February 6, 2019

On Sunday, February 3, the New England Patriots downed the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII (53), the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). In the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history, the Rams and Patriots both exhibited stellar defenses, but only the Patriots managed to reach the end zone at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. With the slow-paced victory, the Patriots joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as the only NFL teams with six Super Bowl titles. New England quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick became the first six-time individual Super Bowl champions in NFL history.

On Feb. 3, 2019, Patriots running back Sony Michel scores the only touchdown of Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: © Maddie Meyer, Getty Images

Sunday’s game was a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI (36), in which New England beat the Rams 20-17.  It was the 11th Super Bowl appearance for the Patriots, the most of any NFL team. It was the fourth Super Bowl for the Rams, whose only title came in Super Bowl XXXIV (34), a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The game’s opening minutes forecast the offensive doldrums to come. The Rams intercepted Brady’s first pass attempt, ending a promising drive, and the Patriots managed only a 42-yard field goal through the game’s first two quarters. The Rams’ offense struggled even more, barely pushing the ball past midfield and punting on all six first half possessions.

The Rams eked out a 53-yard field goal to tie the game in the third quarter, but Brady and the Patriots responded with the difference-making scoring drive in the fourth. Starting at the New England 31-yard line, Brady completed four quick passes, the last of which found tight end Rob Gronkowski on the Rams’ two-yard line. From there, running back Sony Michel punched the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point made it 10-3 Patriots.

With more than four minutes remaining in the game, the Rams had plenty of time to mount a comeback. Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff completed three passes to reach the New England 44-yard line. Taking a shot at the end zone, a Goff pass fell incomplete. On the next play, Goff tried again, but this time the pass was intercepted by Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Taking over the ball at their own four-yard line, New England put the nails in the Los Angeles coffin by eating up three minutes on a drive that ended with a 41-yard field goal and a 13-3 lead. With a minute to play, Los Angeles scraped together a desperate drive that led to a missed field goal and the end of the game.

Playing in his first Super Bowl, Jared Goff completed 19 of 38 pass attempts for 229 yards and no touchdowns. Playing in his ninth Super Bowl, Tom Brady’s just-good-enough stats included connecting on 21 of 35 pass attempts for 262 yards and no touchdowns. With 10 catches for 141 yards, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

The 13-3 final score was the lowest in Super Bowl history. The previous record was set in 1973, when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII (7).