Time ran out on the Rams last night. As the clock hit zero Tom Brady was followed across the field by two dozen reporters and a mob filled with friends, family and fans, He took the NFL mic and immediately thanked the crowd, noting that it had sounded like a game back in the Patriots home stadium. The attendance of 70,000+ had clearly favored the Patriots in a stadium that was actually designated as the home field for The Los Angeles Rams of the NFC.
So how is it possible that New England weather could have played such a huge factor in a game played in a dome stadium 1000 miles away? A long cold boring winter an an impulse to get down south and be a part of history. This resulted in a young talented quarterback having trouble communicating with his teams while the opposition was feeling their “twelfth man” on the field. Thousands of northerners making a last minute decision to head to Atlanta.
The Rams actually misjudged the possible noise levels in practice the week before the game. They preset all music to “background noise” levels, anticipating a somewhat neutral crowd level on game day. When the teams ran out to their theme songs before the game it was obvious that the Patriots fans were winning the sound battle, both in noise levels as well as the dominant red, white and blue pattern of the crowd. The informal count was roughly a 4/1 ratio of Pats to Rams fans.
Home teams win NFL games three fifths of the time with crowd noise levels being a major factor. The Rams have recently switched cities again which has effected their fan base. Los Angeles has had several team changes over the past few years. The result was a geographically neutral Super Bowl that heavily favored New England. Raw noise levels attributed to play calling confusion and the seemingly home field crowd was a morale boost the Patriots had the entire game.
