ATLANTA — Brandin Cooks had the ball and that elusive Rams touchdown in his hands, briefly and fleetingly.
Twice, Cooks did not come down with the ball, missed opportunities that haunted the Rams and lifted the Patriots to yet another Super Bowl triumph.
The greatest mismatch Sunday night turned out to be the Patriots defensive backs working against and dominating the Rams receivers. Whether it was Cooks or Robert Woods or Josh Reynolds, the Rams receivers were no match for the Patriots defensive backfield of Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty. When Chung went out with a serious arm injury on the first series of the second half, Duron Harmon stepped in at safety and continued the bludgeoning.
Jared Goff, the Rams’ third-year quarterback, had a miserable outing, but he did not get much help from teammates, who were unable to escape the clutches of the Patriots. That was the difference in Super Bowl LIII as the Rams were kept out of the end zone and lost 13-3 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“One play, one play,” Goff said. “We couldn’t get one play.”
As a former Patriots receiver, a year ago in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Cooks was knocked out of the game early with a concussion and missed the bulk of a rough loss to the Eagles. A year later, Cooks was going against the Patriots and again fell short.
“It’s disappointing,” Cooks said. “All that hard work you put in and you get here and you don’t capitalize, and then it’s like all over again you got to put all that hard work in again and hopefully continue to build and be able to get back here.”
Late in the third quarter, Cooks exploited a rare opening in the secondary with the Rams on the New England 29-yard line. Cooks thrust his arms into the air, signaling for Goff to throw the ball. The young quarterback took too long to spot Cooks and Jason McCourty made a touchdown-saving breakup in the end zone on a pass Cooks momentarily had in his hands.
“Just one of those plays,” Cooks said. “Kind of popped open, busted coverage. Just back there waiting for the ball. Not something we expected, so Jared saw it late and I got to go up earlier to give myself a better opportunity and not be in the back of the end zone and let the guy get close to me.”
Late in the fourth quarter, the Rams trailed 10-3 and had the ball on the New England 27-yard line. Goff looked deep to Cooks streaking down the right sideline and appeared to have him open. Cooks leaped, the ball again hit his hands, but Gilmore and Harmon combined to ruin the play for Cooks and the Rams.
In what turned out to be the last gasp for the Rams, with 4:17 remaining, Cooks for an instant got a step on Gilmore with the Rams on the Patriots’ 27-yard line. Cooks got behind Gilmore, but Goff never got the ball out far enough, allowing Gilmore to trace back to the ball for an interception.
“I knew he was going to throw it up, and I knew I had to make a play,” Gilmore said. “I knew he was going to force it up there.”
“That’s my fault,” Goff said. “I can’t put us in that position. Bad decision by me.”
Cooks was targeted 13 times and came away with eight catches for 120 yards. The production was there, but when it came time for Cooks to lift his team, he sagged.
Cooks was not alone. Robert Woods was targeted 10 times and caught five passes for 70 yards. Reynolds had the ball thrown his way seven times and managed just three catches for 28 yards.
