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| Date | February 3, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Julian Edelman,wide receiver | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Patriots by 2.5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | John Parry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 70,081 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Gladys Knight | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Bernice King | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Maroon 5 featuringTravis Scott andBig Boi | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS ESPN Deportes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Tony Romo (analyst) Tracy Wolfson andEvan Washburn (sideline reporters) Jay Feely (special teams analyst) Gene Steratore (rules analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 41.1 (national) 57.4 (Boston) 44.6 (Los Angeles) U.S. viewership: 98.2 million est. avg. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $5.25 million | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Westwood One ESPN Deportes Radio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Kurt Warner andMike Holmgren (analysts) Ed Werder andTony Boselli (sideline reporters) Kenneth Garay (play-by-play- ESPN Deportes Radio) Sebastian Martínez Christensen (analyst- ESPN Deportes Radio) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Super Bowl LIII was anAmerican football game played to determine the champion of theNational Football League (NFL) for the2018 season between theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championNew England Patriots and theNational Football Conference (NFC) championLos Angeles Rams. In a rematch of 2001'sSuper Bowl XXXVI, which had subsequently kickstarted thePatriots dynasty, the Patriots would again prevail against the Rams, 13-3, becoming the lowest scoring Super Bowl in NFL history. The game was played on February 3, 2019, atMercedes-Benz Stadium inAtlanta and was the firstSuper Bowl played at the stadium. Patriots wide receiverJulian Edelman, who caught 10 passes for 141 yards, was namedSuper Bowl MVP.[1]
New England, after finishing the regular season with an 11–5 record, advanced to their eleventh Super Bowl appearance, their third in a row, and their ninth under the leadership of head coachBill Belichick and quarterbackTom Brady. The Rams finished the regular season with a 13–3 record under head coachSean McVay, the youngest head coach in the Super Bowl at 33, as they advanced to their fourth Super Bowl appearance and their first sincerelocating back fromSt. Louis toLos Angeles in 2016. It was the thirteenth meeting in a major sports championship between theGreater Los Angeles andGreater Boston areas and the first championship between the two regions in the NFL. The game also marked the first Super Bowl appearance of a Los Angeles-based team since theLos Angeles Raiders appeared in 1983'sSuper Bowl XVIII and the Rams' first as a Los Angeles team since 1979'sSuper Bowl XIV.
The game was an all-out defensive contest as both teams' offenses struggled against each other's defenses. The game marked the first Super Bowl in which neither team had a touchdown through the first three quarters, with the Patriots and the Rams fighting to a 3–3 tie entering the fourth.[2] In the final quarter, New England scored 10 unanswered points to claim victory, including the game's only touchdown by running backSony Michel. The Patriots' one touchdown tied them with theNew York Jets inSuper Bowl III for the fewest by a winning Super Bowl team, while the Rams became the second Super Bowl team to not score a touchdown after theMiami Dolphins inSuper Bowl VI.
Super Bowl LIII was the Patriots' sixth Super Bowl victory—tying thePittsburgh Steelers for themost Super Bowl championships, Brady's last Super Bowl with New England following his departure after the2019 season, and marked the final Super Bowl of the Patriots dynasty. Brady and Belichick became the oldest starting quarterback and head coach to win the Super Bowl at 41 and 66, respectively, and Brady was also the first starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his 40s. The Rams were handed their third Super Bowl loss in franchise history, in addition to their second consecutive Super Bowl loss to the Patriots.
