sealing the victory with a 9-play, 72-yard drive that ate up 3:05 and ended with a 41-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.The Patriots’ defense gave Goff different looks all night and many of them seemed to confuse the 24-year-old quarterback. They routinely sent an extra deep safety on third-and-short situations and disguised their blitzes up the middle. The latter benefited linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who dropped Goff for a pair of sacks to stunt drives.New England finished with four sacks for the game.“We’ve got a special group,” Hightower said. “We were able to do a lot of different stuff and they weren’t able to pick it up. We were able to get a lot of one-on-one rushes all game and able to get up on the quarterback.”It added up to an abysmal performance by Los Angeles on third-down situations. The Rams were 0 for 6 on third down in the first half and 3 of 13 for game. New England also held Los Angeles to just 260 total yards.None of the Rams’ running backs were able to get much traction, either.Los Angeles Christian Miller Jersey , which entered the game averaging 175 rushing yards per game during the playoffs with four touchdowns, mustered just 3.4 yards per rush on third down. All-Pro running back Todd Gurley finished with 10 rushes for 35 yards. C.J. Anderson, who had 167 yards and two touchdowns through two playoff games, had seven carries for 22 yards.Cornerback Jason McCourty, who joined brother Devin McCourty after being traded to New England this offseason, also had some pivotal pass breakups.“It’s the best feeling ever,” Devin McCourty said of watching his brother. “He’s done everything right this year. He’s been an inspiration to every guy.”New England bailed Goff out early in the fourth quarter when Gilmore was called for defensive holding on Goff’s third-and-11 pass attempt, giving the Rams a fresh set of downs.But the Patriots recovered, using a sack by Jonathan Jones, a holding penalty against the Rams and tackling Gurley for a loss to force a punt.Linebacker Kyle Van Noy said the team also got energy from Chung, who returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter wearing a sling.“I don’t know what kind of injury he had, but it didn’t look good,” Van Noy said. “Anytime you have a captain go down like that you feel for him, you want to step up for him.”It was the second straight impressive performance by the Pats’ defense.In the AFC championship game the Patriots held the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL’s top-scoring offense during the regular season, scoreless in the first half. They held the Rams, which averaged 32.9 points per game during the regular season and 28 points in the playoffs Jordan Scarlett Jersey , to just three points.“We ain’t stars over here,” Van Noy said. “We just come to work and keep grinding and grinding and grinding. It shows. Look at the scoreboard again. We’re champs, baby.” FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Mike Maccagnan resisted the urge to trade down or make his first pick based solely on need to kick off the New York Jets‘ draft weekend.He ended up with perhaps the best overall talent in this year’s class, taking Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at No. 3 on Thursday night.It’s hard to criticize that selection — a no-brainer — by the Jets general manager, even if taking a punishing pass rusher would have filled one of the team’s biggest needs.“When you factor (need) into your evaluation process,” Maccagnan said, “you run the risk of potentially making a mistake.”Maccagnan made it clear New York was open for business to trade on the draft’s opening night but found no suitable offers — and instead bolstered his defensive line with Williams.“I’m coming in to be a dominant player up front,” Williams said, “and be a dominant player, in general.”As it turned out, Maccagnan got his edge rusher Friday night, when he took a gamble on Florida’s talented but polarizing Jachai Polite in the third round.Then came some wheeling and dealing.The Jets moved up one spot by trading with Minnesota to take USC offensive tackle Chuma Edoga with the 92nd overall pick. New York then traded down twice early Saturday before grabbing West Virginia tight end Trevon Wesco in the fourth round.Maccagnan wrapped up the Jets’ draft haul by making some risky selections: Minnesota linebacker Blake Cashman in the fifth round, and Rutgers cornerback Blessuan Austin in the sixth. Both come with injury concerns — Coleman had three shoulder surgeries in college, and Austin tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee twice.“Like everything else, you’re never really done building the roster,” Maccagnan said. “You’re constantly doing that David Montgomery Jersey , but we felt at this point in time we made some good strides, and we have some good pieces in place.”Here’s one last look at the Jets’ draft:WHO THEY GOTIt all starts with Williams, of course. For the third straight year, the player many considered the best in the draft “fell” to the Jets. It was safety Jamal Adams in 2017 and quarterback Sam Darnold last year. Both are cornerstones of the franchise, and Williams has a chance to quickly become one, too.Polite was initially thought to be a first-round talent, but his draft stock plummeted because of a hamstring injury that affected his NFL combine performance and pro day. Nagging character issues also added to the flaws, but the Jets could be getting a steal if Polite’s mind and body are right as he begins his pro career.Edoga could eventually work his way to a starting role at right or left tackle, and he can play guard, too. Oh, and he and Darnold were once teammates at USC, which certainly doesn’t hurt.Wesco is a big blocking tight end who could quickly become a favorite of running back Le’Veon Bell if he can help blow open some holes up front.Cashman and Austin are developmental players who might make their marks early on special teams. Maccagnan said Austin could start camp on the physically unable to perform list, so it’s uncertain how much impact he’ll make this season.SURPRISE MOVETrading up to take Edoga had some fans scratching their heads, especially those hoping for a cornerback or center at that point in the draft.Those same fans were a bit baffled a round later when the Jets took a blocking tight end in Wesco.HOW THEY DIDThere will be plenty of excitement about New York’s defensive front with Williams combining with Leonard Williams, Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon and Nathan Shepherd, the team’s third-rounder last year Riley Ridley Jersey , expected to put lots of pressure on quarterbacks up the middle.A motivated Polite could also eventually give the Jets a consistent pass-rushing presence from the outside that they have lacked since the days of John Abraham in the early 2000s.The other selections, perhaps other than Wesco, could take some time before becoming regular contributors.WHAT’S NEXT?New York still has quite a few holes, including at cornerback, where Trumaine Johnson is a certain starter on one side and Darryl Roberts appears to be the favorite on the other. Morris Claiborne remains a free agent and is rehabilitating an undisclosed injury, said Maccagnan, who also didn’t rule out bringing the veteran back.Center remains a question mark, too, with Jonotthan Harrison the leading candidate to start. Jon Toth, who spent last season on the practice squad, is the only other player at the position on the roster, so the Jets could explore bringing in a veteran free agent.