Further reading
Updated
Edelman is the deserving winner of the MVP award. He’s had a decent career for a player drafted 232nd in the 2009 draft.
So that does it for our coverage: the Patriots, now arguably the greatest dynasty in the modern era, will enjoy yet another parade in the coming days.
That’s all for our day-long coverage of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. Be sure to check out Tom Lutz’s report from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Trophy
Here comes Vince Wilfork, then Emmitt Smith, then Joe Namath (a Jet, wow!) with the Vince Lombardi trophy, kissed by Pats players as it heads to the podium.
Commissioner Roger Goodell is booed before handing the trophy to Kraft, who hoists the silverware, again.
The world outside of New England shakes their collective heads.
“There is one constant throughout these 18 years. Two men who are the best at what they’ve done in the history of the NFL. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. And through their hard work and great leadership, I am honored to say for the sixth time, we are all Patriots and once again we’re world champions!”
-Robert Kraft
“It’s sweet Jim [Nantz]. Everybody counted us out, from the beginning of the season and the mid season, but we’re still here.”
-Bill Belichick
“Just so proud of our team. The support here was like a home game, it could have been Gillette Stadium...”
How will you motivate yourself to do this again?
“Look at this, how could this not motivate you!”
-Tom Brady
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Tom Brady
Mobbed by cameras and just about everybody in the dome, Brady hugs CJ Anderson of the Rams and embraces Edelman.
Then Kraft enters the fray for some love as the two lock arms.
CBS in the US are desperate to get that interview but it’s madness.
OK, here we go.
“You know it was an unbelievable year....it’s unbelievable to win this game...the Rams made it tough on every play...the defense made it hard every play.”
“We’ve been this far and lost which is really tough. We had a lot of resolve the last couple of weeks. I wish we played a little biut harder on offense. I can’t believe it...Super Bowl champs.”
On retirement...does winning a sixth title change anything?
“It doesn’t change anything. I can’t wait to spend some time with my kinds and my life...I am so happy for my teammates, this is a dream come true for all of us.”
It doesn’t seem like Brady is going anywhere.
Final score: Patriots 13-3 Rams
The New England Patriots have won Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. It’s their sixth title in nine tries during this Brady/Belichick run!
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NO GOOD! Patriots 13-3 Rams 0:05, 4th quarter
Zuerlein misses from 48, and this game is all but over!
Patriots 13-3 Rams 0:08, 4th quarter
Cooks has a 24-yard reception and the Rams are at the 49. Belichick puts everybody back.
Cooks has a catch at the 29 and Goff spikes the ball and here comes the field goal unit.
Updated
Patriots 13-3 Rams 0:52, 4th quarter
Goff is incomplete looking for Cooks, and then LA are called for holding, just to make it all that much more painful.
Woods takes it up to the 26 as the clock ticks...
Patriots 13-3 Rams 1:12, 4th quarter
That’s the Patriots all-time leading scorer sealing a Super Bowl title. His kickoff goes into the endzone. Here come the Rams trying to pull many rabbits out of no hats.
FIELD GOAL! Patriots 13-3 Rams 1:12, 4th quarter
It’s good! Barely, but it’s good!
The New England Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl again!
Patriots 10-3 Rams 1:16, 4th quarter
Belichick keeps the offense on the field, runs down the clock and calls a timeout.
Does he kick with Gostkowski or something else?
They’re gonna kick! It’s about a 41 yard attempt!
Patriots 10-3 Rams 1:47, 4th quarter
Michel on third and short, and he’s short! Or is he? There’s a measurement. Yes he is!
It’s fourth and inches!
What does Belichick do?
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Patriots 10-3 Rams 2:00, 4th quarter
Michel runs right, and now it’s 3rd & 1 at the Rams 24 as we hit the two-minute warning.
Unless something bananas happens Tom Brady is going to win this thing.
Again.
Patriots 10-3 Rams 2:25, 4th quarter
Michel runs for around four yards, but there is a flag. It’s two actually: a hold and an illegal use of the hands call on New England. LA refuse the penaltie. to get the down.
It’s 2nd & 6.
Patriots 10-3 Rams 2:30, 4th quarter
New England are running, and who is it? Burkhead, steaming down to LA’s 33 and it’s a 26-yard gain for the lunch-pail back who has an enormous first down, and that may do it.
LA call their final tiomeout.
Patriots 10-3 Rams 2:42, 4th quarter
Fowler puts illegal hands to the face and it’s another first down for the Pats. That moves the ball up to the Pats 37.
Michel is running again for just a few yards. Rams call timeout. They have one left.
It’s 2nd & 7.
Patriots 10-3 Rams 2:47, 4th quarter
Michel is running again and this time there’s room! Lot’s of room! Right up the middle, Michel has a huge 26-yard gain! That’s not going to help LA.
Patriots 10-3 Rams 3:50, 4th quarter
Both teams have a pair of timeouts. New England will start running clock. Michel runs into the line as we hear ticks...
INTERCEPTION! Patriots 10-3 Rams 4:17, 4th quarter
Gilmore picks off Goff! He was looking for Cooks but the pass was all wrong and the Pats have possession!
Cooks had to make that catch in the end zone in the prior play! That was the moment!
Patriots 10-3 Rams 4:24, 4th quarter
Goff goes endzone! He’s got Cooks and it goes in and out of his hands! That would have been a touchdown throw but Cooks botched it!
Patriots 10-3 Rams 4:27, 4th quarter
Goff is money, finding Reynolds for a key third down to keep this drive alive for the Rams. They’re at the Pats 44.
Now they’re inside the 30 after Goff hits Cooks on a flag play!
Patriots 10-3 Rams 5:29, 4th quarter
Goff gets pressure, he’s knocked down after tossing an incomplete pass. It’s a huge 3rd & 9 coming up here for LA.
Patriots 10-3 Rams 5:46, 4th quarter
Gut check time for LA.
Good start: a screen pass to Cooks turns into a big gain down the far sideline for a gain of 19 to the 44.
TOUCHDOWN! Patriots 10-3 Rams 7:00, 4th quarter
Sony Michel is into the endzone! That’s a real live touchdown play and at a huge moment in this game.
Pats in pole position as we head down the stretch in Atlanta!
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Patriots 3-3 Rams 7:08, 4th quarter
Big play to Gronkowski dow to the two-yard line! Great throw to the tight end and it’s first and goal to go for New England!
We’re in the red zone! It’s true!
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Patriots 3-3 Rams 7:53, 4th quarter
Brady: a tremendous timing floater to Gronkowski to start the drive. It’s a first down on his fifth catch, this one an 18-yard reception.
The crowd cheers “Brady, Brady...”
He answers, finding Edelman, his 10th catch for 141 yards. Quickly, New England are inside the Rams 40...
Patriots 3-3 Rams 9:49, 4th quarter
It’s 3rd and 22 long yards. Goff, hands to Gurley, and he’s hit hard by Flowers for a loss! So the Rams had the ball for some time, but the drive comes to naught.
Super Bowl record holding punter Hekker comes out and does what he does, what he’s been doing, a lot, kicks it, down to the Patriots 31.
I’m still excited, but why?
Patriots 3-3 Rams 10:30, 4th quarter
Gurley is back and running, but the center, John Sullivan, is flagged for holding. So now it’s 1st & 20 on the Rams 33.
