By Nancy Armour |
This was a Super Bowl only punters and defensive coordinators could love.
And everyone eager for the NFL to get a little comeuppance.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots got their sixth ring in a Super Bowl that was historically boring – and not just because it was another title for Brady & Co. New England’s 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams was the fewest points in Super Bowl history, topping the 21 points in Super Bowl VII, when Miami beat Washington 14-7.
The 3-3 score after three quarters was the lowest in Super Bowl history, the first time in 53 games a touchdown hadn’t been scored through the first 45 minutes. The Rams punted on their first eight drives and nine times total.
Even halftime act Maroon 5 was a dud. And that’s saying something considering the low expectations for Adam Levine and friends.
The game was so blah that the NFL’s halftime commercial, which featured some of the game’s all-time greats in a promotion for the upcoming 100th anniversary season, was the highlight of the entire night.
It was a comedown after the conference championships, which featured two of the most exciting games of the season. But it was fitting, as well. For the past two weeks, the NFL was battered for the no-call that helped the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, the latest officiating gaffe in a season full of them.
The NFL failed to make a public statement about the call until Commissioner Roger Goodell’s news conference Wednesday, infuriating fans in New Orleans and elsewhere.
This while the NFL was being called out by big-name musical acts, who wanted no part of the game while Colin Kaepernick continues to be blackballed.
But that will be of little matter to Brady and the Patriots, who are the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to win a Super Bowl a year after losing it.
The Rams defense was spectacular all night, but all Brady and the Patriots needed was one drive, and they got that in the fourth quarter. Brady found Julian Edelman on a 13-yard gain to get New England across midfield, and two plays later, connected with Rob Gronkowski for a 29-yard gain that put the Patriots at the Rams 2.
Sony Michel, who played at Georgia, ran it in, setting off pandemonium among Patriots fans and waking the rest of the country from their Super Bowl slumber.
This article was republished with permission from the original author and 2015 Ronald Reagan Media Award recipient, Nancy Armour, and the original publisher, USA Today. Follow columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.