Super Bowl LIII is often remembered as one of the worst Super Bowls of all time, attributed to its low-scoring nature and both teams' offensive struggles.[3][4][5][6] However, both teams' defensive performances are often considered among the greatest of all time.[7][8][9][10] The game's broadcast onCBS marked a decline in Super Bowl viewership from previous years at 98.2 million viewers, the smallest sinceSuper Bowl XLII in the 2007 season.[11] In addition, thehalftime show headlined by U.S. pop groupMaroon 5, despite a slight increase in viewership,[12] was panned by critics and audiences.[13][14][15]
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On May 19, 2015, the league announced the four finalists that would compete to host Super Bowl LIII in 2019, LIV in 2020 and LV in 2021. NFL owners voted on these cities on May 24, 2016, with the first round of voting determining the host for Super Bowl LIII, the second round deciding a different site forSuper Bowl LIV and the third round deciding the site forSuper Bowl LV. The four finalists for Super Bowl LIII, all in theSoutheastern United States, were:[16][17]
After three votes, Atlanta was awarded Super Bowl LIII at the NFL owners' meeting on May 24, 2016. The losing candidates, except for New Orleans which removed itself from the voting for all games except Super Bowl LIII due to event conflicts in 2020 and 2021, were then pitted againstSoFi Stadium inInglewood, California forSuper Bowl LIV andSuper Bowl LV hosting rights. Miami eventually won the rights to hostSuper Bowl LIV and Los Angeles won the rights to host Super Bowl LV.[18][19] However, on May 23, 2017, NFL owners opted to awardSuper Bowl LV to Tampa and giveSuper Bowl LVI to Los Angeles after it was announced thatSoFi Stadium would open in 2020 due to construction delays. New Orleans would be awardedSuper Bowl LVIII (later changed toSuper Bowl LIX due to expanding the regular season to 17 games and causing conflict withMardi Gras).[20]
The NFL unveiled the official logo for Super Bowl LIII in February 2018; it is a navy blue-tinted version of the design that was introduced atSuper Bowl LI, and the overall branding of the game featured use of blue and red. The host committee logo featured a stylized overhead rendition of Mercedes-Benz Stadium's roof.[21]
Pre-game events and entertainment were centered arounddowntown Atlanta, withState Farm Arena having hosted Super Bowl Opening Night, theGeorgia World Congress Center hosting theSuper Bowl Experience and Super Bowl Live atCentennial Olympic Park. State Farm Arena also hosted the inauguralBud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, a three-night concert series that was headlined byLudacris andMigos (night 1),Aerosmith andPost Malone (night 2), andBruno Mars andCardi B (night 3).[22][23][24] The show competed with a "Super Saturday Night" concert held byDirecTV at a temporary venue nearAtlantic Station, headlined by theFoo Fighters and featuringRoger Taylor,Zac Brown,Tom Morello,Perry Farrell andDave Koz as special guests.[25]
The NFL officially launched its centennial commemorations at Super Bowl LIII, ahead of its100th season.[26][27][28] A themed, two-minute advertisement was aired during the game.[29][30]
The Patriots finished the 2018 season with an 11–5 record to earn the #2 seed in the AFC and their 17th season with at least ten wins in their 19 years under 66-year-old head coachBill Belichick. They went on to join theMiami Dolphins andBuffalo Bills as the only teams in NFL history to ever reach three consecutive Super Bowls. Though the team had only twoPro Bowl selections, they scored 436 points (fourth in the league) while giving up only 325 (seventh fewest).[31]
Patriots quarterbackTom Brady earned his 14th Pro Bowl selection at age 41, finishing the season with 4,355 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, with only 11 interceptions, while also rushing for 35 yards and two more scores on the ground.[32] These totals made him just the second quarterback in NFL history to amass 70,000 career passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. His top receiver from the previous season,Brandin Cooks, was traded to the eventual Super Bowl rival Rams, butJulian Edelman, who not only hadmissed the previous season with atorn ACL injury but was suspended for the first four games of the regular season after testing positive for PEDs, returned to catch 74 receptions for a team-leading 850 yards and six touchdowns, while also returning 20 punts for 154 yards.[33] Other key receivers includedChris Hogan (35 receptions for 553 yards and three touchdowns) andJosh Gordon (40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns), though Gordon would end up leaving the team to focus on his mental health after 11 games when faced with a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Tight endRob Gronkowski added 47 receptions for 682 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, the running game featured a dynamic new weapon, rookie halfbackSony Michel, who lead the team with 931 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, along with veteranJames White who racked up 1,176 yards from scrimmage while leading the team in receptions (87) and total touchdowns (12). On special teams, receiverCordarrelle Patterson returned 23 kickoffs for 663 yards and a touchdown, an average of 28.8 yards per return (third in the NFL), while also catching 21 passes for 247 yards, rushing for 228 yards and scoring four touchdowns on offense.[31]
On defense, defensive endTrey Flowers led the team with 7.5 sacks and also forced three fumbles. LinebackerKyle Van Noy led the team in total tackles (92), while also recording 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. In the secondary, safetyDuron Harmon led the team in interceptions for the second year in a row with four, while Pro Bowl cornerbackStephon Gilmore intercepted two passes and forced two fumbles. SafetyPatrick Chung also made an impact with 84 total tackles to go with an interception and a fumble recovery.[31] The Patriots secondary also featured twin brothersJason McCourty andDevin McCourty, who both had an interception each. Devin had 82 tackles, while Jason had 70.[34]
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The Rams finished the 2018 season earning the #2 seed in the NFC, before knocking off the fourth seededDallas Cowboys in the divisional round and top seededNew Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship to earn their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.[35] The Rams went from2004 to2016 without recording a winning record. After relocating from St. Louis back to Los Angeles and posting a dismal 4–12 season in2016, the team's fortunes changed with the hiring of 30-year-old head coachSean McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history.[36] Under McVay and second year quarterbackJared Goff, who recovered from a lackluster winless rookie season to record a triple digit passer rating, the Rams improved to an 11–5 record in2017. Then in 2018, they won their first eight games and finished the year with a 13–3 record, tying theSaints for the best record in the NFC. New Orleans won the top seed since they had defeated the Rams in the regular season.