Goff has a cut on his left hand, and now he’s HARD hit while running towards the sideline: Jonathan Jones comes about as close to a personal foul as you can get but there’s no flag!
It’s 2nd & 22 after a loss of two and the Pats fourth sack.
Patriots 3-3 Rams 11:35, 4th quarter
Goff is incomplete on 2nd & 11 and falls to the ground after pressure.
Big 3rd & 11 now for LA, and Goff fires into a green swath of turf, incomplete. There’s a flag downfield, but for what?
It’s defensive holding and that turns a punt situation into a fresh set of downs, which has to drive Bill Belichick out of his skull.
LA on their 27.
Now they’re on the 44 as Goff hits Cooks on a curl. Nice gain, and perhaps LA will capitalize on that penalty?
Christopher Lee writes:
“If Greg the Leg kicks a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter to win the game 6-3 for the rams, could he be in with a chance of winning MVP? Not that that is going to happen. This has got Tom Brady 2 minute drill to win written all over it, hasn’t it?”
Doubtful. Possible.
@LengelDavid Who's ready for some baseball David? 3-3, bottom of the sixth inning. ⚾️
— Stuart Matthews (@stumatthews11) February 4, 2019
Yeah, but the big bats are coming up...
Patriots 3-3 Rams 12:23, 4th quarter
The Rams are on their own 22. It’s 2nd & 7, and New England want to talk it over.
The Patriots call their first timeout of the game.
Patriots 3-3 Rams 12:47, 4th quarter
A false start turns a 2nd & 1 until a 2nd & 6. That’s clumsy. Will it matter?
Anderson bounces outside but Gilmore punches the ball out of his hands! The ball is loose!
Luckily for LA, it rolls out of bounds!
It’s 3rd & 2, and now Goff finds Cooks who is running to his right for an eight yard gain and a first down.
Fresh set of downs for the Rams.
Patriots 3-3 Rams 14:19, 4th quarter
Goff has Anderson, who takes a little nothing into a nine-yard gain on the far sideline. That was a dump that looked to be going nowhere: Goff is gaining confidence.
Patriots 3-3 Rams 14:47, 4th quarter
On 3rd & 4, Littleton breaks up a pass looking for White. Brady was rushed on the play, and there’s been a momentum shift in Atlanta!
But Allen does a great job on the punt. The Rams start from their own seven.
Patriots 3-3 Rams, end of 3rd quarter
Michel has it again, and this time he’s wrapped up, and the whistle is blown without the back hitting the turf.
And that will do it for the third quarter. Surely we’ve never completed three quarters of a Super Bowl without a touchdown, right?
It’ll be second and long around midfield when we resume.
Patriots 3-3 Rams 0:14, 3rd quarter
On 2nd & 9, Brady finds White who is running towards the near sideline...but there’s a flag. It’s defensive holding, which as we all know is an automatic first down.
Pats have it at their 31.
Now they’re at the 50! Michel runs right, finds a hole, bounces off a tackle and runs to midfield after a gain of 19! Great hard-nosed run there.
Patriots 3-3 Rams 2:11, 3rd quarter
New England start at their own 25. I can’t remember the last time I was excited about a third quarter field goal.
FIELD GOAL! Patriots 3-3 Rams 2:11, 3rd quarter
Goff, from the shotgun, and he is destroyed! The Pats mob bursts up the middle, first Hightower, then Van Noy, throwing the Rams kid QB to the turf!
The Rams TD drive is stalled in favor of the field goal unit.
Greg “the leg” (original) is good from 53! We’re tied!
How about that? I think I’m excited!
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Patriots 3-0 Rams 3:05, 3rd quarter
Play action, and Goff goes to the endzone! Cooks has his hands on, leaping for the pill, but McCourty knocks it away just in time!
And now it’s 3rd & 7...
Patriots 3-0 Rams 3:42, 3rd quarter
Here come the Rams!
Goff fires and connects with Woods over the middle! That’s an 18-yard gain!
LA call timeout with the play clock trickling down to two seconds.
When we come back, it’s 1st & 10 at the Pats 29...
Patriots 3-0 Rams 4:23, 3rd quarter
On 2nd & 7, Goff faces pressure and throws it into the arm of Anderson, except Anderson is facing the wrong way.
The Rams are 0-8 on third down. It’s 3rd & 7.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 5:03, 3rd quarter
Now Anderson has the fourth Rams first down of the night with a four-yard run. This counts as a drive!
And wait, there’s more! Cooks has a reception on the near sideline and that’s another gain up to their own 49! Are we seeing the effects of Chung’s absence?
Patriots 3-0 Rams 6:10, 3rd quarter
Goff finds Reynolds on the far sideline for a gain of seven. I call that progress.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 6:33, 3rd quarter
Brady looks for Hogan on the far sideline, Peters is on him and breaks it up. I thought I saw a judge reaching for a flag before deciding against it.
OK. Every time I write punt, you take a drink. Is it too late for that? It’s a 42-yard kick, which is very un Hekker-like.
LA start at the 23.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 6:54, 3rd quarter
After a NE penalty pushes the Pats back, Brady connects with Edelman over the middle for eight, setting up another big third down.
If the Rams win this, I’m with that! Take that Edelman!
Johnny Hekker probably MVP so far
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 4, 2019
Patriots 3-0 Rams 8:36, 3rd quarter
Goff has heat in the endzone and he throws it away. Hightower put Goff on his back just after the throw.
And here comes Mr You Know Who, who has an incredible kick! It skids all the way down to the Pats 29, and that’s a record for Hekker: the longest punt in Super Bowl history at 65 yards!
All these punts. It was all worth it, just for that moment!
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Patriots 3-0 Rams 9:05, 3rd quarter
On 2nd & 8 Anderson runs right for about two, up to the four-yard line. That makes it 3rd & 6. Don’t expect anything too splashy from LA deep in their territory.
Injury update
Chung is done...
Bad for Chung and the #Patriots. Not an easy guy to replace for all that he does and how big he can be in the box despite his relative lack of size. McCourty bumps down and Harmon enters as the deep safety? Not many real options...
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 4, 2019
Will that open anything up for Los Angeles? Stay tuned to find out, the Rams offense are on the field.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 10:06, 3rd quarter
Another quick pass to Edelman for a gain of about eight, setting up a 3rd &2.
Now Brady is in the shotgun: he has time, but his pass towards the far sideline and Edelman is incomplete, so LA hold a and NE will kick.
Allen’s punt lands at the two and is downed! So the Rams will have a long way to go as they try to get something, anything on the scoreboard.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 10:56, 3rd quarter
Brady hits Edelman again in the middle of the field, and there’s room to roam for the wideout. By the time it’s over it’s a big 27-yard third down conversion up to the New England 41!
Edelman cannot be stopped.
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Patriots 3-0 Rams 11:58, 3rd quarter
Two little runs, first from Michel and then from Burkhead, set up a 3rd & 4.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 12:58, 3rd quarter
It’s a big 3rd & 5 as the Rams try to establish their offense.
Goff is back to pass and throws into double coverage towards Cooks and Gilmore knocks it away.
Here’s a familiar sight: the Rams punting unit. It’s Hekker’s seventh kick.
