The Super Bowl is the biggest game in all of American sports.
The stage is never bigger and the lights are never brighter than when a Lombardi Trophy hangs in the balance. Hundreds of millions of fans from around the world tune in to watch the spectacle, with athletes at the highest level putting it all on the line to win the ultimate prize.
That's why it's so disappointing when the game is a total dud.
There have been plenty of underwhelming Super Bowls through the years. Some have been blowouts, with one team dominating from start to finish, while others have been low-scoring defensive battles.
But only one holds the title of lowest-scoring Super Bowl.
What is the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever?
The title belongs to Super Bowl 53, which featured the Patriots taking on Rams in 2019. New England came out on top 13-3 in an ugly defensive battle.
Many regard it as the worst Super Bowl of all time in terms of entertainment value, which is saying something, considering all the blowouts through the years.
RT if that was the WORST Super Bowl ever 🤢 pic.twitter.com/gFFjzlVxMx
— Overtime (@overtime) February 4, 2019
Part of what made the game such a letdown was the fact that no one saw it coming.
The Rams were magnificent on offense throughout Sean McVay's first season at the helm. They finished second in the NFL in points scored and total yards. Jared Goff seemed to be hitting his stride at quarterback in his second year as a pro. Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, a young Cooper Kupp and former NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley provided Goff some serious firepower.
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On the other side, the Patriots were led by arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Tom Brady. He had plenty of offensive weapons at his disposal, too, including Rob Gronkowski and a rejuvenated Julian Edelman, who was coming off a torn ACL in the previous season.
A look back at Super Bowl 53
The Patriots received the opening kickoff and drove into Rams territory on their opening possession. But Brady's first pass of the night was tipped and intercepted, giving the Rams a great opportunity to capitalize on the turnover.
They couldn't do it, and after a quick punt, the Patriots began driving once again. They got into field goal range, giving kicker Stephen Gostkowski a chance to give New England the lead. He missed from 46 yards.
After another Rams punt, Brady fumbled to squander another good-looking drive. The first quarter came to a close with the score still 0-0.
The second quarter wasn't much better. New England finally got on the board thanks to a Gostkowski field goal, but Goff and the Rams continued to look out of sorts on offense. The half ended with the Patriots leading 3-0. It was the second-lowest halftime score in Super Bowl history, behind only a 2-0 tally in Super Bowl 9 between the Steelers and Vikings.
McVay's vaunted offense managed only 57 yards and two first downs in the entire first half. Still, the Rams found themselves down by just three points thanks to Brady's uncharacteristic miscues.
Maroon 5 did the best they could to energize a sluggish crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the halftime show, but it didn't seem to have much effect.
The second half started with more of the same. The first four drives ended with punts, and half of the third quarter went by with no excitement whatsoever.
Then, finally, the Rams managed to put a drive together. Catches by Cooks and Woods moved them into Patriots territory, and Greg Zuerlein boomed a 53-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3.
That's how the scoreboard looked entering the fourth quarter. For the first time in Super bowl history, neither team had scored a touchdown in the first three quarters. But despite the low score, at least it was a close game, right?
Well, Brady had different ideas. He proceeded to lead the Patriots on the longest drive of the game, chewing up clock and marching down the field. When Sony Michel capped it off with a 2-yard touchdown run, the Patriots held what seemed like a commanding 10-3 lead heading into the final seven minutes.
Los Angeles got the ball back, and Goff managed to lead his team down to the New England 27. Then, he threw a crucial interception into the hands of Stephon Gilmore. It gave the Patriots a chance to put the game to bed.
Despite keeping Brady and Co. in check most of the game, the Rams' defense couldn't get a stop when it needed one most. The Patriots picked up yards at will on the ground, which led to a 41-yard Gostkowski field goal to stretch the lead to 13-3 with 1:21 to play.
Los Angeles put up one last desperate effort, but when a Zuerlein field goal attempt sailed wide with eight seconds left, the game was over. The Patriots were victorious in possibly the most boring Super Bowl ever played.
Julian Edelman was named MVP of the game after racking up 10 catches for 141 yards. It was Brady's sixth Lombardi Trophy and his last as a member of the Patriots.
Records set in Super Bowl 53
The game set several Super Bowl records, for the wrong reasons.
| Fewest touchdowns, first three quarters (both teams) | 0 |
| Fewest touchdowns (both teams, game) | 1 |
| Fewest PATs (both teams, game) | 1 |
| Fewest points, first three quarters (both teams) | 6 |
| Fewest points (both teams, game) | 16 |
We can only hope that those records stand for a long time.