The Rams offense ranked second in the NFL in both points scored (527) and yards gained (6,738).[37] Goff continued to improve in his third season, setting new career highs in passing yards (4,688, fourth in the NFL), passing touchdowns (32), passer rating (101.1), rushing yards (108) and rushing touchdowns (two). His top receiver wasRobert Woods, who caught 86 passes for 1,219 yards and 6 touchdowns.Brandin Cooks, an off-season pickup from the Patriots via trade, also made a big impact with 80 receptions for 1,204 yards and 5 scores. The team's #3 receiver,Cooper Kupp, suffered a season ending injury after catching 40 passes for 566 yards in 8 games, forcing Goff to rely heavily on other targets likeGerald Everett (32 receptions) andJosh Reynolds (29). Pro Bowl running backTodd Gurley was the team's leading rusher with 1,251 yards (fourth in the NFL) and 17 touchdowns, while also catching 59 passes for 580 yards and five more touchdowns. His 17 rushing touchdowns led the league, while his 22 total touchdowns gave him 132 points, fifth in the NFL. Running backC. J. Anderson, who made the Rams his third different team in 2018 after signing up with them in December, also was a key aspect of the running game, finishing the season with 405 yards and leading the team in rushing in both of their playoff victories. On special teams,JoJo Natson returned 26 punts for 280 yards, while kickerGreg Zuerlein made 87.1% of his field goals, including a franchise postseason record 57-yard kick to defeat the Saints in overtime in the NFC championship game.[38]
The Rams defense featured Pro Bowl defensive tackleAaron Donald, who led the league in sacks with 20.5, as many sacks as the rest of the team combined. He also had 59 tackles (25 for loss), four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Veteran defensive linemanNdamukong Suh was second on the team with 4.5 sacks, while also getting 59 tackles and recovering two fumbles. Pro Bowl linebackerCory Littleton led the team in total tackles with 125, while also picking up four sacks, three interceptions and blocking two punts. The Rams also had a strong secondary, led byJohn Johnson (119 tackles and four interceptions),Marcus Peters (three interceptions),Lamarcus Joyner (78 tackles) andAqib Talib.[39]
In the playoffs, the Patriots earned a first-round bye as the AFC's second overall seed. In the divisional round, they defeated theLos Angeles Chargers 41–28, scoring touchdowns on five of their first six possessions. Brady passed for 343 yards and a touchdown, while running backSony Michel rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns.[40] They then defeated theKansas City Chiefs 37–31 in theAFC Championship Game, scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime. The Patriots held a 14–0 lead at halftime, before the Chiefs rallied to take the lead 21–17 in the fourth quarter. From there, both teams took turns taking the lead, until the Chiefs forced overtime with a 39-yard field goal byHarrison Butker to tie the game 31–31. The Patriots won the coin toss to start their offense for overtime, whereRex Burkhead scored a two-yard touchdown to win the game. Michel ended up rushing for a combined total of 242 yards and five touchdowns in the Patriots' two playoff games, setting an NFL record for postseason rushing touchdowns by a rookie.[41] The Patriots defense held Chiefs wide receiverTyreek Hill and tight endTravis Kelce, who had both gained over 1,300 receiving yards during the season, to a combined total of just four receptions for 65 yards.[42]
Meanwhile, the Rams also had a first-round bye as the NFC's second overall seed. They started off the divisional round by defeating theDallas Cowboys 30–22. The Rams gained 273 yards on the ground with running backsTodd Gurley andC. J. Anderson rushing for over 100 yards each.[43] They then defeated theNew Orleans Saints 26–23 in theNFC Championship Game, scoring a game-winning field goal in overtime. The Saints jumped out to an early 13–0 first quarter lead, before the Rams rallied to close the lead to 13–10 at halftime. In the fourth quarter,Greg Zuerlein tied the game at 20–20, with just over 5 minutes remaining. The Saints moved the ball to the Rams' 13 yard line, but could not gain a first down. On third down, quarterbackDrew Brees threw a pass to receiverTommylee Lewis, who was covered byNickell Robey-Coleman. Though Robey-Coleman knocked Lewis to the ground early and the pass fell incomplete, the obvious penalty was not called and the Saints'Wil Lutz kicked a 31-yard field goal to take the lead. The Rams took possession and sent the game to overtime with a 48-yard field goal byGreg Zuerlein. Although the Rams lost the coin toss and had to start their defense for overtime, Brees threw an interception on the Saints' first drive and Zuerlein kicked a 57-yard field goal to win the game.[44]