New England will start at their eight yard line.
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Injury update
Chung is up and walking under his own power but it looks like he came down wrong on his right arm and he’s heading to the lockers. Will he be back? He did not play in the second half of Super Bowl LII last season after suffering an injury.
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Patriots 3-0 Rams 14:07, 3rd quarter
Gurely has it! He runs right, he cuts left and he has room! First down and Todd Gurley is alive for a 16-yard gain!
And now he’s running again! This time for six more yards! Was this the plan all along?
Now Pats safety Patrick Chung is shaken up, much to the chagrin who wears a look of concern on the sideline.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 14:56, 3rd quarter
Goff throws over the middle and it’s in and out of the mitts of Hightower! That should have been a half-opening pick!
And we’re back...
A touchback starts off the second half and away we go. Rams start at the 25.
It's a game for the purists - if you're a fan of quality, creative defence, Belichick is putting on an absolute masterclass so far.
— Yandere Nekomegami (@silentsonata13) February 4, 2019
Pure punting.
Defensive play does count as football too, you know. A fantastic job by both D lines so far.
— Bob Smith (@BobSmith220) February 4, 2019
True, and I like a pitching duel as much as the next guy, and even better in a Game 7 of the World Series ... but come on!
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Wanna bet?
Bookmakers.tv is reporting that Super Bowl LIII has broken previous betting records in the UK as British fans have wagered over £28 million on the game.
If the Rams win, UK bookies will be faced with payouts of over £40m - reportedly a new betting record.
Now, if we could only get a touchdown.
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The peanut gallery
The thing about that first half of football was that there wasn't any football in it. @LengelDavid
— Hunter Felt (@HunterFelt) February 4, 2019
The First Half (of the game): Boring. Pedestrian. Soulless. Uninspired. Gladys Knight and your coverage are the only saving grace.
— William Warrior (@Graihwing) February 4, 2019
So far this has been the most interesting reveal in Super Bowl LIII: a commercial advertising the 100th season of the NFL.
How can you resist a cake like that?
— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2019
Watch the #NFL100 #SBLIII commercial before the halftime show. pic.twitter.com/BMLzMK5SSa
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Stats
Well, Goff has 52 yards passing, and Todd Gurley has three carries for 10 yards, just how LA drew it up.
New England have had the ball for 19:52, which I think is longer than they had the ball in the first half v Kansas City in the AFC Championship. Edelman is cementing his MVP candidacy with 93 yards receiving, while Brady has been mostly fine if not spectacular.
Now the adjustments begin in the locker room, and there’s lots of time, because Adam Levine beckons.
From a fan perspective, it would be great if something fun happened in the second half, just because, you know, I’m worried about the folks who paid on average around $4,300 per ticket getting a decent show.
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Halftime: Patriots 3-0 Rams
Yep, that will do it for the opening half of Super Bowl LIII. I guess that track meet I predicted isn’t gonna happen.
It’s not the fewest combined points in a half in Super Bowl history (2, Minnesota v Pittsburgh, XI), but it’s awfully close!
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Patriots 3-0 Rams 0:16, 2nd quarter
Now Goff is looking for Woods but it’s short of a first down stopping the clock. The Rams have to punt!
It’s a good one, down to the New England 2. That will likely do it for the first half.
Updated
Patriots 3-0 Rams 0:57, 2nd quarter
Goff is sacked by Hightower! No timeout called...
Patriots 3-0 Rams 1:13, 2nd quarter
Brady drops back to pass and fires to Gronkowski: Littleton got a fingertip on it and that may have been enough to force the incompletion! The Rams take over on downs!
Patriots 3-0 Rams 1:16, 2nd quarter
Brady finds Patterson but he’s about a yard short of a first down.
The Rams call timeout. Will New England go for it? They sure will! Here we go!
Patriots 3-0 Rams 1:26, 2nd quarter
White can’t come up with a screen pass, then Brady misses wWhite on the far sideline.
That means it’s 3rd & 10 on the 41.
Big play for the Rams defense here.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 1:30, 2nd quarter
There’s a flag on 2nd & 5, it’s thrown because the Rams have 12 men on the field, which is OK in Canada, but not in the United States.
New England are at the LA 41.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 2:00, 2nd quarter
Here’s more from Edelman: this time it’s a 10-yard grab for a first down.
New England have one timeout.
Burkhead now, steaming ahead to the 40 with a gain of about three.
It’s 2nd & 7, and guess who has it? Yep, it’s Edelman, who gains another nine. It’s first down near midfield as we hit the warning.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 3:57, 2nd quarter
Goff, has time, but not that much time! He pump fakes and then takes off to his right where Van Noy hits the Rams QB for a 14-yard loss!
https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/1092221880193503233
Here is yet another punt from Hekker: there have been seven overall in Super Bowl LIII.
The ball is down at the 27 where New England will take over.
Updated
Patriots 3-0 Rams 4:49, 2nd quarter
Oh, here is that Gurley guy. He has a run of about five.
CBS’ sideline reporter says the Rams have nothing to report on the possibly ailing Gurley, who has the ball again for a short gain setting up a 3rd & 2 at the Pats 48.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 6:14, 2nd quarter
Brady throws short to Michel, complete, but it’s not enough for a first down.
Allen punts, Natson has a short return.
But there’s a flag on the Pats: it’s a hold on McLellan, and that will give LA decent field position at about the 43.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 7:03, 2nd quarter
Brady looks for Michel, who is streaking across the middle. It’s incomplete.
That sets up a 3rd & 7.
Benjamin Park wants to know “What’s up with Brady’s passing this eve?”
No question he’s had his shaky moments, but he’s settled in and is 10/16 for 122 yards now, with 74 to Edelman alone.
Patriots 3-0 Rams 7:50, 2nd quarter
Goff has loads of time and hits Woods on the far sideline: is that complete? It doesn’t look like it but NE don’t challenge. That’s a healthy 18-yard gain, which is like 180 for LA’s starving pass attack tonight.
Now it’s 2nd & 7 and Danny Shelton is all over Anderson, stuffing the back him for a three-yard loss!
It’s 3rd & 10.
Goff goes deep down the far sideline towards Reynolds, but McCourty breaks it up! Goff was rushed by Flowers and the Rams will punt, again.
Edelman returns it to the 16, where the Pats will start as they bid to add to their lead.
Updated
Patriots 3-0 Rams 9:56, 2nd quarter
So, I was looking for the Rams to establish the run with Gurley and that hasn’t happened. I was looking for Suh to reek havoc with Donald being double teamed and that really hasn’t happened. I was thinking Dorsett would get some looks thanks to single coverage and that hasn’t happened. And I definitely thought Burkhead would have the first TD and that hasn’t happened.
The Rams will start on their 28.
FIELD GOAL! Patriots 3-0 Rams 10:29, 2nd quarter
Ladies and gentlemen, we have points.
Three of them.
It wasn’t pretty but the kick was good and New England are on top.
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 10:34, 2nd quarter
Brady has Gronk but that is way short of the first down.
Gostkowski is coming out for a 42-yard atempt.
Gronkowski is limping...
Patriots 0-0 Rams 11:13, 2nd quarter
On 2nd & 9, Brady looks for Hogan on the near sideline: quick release and incomplete.
