By Bob Matthews
Democrat and Chronicle

(Monday, February 4, 2002) -- Patriots

Quarterback: Tom Brady was 16 of 27 for 145 yards, had no giveaways and saved his best for last with brilliant work on the nine-play, 53-yard drive without no timeouts for the winning field goal. A-

Running backs: Antowain Smith had 18 carries for 92 yards for a 5.1-yard average and had a better game rushing than St. Louis star Marshall Faulk. B+

Receivers: The Patriots wide receivers combined for only seven catches, six by Troy Brown for 89 yards. David Patten's only catch was a diving grab for an 8-yard TD. B

Offensive line: They did a nice job opening holes for Smith and allowed only two sacks. Rookie LT Matt Light was injured in the first half and Grant Williams filled in admirably. B+

Defensive line: They applied consistent pressure on Kurt Warner and Bobby Hamilton, Richard Seymour and Willie McGinest each had a sack. They did a decent job against Faulk. McGinest had an ill-timed but obvious holding penalty to set up St. Louis' first TD. B+

Linebackers: Mike Vrabel's hit on Warner led to an interception and a 47-yard TD return by Ty Law. Tedy Bruschi in particular helped contain Faulk. B

Secondary: Seven DBs saw action and they all performed well. Law's 47-yard TD return gave the Patriots a 7-3 lead. Otis Smith also had an interception. A-

Special teams: Solid kick coverage. Adam Vinatieri was 2-for-2 on field goals, including the 48 -yard winner. B+

Coaches: Bill Belichick and his staff did a brilliant job frustrating the St. Louis passing game for 31/2 quarters and also managed to keep Faulk from running wild. A+

Rams

Quarterback: Kurt Warner was off form for three quarters but made several clutch throws with with a badly bruised thumb in the fourth quarter. He finished 28 of 44 for 365 yards and 1 TD and two interceptions, one returned for a TD. A holding call saved him from an embarrassing fumble. C+

Running backs: Marshall Faulk had decent numbers for an ordinary back but way short of his typical performance in big games. He ran 17 times for 76 yards with a longest run of 15 yards and caught four passes for 54 yards. B-

Receivers: Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl combined for 18 catches for 226 yards but there were too few big plays. Proehl's fumble set up New England's TD late in the second quarter for a 14-3 halftime lead. B-

Offensive line: LT Orlando Pace, LG Tom Nutten, C Andy McCollum, RG Adam Timmerman, RT Rod Jones (injured in the first half and replaced by Ryan Tucker) didn't have a good day. C

Defensive line: The unit didn't exactly shut down Antowain Smith and forced no turnovers. RE Grant Wistrom and LE Leonard Little had sacks. B-

Linebackers: LLB London Fletcher, MLB Don Davis and Tommy Polley played decently but didn't force any turnovers. B-

Secondary: Was not overly busy as the Patriots passed only 27 times. No interceptions. B-

Special teams: Kicker Jeff Wilkins hit a 50-yard field goal and missed badly on a 52-yarder. C+

Coaches: Mike Martz and his staff came out second best with better overall talent. D+