The game was a rematch ofSuper Bowl XXXVI between the Patriots and the Rams; the Rams at the time were based inSt. Louis.[45] However, only one player, Patriots starting quarterbackTom Brady, remained on either roster from that contest.Bill Belichick, the Patriots' head coach in the previous contest, also remained in that position for this game.[46] Super Bowl LIII featured record setting age differences between each team's starting quarterbacks and head coaches, pitting 41-year-old Brady against 24-year-oldJared Goff, as well as 66-year-old Belichick against 33-year-oldSean McVay.[47]
The then-St. Louis Rams won their only prior Super Bowl title in Atlanta,Super Bowl XXXIV, hosted at the now-demolishedGeorgia Dome in 2000, which was located adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.[48][49]
As thedesignated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Rams elected to wear their royal blue and yellow throwback uniforms for the game, which they have previously worn for six home games including a home playoff game during the 2018 season.[50][51][52] The Patriots wore their standard white away uniforms.[53]
Gambling establishments had the Patriots as 2 ½ point favorites and projected 56 total points would be scored.[54]
Boston and Los Angeles teams of other professional sports have met in the championship rounds, popularizing the"Beat L.A." chant and the hashtag "#BeatLA".[55][56] This was the thirteenth meeting between teams from Boston and Los Angeles for amajor professional sports championship, the most meetings between any two cities in North American sports.[57] TheBoston Celtics andLos Angeles Lakers have contested arecord elevenNBA Finals since the Lakers moved from Minneapolis in 1960. Furthermore, Los Angeles Galaxy and New England Revolution have contested threeMLS Cups.[58] TheBoston Red Sox andLos Angeles Dodgers faced off in the2018 World Series, and with the Patriots and Rams meeting in Super Bowl LIII, it was only the second time in 50 years that two cities' MLB and NFL teams have competed for the league title in the same season (or calendar year), the first time being in 1969 when theNew York Jets andBaltimore Colts competed forSuper Bowl III in January 1969 followed by the1969 World Series featuring theNew York Mets andBaltimore Orioles.[59][60] The Patriots faced another Los Angeles-based team in the same playoffs, the Chargers in the divisional round, en route to their Super Bowl meeting with the Rams.[61][62][63]
Super Bowl LIII was broadcast byCBS as part of an annual rotation between the three main broadcast television partners of the NFL. It was the 20th time CBS broadcast the game.[64]
Jim Nantz served asplay-by-play announcer andTony Romo worked his first Super Bowl ascolor commentator.[65] CBS' coverage utilized a total of 115 cameras, including8K resolution cameras (for the first time in a U.S. network sports telecast) in the end zones, as well as field-level and "up close"augmented reality graphics (with the latter generated by a wireless, handheld camera).[66][67]
As with CBS's previous Super Bowl (Super Bowl 50),ESPN Deportes aireda Spanish-language broadcast of the game, the second out of three Super Bowls the network would eventually sub-license.[68]
With a base price slightly higher than $5 million for a 30-second ad, the cost ofcommercial time remained even with the previous three events. There were fewer spots sold overall in comparison to the previous Super Bowl; CBS aired more than double the number of promos for its own programming (as well as that of its subscription serviceCBS All Access) than NBC did at Super Bowl LII.[69] Despite this,Kantar estimated its total revenue to be the third-highest in Super Bowl history, at $382 million.[70]
Perennial Super Bowl advertiserAnheuser-Busch made its largest-ever advertising purchase for a single game, with a total of eight different commercials of various lengths (covering five-and-a-half minutes of airtime) across seven product brands, including three being advertised during the game for the first time.[71][72]Mercedes-Benz aired a minute long ad for the 2019A-Class Sedan featuring cameos byLudacris.[73]Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures aired a half-minute long Teaser for highly anticipatedAvengers: Endgame.[74] CBS rejected an ad frommedical cannabis companyAcreage Holdings advocating forlegalization.[75]
For the first time in its history, the NFL itself wonUSA Today'sSuper Bowl Ad Meter survey determining the best commercial aired during the game, with an advertisement launching a campaign celebrating its 100th season.[76]