It’s 3rd & 9.
Patriots 0-0 Rams 11:34, 2nd quarter
Brady is throwing on third and short and Edelman is wide open!
Where is everybody?
New England are down to the Rams 30 after a 25-yard gain.
Edelman has 74 yards tonight.
Patriots 0-0 Rams 12:57, 2nd quarter
Brady, a quick pass to Edelman on the far sideline for a gain of six.
Now Brady has Gronkowski, who is streaking across the middle of the field for a gain of about three.
That sets up a 3rd & 1.
Patriots 0-0 Rams 13:58, 2nd quarter
Goff in the shotgun. He throws, and it’s tipped on the line by Simon, who got both hands on it, and here comes the punting unit again.
There’s a great Rams bounce as the bean rolls down to about the Pats 36.
I think we could have expected reasonably strong defense from LA, but I’m surprised how much control both teams have had against some excellent offenses.
Patriots 0-0 Rams 14:34, 2nd quarter
Andrerson has it again: he’s wrapped up around the neck, (yikes) but there’s a false start flag on LA. It’s 2nd & 10.
Here’s Anderson again for a gain of one or two. So where is Gurley? He has just one touch.
3rd & 7 coming up.
Patriots 0-0 Rams, end of 1st quarter
Anderson pushes the pack for about five yards as the first quarter comes to a close: it’s been an uneven one for both teams. Brady has managed 122 yards passing, but has been picked once and almost twice.
Goff has had few chances as the Rams held the ball for just 3:07.
If the idea was to limit LA’s opportunities, that’s happening.
Updated
Patriots 0-0 Rams 0:12, 1st quarter
Donald puts pressure on Brady, throwing him down just as he throws incomplete! So some decent heat being applied now to New England, which Brady has never handled that well.
Pats punt, and the Rams will start at the five.
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 0:41, 1st quarter
Brady is hit! Finally! And the ball is lose! Myers got hands on the Pats QB, but New England fall on it to recover! It’s the first sack of Brady in these playoffs.
On 2nd & 19, Brady comes back right away to find Gronkowski for a gain of 14, setting up a manageable 3rd & 5!
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 2:20, 1st quarter
So no score so far: Goff and Brady have combined for less than 60 yards of passing offense.
Surely this is going to pick up.
Sure enough, here is Edelman on the near sideline, cutting, stopping and catching for a first down.
Now Brad is almost picked again! He throws behind Hogan and Peters nearly had the ball for LA! Brady is inconsistent at the start.here...
Patriots 0-0 Rams 3:25, 1st quarter
It’s 3rd & 3. Goff has time and fires a bullet to Woods but Chung is there at safety and the punting unit is coming on for LA.
But wait! Have New England have jumped offside?
Nope, it’s just a delay of game. No Johnny Hekker magic on this play, but a decent kick down to the 19.
Here comes Brady again.
Patriots 0-0 Rams 4:14, 1st quarter
CBS says that Gostkowski has missed four kicks in the last four Super Bowls for those of you scoring at home.
The Pats call for crowd noise and get it.
Goff, play-action fakes and then rolls left and floats a pass to Reynolds for a first down catch. LA are into New England territory at the 49.
That’s Goff’s first completion of the evening.
NO GOOD! Patriots 0-0 Rams 5:35, 1st quarter
Gostkowski misses wide left and we’re still scoreless!
The kick is... No good!
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) February 3, 2019
The @patriots first half curse continues!#SBLIII pic.twitter.com/6LWKEKXs3S
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 5:40, 1st quarter
Brady in the shotgun. He hands to White on a draw play: it’s just a two yard gain and here comes the field goal unit. It’ll be a 46-yard attempt.
New England did that a lot vs KC two weeks ago, so that seemed a bit predictable. Belichick is just setting them up for later, I am guessing.
Patriots 0-0 Rams 6:17, 1st quarter
Brady is going for it all down the far sideline, but it’s incomplete as he was looking for Hogan: the Pats wideout was blanketed by Peters in single coverage. Now another timeout called by the Pats: what’s up with that?
Big 3rd & 8 when we come back.
Updated
Patriots 0-0 Rams 6:17, 1st quarter
We have a Gronkowski sighting: he finds the seam in the zone for a healthy 19 yard gain and the Pats are on the move, well into Rams territory at the LA 33!
TB12 to GRONK! #EverythingWeGot
— NFL (@NFL) February 3, 2019
📺: #SBLIII on CBS pic.twitter.com/KB1lIhDJCL
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 7:39, 1st quarter
Michel takes a handoff and is wrapped up for a four-yard loss.
Then there’s an end-around that results in a toss to Burkhead for another big loss, but there’s a flag. It’s a personal foul on, I believe, Dante Fowler Jr and that’s an automatic first down and 15 yards.
It’s not Fowler who should have gotten the flag, perhaps it’s a helmet to helmet hit by Coleman.
Now the Pats are calling for time. When we resume it’s 1st & 10 on the New England 48.
Updated
Patriots 0-0 Rams 9:56, 1st quarter
Brady has time and a man: it’s Edelman, who is open on the far sideline and he has just enough for a first down. That will settle Brady’s nerves, if he has nerves. Doubtful.
Updated
Patriots 0-0 Rams 10:34, 1st quarter
The folks at CBS here in the US tell us that it’s the first time Tom Brady was intercepted on his first throw from scrimmage in the playoffs, which seemed like a safe bet.
Michel has his third carry for a gain of about one.
Now Brady is in the shotgun. He takes the snap and fires immediately on a screen towards Michel and it’s way off.
Now it’s 3rd & 9.
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 11:15, 1st quarter
Big 3rd & 8: Goff back, Hightower is rushing right up the gut towards Goff, who gets it off just in time looking for Reynolds but it’s incomplete!
So the Rams fail to capitalize and LA have to punt as the New England defense holds.
Edelman has the punt, but he’s going the wrong way and is pushed back! It’s a 53-yard punt and the Pats will start at the 12.
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INTERCEPTION! Patriots 0-0 Rams 12:06 1st quarter
Brady is back to pass, he’s looking for Hogan and it’s deflected! Nickell Robey-Coleman got his hands on it and Littleton picked it off!
So Brady is picked on his very first play and the Rams take over with tremendous field position!
Tipped and PICKED.@RamsNFL D with the early takeaway!
— NFL (@NFL) February 3, 2019
📺: #SBLIII on CBS pic.twitter.com/5ptrKyiE9q
On Tom Brady's INT intended for Chris Hogan, Brady thought he had Hogan open...
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 3, 2019
At pass forward, Hogan had 7.2 yards of separation from Nickell Robey-Coleman. At pass arrival, Hogan had just 1.7 yards of separation.#SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/jadh1CYQDJ
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Patriots 0-0 Rams 12:14, 1st quarter
The Pats are off and running, literally. Back-to-back-to-back runs to start off. Michel has done the bulk of the work to get New England up to the 42. They’re running clock, out to limit Rams overall chances in this game, right from the outset. It’s a similar approach to the KC game. Should the Rams have differed?
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Kickoff
Super LIII is finally underway!
Patterson takes the kickoff up to the New England 25 yard line and here comes Tom Brady in his ninth Super Bowl!
