The NFL reportedly is considering breaking with tradition at the expense of the New England Patriots. The league is "leaning toward" having the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, Sept. 5, to kick off the 2019 NFL season, John Ourand of the SportsBusiness Journal reported Monday. If this happens, the Patriots would become the first defending Super Bowl champion since 2006 not to play in the NFL's first game of the season.

It's only been nine days since the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII, but New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick wasted no time getting the name of his boat updated. A few years ago Belichick bought a fishing boat. At the time, he named it “V Rings,” to reflect the five Super Bowl rings he'd won — two as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants and three as head coach in New England.

originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Bill Belichick doesn't show a ton of emotion on the sidelines during NFL games, but the New England Patriots head coach couldn't contain his excitement in the final moments of Super Bowl LIII. As the seconds ticked down and the Patriots were about to clinch their sixth Super Bowl victory with a 13-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night, Belichick walked down the sideline hugging and congratulating anyone he could find. Check out the emotional scene in the NFL Films video below.

Tom Brady reveals what Bill Belichick told Patriots before Super Bowl LIII originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick more experience than anyone, literally, when it comes to preparing a team to play in a Super Bowl. The legendary coach, who's now won eight Super Bowls -- two as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and six as head coach of the New England Patriots -- had a simple message for his Patriots team before Sunday's Super Bowl LIII matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Miami Dolphins hired New England Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores as their head coach, hours after his team won the Super Bowl. Flores helped the Patriots shut down the high-scoring Los Angeles Rams with a 13-3 victory in the title game. Flores was the first person the Dolphins interviewed after they fired coach Adam Gase on Dec. 31.

NFL draft order 2019: Updated after Patriots' Super Bowl 53 win over Rams originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com The 49ers and Raiders knew where they were picking in the 2019 NFL Draft for weeks. Now, the entirety of the NFL does, too. The New England Patriots' 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday gave them the last pick of the first round in the draft.

The Los Angeles Rams recorded a sack and an interception of Tom Brady in the first quarter of the Super Bowl that ended in a scoreless tie. The Patriots are playing in their ninth Super Bowl in the Brady-Bill Belichick era. In addition to Sunday's game, New England failed to score in the first quarter against the Kurt Warner Rams, the Carolina Panthers, the Donovan McNabb Philadelphia Eagles, the Seattle Seahawks, the Atlanta Falcons and twice against the New York Giants.

Former New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes picked an odd way to celebrate Super Bowl LIII. Prior to the big game, Spikes thought it would be a good idea for him to post a picture of Aaron Hernandez. Spikes and Hernandez played in the Super Bowl in 2012, when the Patriots lost to the New York Giants, 21-17.

The best single-season teams of the Super Bowl era Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com Despite their loss to the New York Giants in one of the most thrilling Super Bowls ever, the 2007 Pats, who went 16-0 in the regular season, remain the highest-rated team in NFL history — in addition to being one of the most talented and influential teams ever assembled. And unlike that 2007 squad, the 2004 Patriots finished the job and capped off a 17-2 season with a Super Bowl crown, in a campaign that contained part of an NFL-record 21-game winning streak. This year's Pats are not in that conversation.

Super Bowl LIII referee crew for Patriots vs. Rams showdown revealed originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Officiating was a major storyline in the AFC and NFC Championship Games, so you can bet the NFL will want to avoid all of that for Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams. The referee who draws a Super Bowl assignment always is one of the highest graded officials in the league, and this season's ref for the big game is John Parry. Check out the entire crew in the tweet below.