Another NFL season, another Super Bowl victory for the Patriots. Tom Brady now has enough rings to fill the Infinity Gauntlet, and he officially cemented his status as the greatest of all time. In a season defined by youth and offense, it’s only fitting that the oldest coach and quarterback won in the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever.

The NFL was the most exciting it has been in a long time. Teams like the Rams, Saints, and Chiefs had historic offensive units. When the Rams played the Chiefs in the regular season, the final score was 54-51, the first time in NFL history both teams topped 50 points. Teams had to figure out ways to score more than their opponent, rather than try and stop the opposing offense.

Young players took the spotlight this year. Patrick Mahomes became must see television, with routinely throwing the ball 50 yards downfield or completing no look passes. Baker Mayfield made the Browns relevant again, which is a near-impossible task. In New York, Sam Darnold gave Jets fans hope that they just might have a good quarterback for the first time since 1976. Saquon Barkley gave Giants fans a reason to actually watch their games, even when the team routinely disappointed.

The playoffs were largely disappointing up until the championship rounds. There were many blowouts and just boring games. It seemed like destiny that the Rams and Chiefs would meet again in the Super Bowl and set the record for most points in the big game. However, the NFL storyline this year largely lacked the Evil Empire themselves: the New England Patriots. For most of the year it seemed like the dynasty would fall. Brady couldn’t carry a team like he used to. Belichick won’t be able to coach in the new NFL. They truly did prove us wrong.

Brady and the Patriots ended up defeating the Chiefs in Kansas City, clinching their third straight Super Bowl appearance. Still, it seemed as though the game would be high scoring and exciting. Again, we could not have been more wrong. The game was brutally slow and neither offense could get anything going. The spotlight appeared too big for Jared Goff and Sean McVay, as Belichick truly outcoached McVay and showed his defensive roots as a coach.

This year proved three things: experience matters, defense truly does win championships, and to never, for even a second, think the Patriots might not win another championship.