Howdy folks. It’s almost game time and I’m sure you’re all ready after two weeks of non-stop buildup.
The first major prop bet is ready for us: the Patriots called heads and it landed tails, because they’re saving that coin toss win for overtime.
The Rams elected to differ and so the Pats will get the kickoff. Stand by for the actual Super Bowl!
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And now it’s time for the coin toss and I will hand things over to my colleague David Lengel who will be liveblogging the actual game.
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Gladys Knight is the queen, she gives a gorgeous, full-voiced rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner with an extraordinarily long “free.” I’m giving her 9/10 and if you bet on how long it would be, I hope you took the over: it was 2min 1sec by our count.
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@HunterFelt so I moved to the US in 2016, and since then the #Patriots have made the superbowl every year. Coincidence? I think not - when do I get my paycheck? :)
— Rory Murphy (@Rory_Tealeaf) February 3, 2019
Since moving to the Boston area, the Patriots have appeared in six Super Bowls and won two, the Red Sox have won three World Series, and the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics have won a championship apiece. Just in case you were wondering why the rest of America have gotten sick of Boston fans.
And the Philadelphia Eagles’ Chris Long is honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Well deserved.
Email from Fintan Walsh
Given that the Patriots are normally prepared for almost anything thanks to their intense video study of their opponents, and that the Ram’s offense - while good - tends to be more simplistic, do you think they’ll be able to put enough creativity into their offense to surprise the Pats? What’s the Rams’ path to victory there do you think?
Cheers.
Great question. I think it all comes down to pressuring Tom Brady. If you disrupt the quarterback, the rest of the plan will fall apart more often than not. That’s why I think Aaron Donald has to be the man here, whether by getting to Brady himself or getting enough attention that the rest of the defense has the chance.
And here come the Rams. The Patriots came out to Ozzy Osbourne while the Rams came out to TI’s Bring ‘Em Out.
The crowd seemed to be on the Patriots’ side here, so this could be a home game type feel for them.
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The New England Patriots are taking the field now, we’re getting closer to the kickoff.
Mike Atkinson returns:
‘The Patriot Way’ is a ‘lite’ version of ‘dictatorial’ (Malcolm Butler)
Ok three quick fire questions:
1) Marcus Peters is the Rams weak link if paired with Gronk; assuming Gilmore pairs up against Woods who he knows from Buffalo;
2) Jared Goff isn’t the QB that Sean McVay truly wants and isn’t a true No.1 pick level player; they will trade for Russell Wilson either before or in Free Agency in 2020
3) Baker Mayfield was robbed for OROY
You won’t hear me arguing the first point about the Patriot Way. Belichick’s a genius football man, not so much the cuddliest individual on the planet.
And time for an annual tradition from the great Paolo Bandini: How much does a beer cost at the Super Bowl.
How much does a beer cost at the Super Bowl? (2019 edition). I actually think this is pretty reasonable. $5 cheaper than last year! #SBLIII pic.twitter.com/SzS8rr6WRM
— Paolo Bandini (@Paolo_Bandini) February 3, 2019
Email from Justin Kavanagh:
Tom Brady’s MAGA hat stands for MAKE AMERICA GERIATRIC AGAIN, I presume?
It should be noted that this is indeed a generational matchup. On the Patriots side, Brady is 41 and Belichick is 66. For the Rams, we have head coach Sean McVay who is (ridiculously) 33 years old and quarterback Jared Goff who is 24. Should the Rams win, there could be a very strong passing-of-the-torch vibe.
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Most of the pre-game hosts on CBS are going with the New England Patriots. It’s 4-1 with only Nate Burleson picking the Rams. So much for the “nobody believed in us” line that New England is trying to push.
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Email from Roger Kirkby:
I hope the Pats become the Patsies tonight, it’s not the Rams fault that the call went their way, name any player that would go and complain to the refs “ya got it all wrong ref, I hit the guy before he got the ball” more chance of being bitten by a giraffe. The good news for fans in England, you can go to bed at halftime as the Rams are gonna blow out the Pats. 28 zip at the half.
After the Super Bowl against the Falcons, I’m not sure it’s ever safe to turn off a postseason game featuring the Patriots.
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So that’s the Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts among today’s winners. Can I change my prediction to Patriots over Rams?
🚨 Boston Red Sox Star Mookie Betts and PBA’s Tommy Jones win Chris Paul’s 2019 CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational Title! #PBA #GoBowling @mookiebetts @tommyjonespba pic.twitter.com/hzCkMw9kPQ
— PBA Tour (@PBATour) February 3, 2019
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Email from William Mann:
Hi there!
I’ve only ever watched the Patriots 4 & 1/2 times live on TV.
2007 Super Bowl XLII v Giants - they lost
2012 Super Bowl XLVI v Giants - they lost
2016 AFC Championship v Broncos - they lost
2018 Super Bowl LII v Eagles - they lost
The other 1/2 time I watched them was the 2017 Super Bowl LI v Falcons.
They were losing 21-3 at half-time, so I went to bed.
When I woke up, they had won....
I will be watching them tonight.
And the killer thing is: I actually support the Patriots!!!
From my apartment, I think I just heard all of Somerville MA yell “got to bed now!”
It should be noted that this could be Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s final game with the Patriots. Gronk, as he is affectionately known, already has established himself as one of the best to ever play the position – or possibly even the best. He’s been ineffective and dealing with an injuries for most of the year, so it’s probably the right time for him to considering it calling it quits before his body starts collapsing upon itself like a dying star.
The good news is that he’s apparently as healthy has been all year.
From @NFLGameDay: Come for specifics of what #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski battled all year, stay for me properly saying "bulging disc" on air with no snafus. pic.twitter.com/ZtA8ix9DrL
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 3, 2019
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Something to watch for during today’s game: the first male cheerleaders to perform at the Super Bowl. Lauren Aratani has the report:
Quinton Peron and Napoleon Jinnies of the Los Angeles Rams are set to be the first male cheerleaders to perform at a Super Bowl. The duo broke the gender barrier when they joined the team in March, becoming the first male cheerleaders in the NFL in recent memory (or, at the least, the first since 1987).
Male cheerleaders have had a presence in high school and college stunt-heavy cheerleading teams for years, but they have been largely absent from the cheerleading squads of pro teams. The Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts have men as stunt performers on their cheer teams. But Peron and Jinnies, both professional dancers, are notably on the Rams’ team to dance.
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Mike Atkinson:
Thanks for the response, here’s my take, Bellichik and the Pats are actually a ‘Billy Beane’ Oakland A’s type organisation.
They recruit players specifically for a single attribute that just happens to fit in with their identity (2 TE’s etc) at the time. They might be terrible at everything else but they possess one skill that compliments the play call direction.
Tom Brady is the classic example, he throws quick release slot routes of 15 yards and nothing else (or rarely anything else).
The genuine of Coach Bellichik is that he uses the identity of the Patriots to define the entire leagues style, he sets the tone, waits for everyone else to catch up, and then changes.
I fully expect him to draft a raft of safeties this year (and maybe Kyle Murray.....) and play 7 on defensive snaps as opposed to EDGE or MLB, simply because everybody else is trying to find ways to stop mobile QB’s.