CBS'slead-out program was the series premiere of the talent competition seriesThe World's Best.[77] After late local programs, CBS also aired a special Sunday-night episode ofThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[78]
Initial overnightNielsen Ratings measured a 44.9 rating for the game, down 5% from the previous year and the lowest rating for a Super Bowl sinceSuper Bowl XLIII ten years prior.[79] 98.2 million viewers were measured, the fewest sinceSuper Bowl XLII.[80] Jemele Hill ofThe Atlantic attributed the low ratings "to the game being the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever, moderate national interest in the Rams, the lingering bad taste from the huge blown call in the NFC Championship Game, and Patriots fatigue".[81] In New Orleans, whose Saints had lost the NFC Championship because of the blown call, ratings were down 51% compared to Super Bowl LII as Louisianansboycotted and refused to watch the game.[82] Outside the Boston market, where the 57.1 overnight rating was the highest among local markets, the highest-rated markets were inRichmond, Virginia andBuffalo, New York (the latter having traditionally high ratings for sporting events and being the home of the Patriots'division rivals theBuffalo Bills); Los Angeles was near the national average.[83] A downturn of approximately 5% was noted during the halftime show.[83] The fewer television viewers did not migrate to online or mobile platforms; viewership online and on mobile only totaled 2.5 million viewers, which was not an appreciable enough change to affect the overall viewership decline.[84] The total viewership including streaming was 100.7 million.[85][86]
Digitally, this was the first Super Bowl available through CBS's subscription serviceCBS All Access.[87] The game was also available via theCBS Sports app, CBSSports.com, theYahoo! Sports app,Tumblr app, the NFL app.[88] The Yahoo! Sports app and Tumblr app streams were part of a long-term deal between then NFL andVerizon Media.
The game was broadcast on radio nationally onWestwood One.SiriusXM carried the game in eight languages and hometown broadcasts from Boston'sWBZ-FM and Los Angeles'sKSPN andKCBS-FM, along with the main feed onSirius XM NFL Radio.[88]
InCanada, the game was aired byCTV,CTV 2 andTSN.[89]Unifor purchased time on the Canadian broadcast to air anattack ad criticizingGeneral Motors' decision to close theOshawa Car Assembly plant, defying demands from the company to pull the ad because they deemed it to be misleading.[90][91]
InAustralia andNew Zealand,ESPN Australia aired anESPN-produced broadcast of the game that featured theMonday Night Football commentary crew ofJoe Tessitore,Jason Witten andBooger McFarland (McFarland was in the booth rather than the Booger Mobile, the controversial sideline vehicle he used that was abandoned before the end of the 2018MNF season).[92] It would prove to be Witten's last commentary appearance for the time being, due to his unretirement and return to theDallas Cowboys. Additionally in Australia the game was broadcast for the second year in a row by Melbourne Radio Station1116 SEN and commentated byGerard Whateley.[93]
In theUnited Kingdom andIreland, the game was broadcast on the free-to-air channelBBC One, and paid-subscription channelsSky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports USA.[94][95]
The musical artists who agreed to perform at the show—including Gladys Knight, Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi—were criticized by media outlets, other artists and members of the public for performing at Super Bowl LIII because of the NFL's alleged blacklisting ofColin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality bykneeling during the pre-game national anthem.[96][97][98][99] Several artists, includingJay-Z andCardi B, turned down offers to perform at the game in support of Kaepernick.[100]
Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies became the first malecheerleaders to perform at a major US sporting event.[101] Scott Winer was the first openly gaycameraman to film the Super Bowl.[102]
The NFL had Mercedes-Benz Stadium'sretractable roof open for the pre-game ceremonies and closed it prior to kickoff.[103]
Atlanta nativesChloe x Halle performed "America the Beautiful".[104]Gladys Knight, also from Atlanta, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".[105][106][96] D.C. residentAarron Loggins performed a sign-language interpretation for both songs.[107]
Bernice King—the daughter ofMartin Luther King Jr.—andcivil rights movement leadersAndrew Young andJohn Lewis participated in the coin toss ceremony. King had the honors of flipping the coin.[108][109]
