The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever by a score of 13-3 on Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Mercedez Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA — largelydue to MVP wide receiver Julian Edelman’s consistent catching.

The first quarter remained scoreless as both defenses dida stellar job pressuring the opposing quarterback. Immediately on Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady’s first throw, Rams cornerback Cory Littleton intercepted the pass intended for Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan. Despite the decent start due to the rushing ability of Patriots rookie running back Sony Michel, Brady turned over the ball. The Patriots missed another early opportunity when kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 46-yard field goal. The Rams punted on all three of their possessions, which left the score at 0-0.

“Their front 7 did a phenomenal job. They shut the Rams down. They played very sound football. And the biggest thing is they didn’t fall for the Rams’ play action. The secondary did a great job staying home and making plays. It was an awesome defensive performance by both sides but especially the Patriots,”  DV teacher Drew Kravitz said.

In the second quarter, the Patriots scored the first points of the game when Gostkowski nailed a 42-yard field goal. The Rams punted after all three of their drives, similar to the first quarter. In addition, the Patriots missed another chance when Brady and tight end Robert Gronkowski failed to connect on a 4th-and-1 short pass from the Rams’ 32-yard line. As a result, the Patriots led the Rams 3-0 going into halftime.

“Defensively, they [Patriots] completely had the Rams figured out. The Rams work really well out of the 11-personnel and the Patriots defended it very well. I think I read somewhere that they don’t really defend well against a 12-personnel and the Rams barely did. On the offensive side, they weren’t great, and the Rams played really good defense. Offensively, the Rams didn’t really have an answer for Brady and Edelman. That was huge,” DV teacher Philip Nho said.

As the second half began, the Rams continued to offensively struggle as they punted on their first two drives. However, they gained late momentum when kicker Greg Zuerlein made a 53-yard field goal, which was the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were also unable to execute effectively as they punted on three drives in a row. As a result, the Rams tied the game at 3-3 before the fourth quarter.

In the final fifteen minutes of the NFL season, the Patriots clearly dominated as they have done so in past experience. Michel barged for two yards into the end zone to score the first touchdown of the game. The Patriots fans in the crowd loudly cheered as the team celebrated in the end zone. Despite the score, the Rams continued to compete until Rams quarterback Jared Goff threw a costly red zone interception on a pass intended to wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Patriots veteran cornerback Stephon Gillmore perfectly positioned himself to pick the pass. Due to Patriots running back Ryan Burkhead and Michel’s top-level rushing, Gostkowski successfully knocked in a 41-yard field goal. With just over a minute left, the Rams scrambled to position themselves for a field goal. However, the game ended when Zuerlein missed a costly 48-yard field goal. As a result, the Patriots won the Super Bowl by a score of 13-3.

“I think the fact that they [Rams] didn’t really get the run game going was negative for them. Other than that, I tribute it more to the Patriots’ defensive effort over the Rams shortcomings. I definitely think that Goff struggled and made that big mistake in the end. That interception was a bummer, but I think the Patriots just dominated defensively,” Kravitz said.

Even though the NFL season is over, the 2019 NFL Draft will occur on April 25 to April 27 in Nashville, TN. In addition, all 32 teams will attempt to gather free agents to strengthen their roster for the upcoming 2019 season. Along with the other 30 teams, both the Patriots and Rams will try to contend for the Super Bowl title next year.

“As long as Belichick and Brady are there, they will always be a contender. The Rams’ future is bright; they are a young team. Goff is 24 years old. Sean McVay is only 33. I think their future is bright. I think they will be in the conversation for NFC champs next year,” Nho said.