My final point is this, and interested to get your take- The scariest thing about the Patriots is their aura, especially when it’s tight and clutch!, their players aren’t special (except for Gilmore).
Despite the fact that I’m writing this in the heart of Patriots country, I don’t really put much stock in more intangible things. I was never a big fan of the whole “Patriots Way” thing, for instance, especially since it seemed to be an incredible fungible thing. As you rightly point out, Belichick is always changing things up, emphasizing different elements of the game, etc. There’s not a single way.
Or maybe that unpredictability is the aura. It’s the preparing for the unpreparable.
Saints fans are lining the streets of New Orleans to protest the Super Bowl.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 3, 2019
(via @MichaelDeMocker) pic.twitter.com/CB2IHNA2uQ
I am guessing that they still aren’t over it.
Some news coming out of Atlanta, where law enforcement agents of all stripes have converged. Rapper 21 Savage has been apprehended by ICE
Authorities said the musician is in fact a British national who entered the US legally in 2005 but failed to leave under the terms of a nonimmigrant visa.
The rapper, whose given name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was placed in removal proceedings...
“Mr Abraham-Joseph was taken into Ice custody as he is unlawfully present in the US and also a convicted felon,” Cox said.
Abraham-Joseph has a history of gang activity and according to an Ice statement was convicted on felony drug charges in Fulton county, Georgia, in October 2014. He has been affiliated with the Atlanta music scene and performed in the city as recently as Thursday, as part of the Super Bowl Music Fest at State Farm Arena.
Usain Bolt, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist and former Central Coast Mariners striker, has been making the rounds in Atlanta and is in the building for tonight’s game.
Naturally, the 32-year-old world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 4×100m couldn’t resist trying his hand in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Experience expo when he passed through yesterday.
And, naturally, Bolt tied John Ross’s combine record of 4.22sec ... in sweatpants and sneakers. Sign him up.
Just saw Usain Bolt tie the fastest NFL 40 yard dash with 4.22 #SBLIII
— simon crosse (@simoncrosse) February 2, 2019
Wasn’t wearing running spikes either pic.twitter.com/Fv8fK2S9ZR
Email from Justin Kavanagh:
The ageless Tom Brady is slowly becoming American sports’ Picture of Dorian Gray. What else does that portrait in his attic now reveal, apart from deflated balls, I wonder?
A MAGA hat.
Email from Mike Atkinson:
Hi,
Here’s a question for you.
What do you think the production of players such as Edelman, Burkehead, James White (and preciously Amendola) would be like if they were playing for a different team, or even a different QB (Garroppolo)?
Gronk, Moss and to some extent Josh Gordon could succeed in any scheme, but how do the Pats get so much from really average players with attributes so far removed from the atypical for the position?
There’s no question that playing under Bill Belichick’s schemes and with Tom Brady, who is arguably the best quarterback in NFL history, brings out the best in players. I mean, one of the most impossible arguments in the sports right now is whether Belichick made Brady or Brady made Belichick, but it’s safe to say it’s a rather symbiotic relationship.
Julian Edelman is a great example of this, as he came in to replace Wes Welker, who put up huge members, and he has already surpassed Welker’s numbers in the postseason. Of course, since Belichick is the one putting together his own team, the answer might be that he’s really good at finding the players whose talents complement each other. I think that might be the best way to put it without denigrating the skills of the players themselves. He puts people in the best position to win.
Meanwhile, the Super Bowl pregame show is already in full swing. Right now they have Tim McGraw who presumably didn’t have much pressure on him to skip the proceedings. That’s not true for every performer.
This might be a good sign for the New England Patriots. The Boston Celtics, playing an afternoon game just beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 134-129. The home crowd’s chant in the game’s final minute? “Beat L.A.,” of course. What else?
For those of you interested in counter-programming, Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl” is still going on although you have missed the halftime act.
It’s time now for the headline act… Purr-oon 5 with Adam Feline!
— Animal Planet (@AnimalPlanet) February 3, 2019
🎶meeeowowowow meow yowyow 🎶#PuppyBowl #PuppyBowlXV pic.twitter.com/EmAz7gBO6Z
This has to be a marked improvement over the actual Super Bowl halftime act.
As much as we’d love to just stick to sports, that’s pretty much impossible with a cultural institution like the Super Bowl given the current political landscape. As much as ever, the NFL has been a cultural battlefield and the Guardian’s Tom Dart wrote about this earlier this week.
A couple of months later in 2016, the then San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, began to protest against police brutality and racism by kneeling when the Star-Spangled Banner was played before games.
A backlash against his stance fuelled by criticism from Donald Trump both as a Republican presidential candidate and after he entered the White House helped politicise and polarise America’s favourite sport.
Now, the focus this weekend is not only on the glitz of the $1.5bn (£1.15bn) Mercedes-Benz stadium and whether the New England Patriots can beat the Los Angeles Rams to secure a record sixth title for their 41-year-old star quarterback, Tom Brady. A yearly event that was essentially an overblown party and corporate moneyspinner is also now a vehicle for difficult questions about the past, present and future of civil rights in America.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/31/super-bowl-nfl-civil-rights-social-justice
In October, Guardian Cities and Guardian US partnered to report live from Atlanta, celebrating the gateway city of the “new south” for its triumphs and reckoning with its challenges.
One piece of Guardian Atlanta week included a football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where tonight’s game takes place. Only the focus was Atlanta United, the second-year MLS club that’s become the most improbable phenomenon in American sports today – and a vibrant symbol of a new Atlanta.
Atlanta United wound up averaging more than 53,000 fans for their home games in their second season, ranking them among the top 20 clubs in the world.
Kind of insane the crowds Atlanta United have been drawing in a part of the country not exactly known as a traditional hotbed for soccer (or pro sports in general). Average attendance at end of sophomore season ranked among the top 20 clubs in the world. pic.twitter.com/Hd5q1J57nZ
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) December 9, 2018
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All 8 of the Brady/Belichick Super Bowls have been decided by 8 or fewer points.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 3, 2019
The average margin of victory in those games was 4.3 points. The average margin of victory in every other Super Bowl is 15.8 points. pic.twitter.com/kcd4zyhj7J
Here’s good news for those hoping for a close game, despite all of the blowouts that we had earlier in the playoffs. Not great news for Patriots fans hoping for a smooth victory, although something tells me that there’s not going to be a whole lot of sympathy out there for fans of the team with five Super Bowl wins since 2001.
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@HunterFelt I have two questions for you. 1) How much 21 personnel are you expecting from the Patriots and how are they going to contain Aaron Donald to get to that weak LB core?
— Michael (@michael_ll5) February 3, 2019
2) Is Aqib Talib a HOFer? What about if he wins this ring?
1. I don’t pretend to be an expert with the Xs and Os of football, but I suspect we’ll see a whole bunch of New England’s 21 personnel (two backs, one tight end, two wide receivers). They’ve used that formation 44% of the time since the Josh Gordon suspension.
As far as Aaron Donald, I have absolutely no idea how to possibly contain him: the tackle is the best defensive player in the league.
2. With regards to Aqib Talib, the cornerback who is currently with the Rams but spent some time in New England: I’m not sure he’s a HOFer yet, but a win here along, to go with the ring he earned with the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, would certainly be an impressive bullet to add to his resume.