On January 13, 2019, the NFL announced that pop bandMaroon 5 would headline the Super Bowl LIII halftime show. They were joined byBig Boi ofOutkast andTravis Scott as guests.[110][111][97] A short clip featuring the cast ofSpongeBob SquarePants and a clip from the 2001 episode "Band Geeks" was aired as a tribute to series creatorStephen Hillenburg, who died in November 2018 due toamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[112] The full clip of the "Sweet Victory" song, including a dedication to Hillenburg, was played inside the stadium prior to the game.[113]
The Patriots received first possession as wide receiverCordarrelle Patterson returned the opening kickoff 38 yards to his own 39-yard line and the team picked up 27 yards with their next five plays. On quarterbackTom Brady's first pass attempt of the day, cornerbackNickell Robey-Coleman, who was notable for a non-call on pass interference in the NFC Championship two weeks earlier, deflected a pass intended for wide receiverChris Hogan, allowing linebackerCory Littleton to make an interception, setting the Rams up at their own 27-yard line. The turnover had no avail, as the Patriots forced athree-and-out and the game's first punt. New England drove 60 yards in 11 plays, the longest a 19-yard catch by tight endRob Gronkowski. The drive stalled at the Los Angeles 28-yard line, where kickerStephen Gostkowski missed a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left, still keeping the game scoreless. Two plays later, the Rams picked up a first down at the New England 49-yard line but were again unable to move the ball beyond that point and again, the Patriots threatened to score when Brady completed a 25-yard pass to wide receiverJulian Edelman at the Rams 45-yard line. On the next play, Brady was strip-sacked by Rams defensive endJohn Franklin-Myers, but Patriots centerDavid Andrews recovered the fumble. However, the team was only able to get as far as the Los Angeles 40 before fourth down and had to punt with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.
After forcing another three-and-out to start the second quarter, the Patriots managed to drive 39 yards in seven plays, most of which came from another 25-yard completion from Brady to Edelman. Gostkowski finished the possession with a 42-yard field goal, giving New England a 3–0 lead with 10:29 left in the half. After the next three drives ended in punts, the Patriots took the ball and drove 36 yards to the Rams 32-yard line. New England elected to go for a 4th-and-1 conversion instead of a field goal, but Brady's pass to Gronkowski was broken up by Littleton and safetyJohn Johnson, turning the ball over on downs with 1:13 left in the half. Los Angeles could not get the ball past midfield, so they punted it back to New England to end the half.
The two teams went into their locker rooms with the Patriots leading, 3–0, the second lowest halftime score in Super Bowl history and the lowest since the 2–0 halftime score inSuper Bowl IX after the 1974 season.[114] In the entire first half, the Rams had gained just 57 yards and two first downs, both record lows for coachSean McVay. This was also the first time that McVay's Rams had ever been shut out in a first half.[115]
The defensive duel continued into the second half as both teams punted twice (one of them was a Super Bowl record 65-yard punt by the Rams'Johnny Hekker). With 6:33 left in the third quarter, the Rams opened their first drive of more than five plays and their first not to end in a punt, moving the ball 42 yards in 10 plays. On the third play of the drive, Rams quarterbackJared Goff completed a 15-yard pass to wide receiverBrandin Cooks and later made his first third-down conversion with an 18-yard pass to wide receiverRobert Woods on 3rd-and-6. On 3rd-and-7 from the Patriots' 26-yard line, Goff was sacked for a 9-yard loss by Patriots linebackerDont'a Hightower, but Rams kickerGreg Zuerlein was able to kick a 53-yard field goal, the second-longest in Super Bowl history, to tie the game at 3–3 with 2:11 left in the third quarter. It would be their only score. The Patriots took the ball back and drove to the Los Angeles 44-yard line but could not go any further and had to punt on the second play of the fourth quarter. For the first time in Super Bowl history, both teams had gone three quarters without scoring a touchdown.[116]
