Opinion: Patriots cement status as NFL's greatest franchise with sixth Super Bowl win

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII in a game that many will likely want to forget as soon as possible, yet it's a victory that will forever change a narrative in NFL history.

Because with their 13-3 win over the Rams, the Patriots joined the Steelers as one of just two franchises to have six Super Bowl wins.

But in reality, it's a win that makes the Patriots the greatest franchise in league history, pushing them well ahead of the Steelers, whose last Super Bowl win came 10 years ago, and who won the majority of their Super Bowls way back in the 1970s.

The Patriots, of course, have won all of their Super Bowls in the last 18 years, with Brady being the face of the franchise ever since Drew Bledsoe took a wicked hit early in the 2001 season.

Since then they've gone to an astounding nine Super Bowls, all during a time when free agency and salary caps were supposed to make this type of run impossible. We've seen other teams in that time stand up and win a Super Bowl or two, only to then fall of the face of the earth (hello, Giants).

But not this franchise. Not this QB. Not this coach. The Patriots keep on doing it year after year by seemingly plugging in a number of unknown players around Brady and letting 'er rip.

Patriots win Super Bowl:Top Rams 13-3 to win sixth NFL title in lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever

Tom Brady: QB sets record for most Super Bowl wins by NFL player with six

More:Inside the numbers of the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history

Heck, Julian Edelman, who played QB in college, was named MVP of Super Bowl LIII and is now second behind just Jerry Rice in postseason catches. Name another franchise that would be able to find a player like that and then have the guts/smarts to turn him into one of the greatest WRs in postseason history?

More:Julian Edelman takes Super Bowl MVP in Patriots' win over Rams

And yes, the Patriots' win over the Rams on Sunday night wasn't pretty, but it was still pretty perfect. A team that's hated by most of America annoyed most of America by playing in a defensive slugfest in which it looked like for quite some time that a punter might be named MVP.

The Patriots did it this time with the GOAT stunningly off his game… until it mattered most, of course.

The Patriots did it this time by shutting down yet another explosive offense that was supposed to run all over the field.

The Patriots did it this time by beating two teams - the Chiefs and Rams - in back-to-back games who were all the rage after their record-breaking Monday Night Footall game back in Week 11.

Opinion:Patriots' sixth Super Bowl win as ugly as they come

Opinion:Patriots' relentless defense was the real MVP of this Super Bowl

The Patriots sent a message with their incredible Super Bowl run - the future of the NFL will have to wait.

Because Brady and Co. are indeed still here.

And now they will just be looking to add to their legacy, which is unmatched in NFL history.