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How the Rams got here
The Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints battled for the best record in the NFL for all of the regular season and they both finished with identical 13-3 marks. It came as no surprise they were the last two teams standing in the NFC. After beating the Dallas Cowboys 30-22, the Rams traveled to New Orleans for what’s gone down as one of the most infamous NFC championship games in NFL history.
Trailing by three points with less than two minutes left, the Saints were deep in Los Angeles territory poised to score a game-winning touchdown – or at the very least drain the clock and kick a game-winning field goal. Instead, on 3rd and 10, the Rams got away with a blatantly obvious bit of defensive pass interference. Had it been correctly called, the Saints would have received a fresh set of downs to work with and almost certainly would have won. Instead, they settled for a field goal and had to return possession to the Rams, who tied the game on their drive. The Rams won 26-23 in overtime on a 57-yard Greg Zuerlein field goal and Saints fans, well, they sued.
And they’re protesting on the streets of New Orleans today.
Video: Thousands of Saints fans second-line through downtown in a massive display of festive anger. pic.twitter.com/CK5Nedxnr7
— Michael DeMocker (@MichaelDeMocker) February 3, 2019
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How the Patriots got here
It’s hard to say it with a straight face since they made it all the way to the Super Bowl, but the Patriots have had a rather mediocre season by their stratospheric standards. They were a mere 11-5 in the regular season, with their perfect record at home at Gillette Stadium balanced out by a less-than-perfect road mark of 3-5. It was, however, good enough to give them a much-needed bye week that allowed them to skip the first round of the playoffs.
In the divisional round, they knocked off the other Los Angeles team, the Chargers, a 41-28 blowout that was by no mean, as close as the scoreline indicates. They had more of a struggle with newly minted MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game. After taking a late lead in a back-and-forth barnburner, the Chiefs were able to force overtime. Unfortunately for Kansas City, they were burnt by the NFL’s rules which allows for a game to end if a team scores a touchdown on the first possession of OT. The Chiefs lost the coin toss, the Patriots got the ball and Rex Burkhead scored the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots won 37-31.
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Guardian US columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, writes that tonight’s Super Bowl will be a “three-way bare-knuckle brawl between the perpetually dueling American values of competition, commerce and conscience”.
This clash of conscience is one of the reasons why the NFL struggled to find performers for its halftime show, even though an appearance would mean being exposed to over a hundred million viewers in the United States alone. That can translate into a lot of money. Yet famous singers such as Cardi B, Jay Z, and Rihanna refused to perform out of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, who has been blackballed for his non-violent, non-verbal message that there is racial inequality and injustice in America. Instead, they have Maroon 5, Big Boi, Travis Scott, and, to sing the national anthem, Gladys Knight. The backlash against the NFL and these performers resulted in the league cancelling the traditional pre-game news conference for the half-time show performers, with the excuse, “As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday.”
Clearly, it isn’t just “about the music”, but also about what the Super Bowl represents. Our ethics aren’t drowned out by Moves Like Jagger as if we were kittens distracted by a laser pointer. Given the increasing political divisiveness in the country, the game isn’t just a game, it’s a cultural symbol of what we stand for and what we turn our backs on. President Trump made football a much bigger political icon in 2017 when he told NFL owners they should fire or suspend any player who takes a knee because that’s disrespecting the flag. He saw no irony in the fact that his calling for the punishment of people who peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights was exactly why the Founders created the First Amendment. Since taking office, Trump has lied to the country over 8,000 times – an egregious disrespect of the flag, the Constitution, and the country. His daily crock of lies has slowed slightly since he got crock-blocked by Nancy Pelosi, but he is still the quarterback to the NFL’s anti-free speech blitz.
@hunterfelt If you'd told 11-year-old me in 1986 that there would be a Superbowl between the Patriots and the Rams, I'd have laughed for about three years straight.
— Shaun (@TonmeisterJones) February 3, 2019
And it’s actually the second one! Well, kind of. Super Bowl XXXVI took place between the New England Patriots and the Rams, who then were based in St Louis. It ended up being New England’s first Super Bowl win, capped off by a memorable drive by the Patriots, who had no timeouts in a tie game with only 1:30 left in regulation. Tom Brady navigated them down the field for an Adam Vinatieri game-winning field goal with time expiring.
You’ll be forgiven if you remember the halftime show a bit better.
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Hello, my name’s Hunter Felt and I’ll be navigating this blog from here until around kickoff. I’ll be here to provide you with all the background you’ll need before today’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams. If you want to contribute to the liveblog, you can send your comments, predictions, questions, Super Bowl memories and fan mail to @HunterFelt or hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com.
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We’re just under four hours till kickoff. For now we’ll hand things off to Hunter Felt.
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Tonight’s game is the third Super Bowl to be played in Atlanta after the Dallas Cowboys’ 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills in 1994 and the St Louis Rams’ 23-16 triumph over the Tennessee Titans in 2000.
Both of those games took place in the Georgia Dome, the iconic Atlanta venue that was demolished 440 days ago. Never forget.
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The Patriots are back at the final hurdle after last year’s come-from-ahead loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. History suggests that doesn’t bode well. The last five teams to reach the Super Bowl after losing it the previous year have all lost: the 1974 Vikings, the 1987 Broncos, 1991 Bills, the 1992 Bills and the 1993 Bills.
Some more background bric-a-brac from the pre-game notes:
- New England earned a trip to the Super Bowl with a 37-31 overtime win against Kansas City in the AFC championship game. The Patriots join the Buffalo Bills (1990-93) and Miami Dolphins (1971-73) as the only teams in the Super Bowl era to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls.
- The Rams advanced to today’s title game with a 26-23 overtime victory against New Orleans in the NFC championship game. Los Angeles kicker Greg Zuerlein converted the game-winning 57-yard field goal in overtime, the longest game-winning field goal in postseason history.
- Los Angeles advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history (1979, 1999 and 2001) and are looking for their second Super Bowl title.
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady will be making their ninth Super Bowl appearance together, the most NFL title games for any head coach and starting quarterback duo in league history. Belichick and Brady have won five Super Bowls together, the most by a head coach and starting quarterback combination.
- Brady, who is making his NFL-record ninth career Super Bowl start, is the only starting quarterback in league history to win five Super Bowls and the only player ever to be named Super Bowl MVP four times (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX and LI).
- Brady set a Super Bowl record with 505 passing yards last year and is the all-time leader in Super Bowl passing yards (2,576), completions (235), passing attempts (357) and touchdown passes (18). He is also the NFL postseason leader in wins by a starting quarterback (29), completions (984), passing attempts (1,554), passing yards (10,917) and touchdown passes (73).
- New England rookie running back Sony Michel has five rushing touchdowns this postseason, the most rushing touchdowns by a rookie in postseason history. Michel has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his first two career postseason appearances and can join Arian Foster as the only players in postseason history to rush for at least 100 yards in each of their first three playoff games.
- Patriots running back James White, who had a rushing touchdown in Super Bowl LII, has scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) in two career Super Bowl appearances. Over the past three postseasons (2016-2018), White leads the NFL with eight total touchdowns.
- New England tight end Rob Gronkowski has 12 touchdown receptions in his postseason career and trails only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (22) for the most in NFL playoff history. Gronkowski’s 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions are the most ever by a tight end in NFL postseason history.
- Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, who is 33 years and 10 days old today, is the youngest head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl. In each of the past two seasons under McVay, the Rams have ranked first or second in points per game.
- Rams quarterback Jared Goff, the No 1 overall selection in the 2016 NFL draft, is the first quarterback selected No 1 overall to reach the Super Bowl within his first three seasons. Four quarterbacks (Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and John Elway, and Drew Bledsoe and Eli Manning) each reached the Super Bowl in their fourth season.
- Los Angeles running back Todd Gurley has rushed for a touchdown in each of the team’s two postseason games this season. Gurley led the NFL with 21 touchdowns (17 rushing, four receiving) and ranked fourth with 1,831 scrimmage yards. Rams running back CJ Anderson leads the team in postseason rushing and has 481 rushing yards in the postseason since 2014, the most in the NFL over that span.
- In the NFC championship game, Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks led the team with seven receptions and 107 receiving yards. Cooks had 80 catches and 1,204 receiving yards in the regular season and became the first player in NFL history to record at least 1,000 receiving yards with three different teams in three consecutive seasons. With New England in 2017, Cooks recorded 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns and added 10 receptions for 155 yards in the playoffs.
- Los Angeles defensive tackle Aaron Donald led the NFL with 20.5 sacks in 2018 and joined Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor (1986) as the only players to record 20+ sacks and make it to the Super Bowl in the same season. Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh recorded 1.5 sacks in the NFC championship game and has recorded at least one sack in three of his past four playoff games.
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Donald Trump spoke to CBS in an interview broadcast today and gave some of his thoughts on the NFL and football in general. Despite bemoaning the fact in 2016 that, in his opinion, safety measures to combat concussions have made football “soft”, the president today said he’d rather his son Barron played soccer as football is a “dangerous sport”.
“I just don’t like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football,” Trump said on CBS’s Face the Nation this morning. “I mean, it’s a dangerous sport and … I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better but it hasn’t solved the problem.
“So, you know, I hate to say it because I love to watch football. I think the NFL is a great product, but I really think that as far as my son, well I’ve heard NFL players saying they wouldn’t let their sons play football. So. It’s not totally unique, but I would have a hard time with it.”
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death, has been found in hundreds of former football players although it is most commonly associated with NFL veterans rather than young athletes. Symptoms of CTE include depression, suicidal thoughts, memory loss and mood swings.
The specter of brain trauma – along with the controversy over the national anthem protests – was one of the reasons given for the NFL’s decline in ratings last season. Many people thought viewers no longer wanted to watch a sport that may end up killing many of its participants (although NFL ratings have risen again this season).
There’s little doubt that brain trauma concerns the NFL. Several high-profile former players have taken their own lives, including two players who starred for one of today’s Super Bowl teams, the New England Patriots. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau took his own life in 2012 and Aaron Hernandez ended his own life in prison in 2017 while serving a life sentence for murder. Both men were later found to have been suffering from CTE at the times of their death. Significantly, Seau shot himself in the chest, which meant his brain could be studied after his death.
It’s not just professional players who suffer brain trauma however. Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski was suffering from CTE when he took his own life in 2018, according to his family. “[Tyler] had the brain of a 65-year-old, which is really hard to take,” his father, Mark, said.
CTE fears appear to be hitting football at its roots. Recent studies have shown that high school football participation rates have dropped in recent years just as “safer” sports such as baseball, soccer and basketball are growing.
There are signs that the NFL’s measures to make the game safer – such as discouraging helmet-to-helmet tackles, strengthening checks for concussion during games and developing safer equipment – are working. Concussions were down 29% in the 2018 regular season, although many would argue that even a single concussion is one too many.
Super Bowl LIII will be an indoor game. NFL officials have confirmed the retractable roof over Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be closed during on-field warm-ups, opened for the pre-game pomp, national anthem and flyover, then closed again for the game in light of the 50F forecast.
We’re about six hours from kickoff of Super Bowl LIII between the AFC champion New England Patriots against the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams, the first title game matchup between No 2 seeds since the NFL began seeding teams in 1975. Our if you’re just parachuting in, our handy guide to America’s biggest sports night will get you up to speed. But here’s a quick look at what’s at stake:
With a New England victory ...
- The Patriots will have captured their sixth Super Bowl championship, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers (six) for most in NFL history.
- New England will have won their 37th postseason game, surpassing Pittsburgh (36) for the most all-time.
- Head coach Bill Belichick will join George Halas and Curly Lambeau as the only coaches ever to win six NFL championships.
- Quarterback Tom Brady will have won a sixth Super Bowl, surpassing Charles Haley (five) for the most of any player.
With a Los Angeles win ...
- The Rams will celebrate the second Super Bowl victory in the history of their franchise (after Super Bowl XXXIV) and their first in Los Angeles.
- At age 33, head coach Sean McVay will become the youngest coach ever to win the Super Bowl. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin holds the current mark at age 36.
- Quarterback Jared Goff will become the first quarterback selected No 1 overall in the NFL draft to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory within his first three seasons.
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Our very own Paolo Bandini managed to call today’s match-up when we made our pre-season predictions back in September. He said then that the Rams would beat the Patriots, and he’s sticking to that pick today. Here’s how our panel of writers see today’s game playing out:
New England Patriots 24-21 Los Angeles Rams. Every time the Patriots play in the Super Bowl it’s a close game. Their differential in Super Bowls in the Brady-Belichick era is +3; their largest margin of victory has been six points. This game will be no different. The Rams have elite-level talent all over the field on both sides of the ball, but I’m backing Brady and Belichick to pick out and exploit LA’s weaknesses. Oliver Connolly
New England Patriots 34-28 Los Angeles Rams. Considering the fast track under the dome in Atlanta and the points these teams have put up, you can expect video game levels of offense throughout. It only matters who has the ball last, and it’s Brady and Belichick: we all know the script by now. David Lengel
New England Patriots 24-27 Los Angeles Rams. While it’s never wise to bet against the Patriots, it’s possible to say that they overachieved just to make it this far, coming out of one of their least impressive regular seasons of the Brady/Belichick era and requiring a coin flip to help them to beat the Chiefs. The Patriots Dynasty began with a three-point win over a very talented Rams team, it would be poetic for it to finish with a three-point loss to a Rams team that just so happens to also have a great young quarterback in Goff and a celebrated head coach in Sean McVay. Hunter Felt
New England Patriots 31-33 Los Angeles Rams. Because (humblebrag alert) Rams over Patriots was my preseason pick for the Super Bowl, and I can’t come this far and back out now. Paolo Bandini
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Atlanta has escaped the worst of the polar vortex that has frozen large parts of the United States this week. Super Bowl Sunday has started mild and overcast. There are a few showers forecast for this afternoon, and a decision is yet to be made on weather the roof at the Mercedes-Benz stadium will be open or not for the game. Atlanta has done a fine job as a host so far, and there’s been a lively atmosphere over the last few days, helped by the ridiculously helpful and welcoming volunteers. Judging by the jerseys on the streets, support is split between evenly between the Patriots and Rams although most residents here are backing the Rams.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look at how one of today’s coaches has stayed on top for nearly two decades (clue: it’s not the guy in his early 30s):
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