After forcing the Rams to punt, the Patriots mounted the longest drive of the game as Brady completed an 18-yard pass to Gronkowski, a 13-yard pass to Edelman, a 7-yard pass to running backRex Burkhead and a 29-yard pass to Gronkowski, bringing them to the Los Angeles 2-yard line. Running backSony Michel finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run for the game's only touchdown, extending his rookie postseason rushing touchdown record to six and giving New England a 10–3 lead with 7 minutes left in regulation. On the first play of Los Angeles' next drive, Goff completed a 19-yard pass to Cooks and later converted a 3rd-and-9 with an 11-yard throw to wide receiverJosh Reynolds. On the next play, his 17-yard completion to Woods moved the ball to the New England 27-yard line. However, on the next play, Goff's potential game-tying touchdown pass to Cooks was broken up by cornerbackStephon Gilmore and safetyDuron Harmon, and then Goff threw another pass intended for Cooks that was intercepted by Gilmore on the 3-yard line with 4:17 remaining.[117]
The Rams needed to force a punt or turnover; however, they were unable to contain the Patriots on the ground. On the second play of New England's possession, Michel stormed through the line for a 26-yard run. After he picked up 9 more yards with his next two carries, Burkhead's 26-yard run gave the Patriots a first down on the Los Angeles 33-yard line. Three plays later, Gostkowski succeeded on a 41-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 13–3 lead with 1:12 left on the clock. Taking the ball back on their own 25, Goff completed a 10-yard pass to Woods, as well as completions to Cooks for gains of 24 and 21 yards, moving the ball to the Patriots' 30-yard line. With eight seconds left, the Rams decided to kick a 48-yard field goal, which would have been followed by anonside kick attempt, but Zuerlein missed the attempt wide left, securing the Patriots' sixth Super Bowl title.[118]
Brady completed 21 of 35 passes for 262 yards, with one interception. Edelman was his top target with 10 receptions for 141 yards, while Gronkowski made six receptions for 87 yards in his final game with the Patriots. Michel was the top rusher of the game with 94 yards and a touchdown. Gilmore had five solo tackles and an interception. Goff finished the day 19-for-38 passing, for 229 yards and an interception. Cooks was his top receiver with eight receptions for 120 yards. Littleton had 10 tackles (six solo) and an interception. Hekker punted nine times for 417 yards, an average of 46.3 yards per punt, and put five punts inside the 20. The Rams were only the second team in Super Bowl history to not score a touchdown, the first having been theMiami Dolphins inSuper Bowl VI after the 1971 season.[119]
Brady became the first player in NFL history to win six Super Bowls, surpassingCharles Haley's only NFL record of five.[120] Brady, also, at age 41, became the oldest quarterback to win and appear in a Super Bowl (although he did not play, the oldest quarterback ever to appear in a Super Bowl wasSteve DeBerg inSuper Bowl XXXIII at the age of 45), and, at the time,Bill Belichick was the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl, at age 66, untilBruce Arians surpassed that record at age 68 inSuper Bowl LV.[120][121] Edelman was named theSuper Bowl Most Valuable Player,[122] and he was the first wide receiver to win the award sinceSantonio Holmes inSuper Bowl XLIII after the 2008 season.[123] Despite holding the Rams to just three points, no Patriots defender received a vote.[124]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots (AFC) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Rams (NFC) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
atMercedes-Benz Stadium,Atlanta, Georgia
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistic[125] | New England Patriots | Los Angeles Rams |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 22 | 14 |
| First downs rushing | 6 | 2 |
| First downs passing | 12 | 11 |
| First downs penalty | 4 | 1 |
| Third down efficiency | 3/12 | 3/13 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/1 | 0/0 |
| Total net yards | 407 | 260 |
| Net yards rushing | 154 | 62 |
| Rushing attempts | 32 | 18 |
| Yards per rush | 4.8 | 3.4 |
| Yards passing | 253 | 198 |
| Passing–completions/attempts | 21/35 | 19/38 |
| Times sacked–total yards | 1–9 | 4–31 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 2–2 | 2–12 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 1–38 | 1–27 |
| Interceptions–total return yards | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Punts–average yardage | 5–43 | 9–46.3 |
| Fumbles–lost | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–20 | 9–65 |
| Time of possession | 33:10 | 26:50 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Records set[citation needed] (Unless noted as "NFL Championships," all records refer only to Super Bowls) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most appearances, team | 11 | New England Patriots |
| Fewest points scored, winning team | 13 | |
| Most consecutive drives ending with a punt | 8 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Fewest touchdowns, first 3 quarters (both teams) | 0 | Super Bowl LIII |
