New England Patriots win franchise’s sixth Super Bowl, defeat Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta

ATLANTA — The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams played in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in the game’s history on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The Patriots won 13-3 to clinch the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl, its second in five years. The previous lowest points total was the 14-7 Super Bowl VII in 1972 between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins.

The game was dominated by defense and the Patriots’ and Rams’ punters, Ryan Allen and Johnny Hekker, respectively. The two teams combined for 14 punts, including nine from Hekker, and one of the few offensive stars was the Super Bowl MVP, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who had 10 catches for 141 yards.

New England engineered the game’s first touchdown drive when it took over from its own 31-yard line with 9:49 left in the game. The Patriots passed four times, including a 29-yard pass from Tom Brady to tight end Rob Gronkowski that set up first-and-goal from the 2-yard line. The Patriots capped the five-play, 2:49 drive with a touchdown run from former University of Georgia running back Sony Michel with 7:00 left in the game.

The Rams started their ensuing drive by gaining 48 yards on five plays, but third-year quarterback Jared Goff lobbed a lofty pass that was intercepted by Stephon Gilmore. The Patriots took over up 10-3 with 4:17 left in the game.

New England drove the ball 72 yards and took off 3:05. It was sparked by a 26-yard run on second-and-9 from the 5-yard line for Michel. He finished the game with 94 yards rushing on 18 carries. Rex Burkhead added a second 26-yard run to bring the Patriots within field goal range. Stephen Gostkowski made a 41-yard field goal with 1:12 left in the game to give the Patriots a 13-3 lead.

Los Angeles Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein delivered the Rams’ first and only points in the third quarter to tie the game 3-3. He sent the Rams to the Super Bowl with a game-winning field goal against the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Championship Game, but he was questionable to start for most of the week. He missed with five seconds left in the game, allowing the Patriots to seal the championship with a kneel down on the next play.

New England out-gained Los Angeles 407-260.

Los Angeles’ offense struggled to gain with two first downs and no points in the first half. The Rams faced six third downs and converted none of them. Los Angeles totaled 57 yards in the first half.

Rams running back and Georgia alum Todd Gurley was extremely limited, as he has been throughout the playoffs. He had rushed 20 times for 125 yards entering the game and added 16 carries for 35 yards in the Super Bowl.

New England scored first on a 42-yard field goal for Stephen Gostkowski with 10:29 left in the second quarter. Two drives earlier, Gostkowski missed from 46 yards.

After throwing his first pass for an interception, Brady found a passing rhythm. He completed 15 of 25 passes. Edelman had seven catches for 93 yards in the first half, including a 25-yard catch on the drive that set up New England’s field goal. Though New England out-gained Los Angeles by 138 yards, the Patriots had zero first-half trips to the red zone.