Bill Belichick explains how Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed once intentionally misplayed a coverage to trick Peyton Manning into throwing an interception

Al Bello/Getty Images

Bill Belichick has a healthy respect for Ed Reed as one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game.

• Bill Belichick won his sixth Super Bowl in 18 seasons when the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3 on Sunday.
• Former Ravens safety Ed Reed also had a good weekend, getting the call that he will be entering the NFL Hall of Fame.
• Over the weekend, a clip from NFL Films surfaced of Belichick praising Reed for his next-level play against Peyton Manning.

Bill Belichick and Ed Reed both had pretty good weekends.

The Patriots head coach won his sixth Lombardi Trophy in 18 years, serving as the mastermind behind an astounding defensive effort that held the explosive Rams offense to just three points, and the former All-Pro Ravens safety got his call to join the NFL Hall of Fame.

While the two might not seem initially related, Belichick and Reed became tied over the weekend when ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg tweeted out a delightful anecdote about Reed, claiming that he once intentionally misplayed a coverage in order to set a trap on Peyton Manning.

Soon after that tweet began making its way across the internet, a clip from NFL Films that contained the anecdote began making the rounds, with none other than Belichick explaining how Reed used Manning's intelligence against him, clearly in admiration of the Ravens safety.

"One of the greatest plays I ever saw him make was against Manning," Belichick says. "He lined up on the weak side of the formation, and on the snap of the ball, he turned and ran to the middle of the field like he was going to play in the middle of the field."

"Reed knew that when he went to the middle of the field, Peyton would come back to the X, so he ran to the middle of the field, and without even looking at the quarterback, turned and ran back over to the sideline and intercepted it."

Belichick is then seen sitting with Brady, heaping high praise on Reed for his instincts while breaking down film.

"When he's reading the quarterback, those receivers will run right past him, and he never flinches - he doesn't even acknowledge them."

You can watch the video below.

Reed intentionally misplaying defensive looks in order to trick one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time into a bad read is some next-level NFL mind games at work, so it's no surprise that Belichick has a healthy appreciation for him as a player.

• More Super Bowl LIII coverage:

Tom Brady sent a loud message to the Patriots by skipping offseason workouts, and some think it caused Bill Belichick to lighten up on him

The Patriots found one play that worked in the Super Bowl and then ran it over and over to score the game's only touchdown

Bill Belichick had the perfect reaction to Jason McCourty's stunning, Super Bowl-saving play

Gronk brushes off question about his future, but his answer could be a clue that he has already decided to retire