| Fewest touchdowns (both teams, game) | 1 | |
| Fewest PATs (both teams, game) | 1 | |
| Fewest kickoff returns (both teams, game) | 2 | |
| Fewest points, first 3 quarters (both teams) | 6 | |
| Fewest points (both teams, game) | 16 | |
| Most appearances, player | 9 | Tom Brady (New England) |
| Most appearances, starting player | 9 | |
| Most wins, player | 6 | |
| Most pass attempts, player (career) | 392 | |
| Most pass completions, player (career) | 256 | |
| Most passing yards, player (career) | 2,838 | |
| Oldest quarterback, player | 41 years, 183 days | |
| Oldest quarterback, starting player | 41 years, 183 days | |
| Oldest quarterback to win | 41 years, 183 days | |
| Most appearances, head coach | 9 | Bill Belichick (New England) |
| Most appearances, coach | 12 | |
| Most appearances, any capacity | 12 | |
| Most won, head coach | 6 | |
| Most won, coach | 8 | |
| Most won, any capacity | 8 | |
| Oldest head coach, winning team | 66 years, 293 days | |
| Most appearances, kicker | 6 | Stephen Gostkowski (New England) |
| Most receptions, tight end (career) | 23 | Rob Gronkowski (New England)[126] |
| Youngest head coach | 33 years, 10 days | Sean McVay (Los Angeles) |
| Longest punt | 65 yards | Johnny Hekker (Los Angeles) |
| Records tied | ||
| Most wins, team | 6 | New England Patriots |
| Most first downs by penalty, team | 4 | |
| Fewest touchdowns scored, winning team | 1 | |
| Fewest points, first half | 0 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Fewest points scored, team | 3 | |
| Fewest touchdowns scored, team | 0 | |
| Fewest points, first quarter (both teams) | 0 | Super Bowl LIII |
| Fewest passing touchdowns (both teams) | 0 | |
| Fewest fumbles lost (both teams) | 0 | |
| Most NFL championships won, head coach | 6 | Bill Belichick (New England) |
| Most NFL championships won, player | 6 | Tom Brady (New England) |
| Most receptions, first half | 7 | Julian Edelman (New England) |
| Most field goals, career | 7 | Stephen Gostkowski (New England) |
| Patriots passing[125] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Tom Brady | 21/35 | 262 | 0 | 1 | 71.4 |
| Patriots rushing[125] | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Yds/Car | |
| Sony Michel | 18 | 94 | 1 | 26 | 5.2 |
| Rex Burkhead | 7 | 43 | 0 | 26 | 6.1 |
| Julian Edelman | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 8.0 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3.5 |
| James White | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 |
| Tom Brady | 2 | −2 | 0 | −1 | –1.0 |
| Patriots receiving[125] | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Target5 | |
| Julian Edelman | 10 | 141 | 0 | 27 | 12 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 6 | 87 | 0 | 29 | 7 |
| Rex Burkhead | 2 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| James White | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Chris Hogan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Sony Michel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Rams passing[125] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Jared Goff | 19/38 | 229 | 0 | 1 | 57.9 |
| Rams rushing[125] | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Yds/Car | |
| Todd Gurley | 10 | 35 | 0 | 16 | 3.5 |
| C. J. Anderson | 7 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 3.1 |
| Robert Woods | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5.0 |
| Rams receiving[125] | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Target5 | |
| Brandin Cooks | 8 | 120 | 0 | 24 | 13 |
| Robert Woods | 5 | 70 | 0 | 18 | 10 |
| Josh Reynolds | 3 | 28 | 0 | 11 | 7 |
| C. J. Anderson | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Todd Gurley | 1 | −1 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| Gerald Everett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1Completions/attempts
2Carries
3Long gain
4Receptions
5Times targeted
Super Bowl LIII had sevenofficials.[127][128] The numbers in parentheses below indicate their uniform numbers.[129] John Parry became the second referee in a row to retire after officiating the Super Bowl afterGene Steratore, who retired afterSuper Bowl LII.
On the morning of February 5, the Patriots celebrationduck boat parade was held in Boston, starting atBoylston Street and ending atCity Hall Plaza.[130] The date of the parade was unseasonably warm for New England. The high temperature for the day was 65 degrees Fahrenheit, with a low of 40. Temperatures in Boston during this time of year average in the mid to low 40's. It was attended by an estimated 1.5 million fans.[131]
When you add in data from multiple streaming platforms, last night's underwhelming game tallied 100.7 million viewers. That is still down 5 percent from 2018's comparable figures.
