The New England Patriots Claim Victory After Longest Touchdown Drought in Super Bowl Ever

The New England Patriots Claim Victory After Longest Touchdown Drought in Super Bowl Ever
New England Patriots' Tom Brady speaks to the media after winning the Super Bowl LIII. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

ATLANTA—For those who may have dozed off … the Patriots have won the Super Bowl.

New England topped the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a game that dragged the high-def NFL back to the days of black-and-white TV. It was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in the 53-year history of the game.

Tom Brady captured his record sixth NFL title by throwing for 262 yards, without a touchdown. The Patriots have now matched the Steelers with their record-tying sixth Super Bowl title.

Julian Edelman caught 10 passes for 141 yards; he was the day’s only consistent offensive threat.

Brady engineered the game’s lone touchdown drive —a five-play, 69-yard march punctuated by an over-the-shoulder, 29-yard throw into the hands of tight end Rob Gronkowski. On the next play, Sony Michel scored on a 2-yard plunge with 7 minutes to play for a 10-3 lead.

But the real stars of this game were the New England defenders, who smothered Rams quarterback Jared Goff, holding him to 229 yards that felt like less.

After New England’s score, Goff moved the Rams down to the New England 28 with 4:30 left. But the third-year quarterback threw one up for grabs near the end zone and cornerback Stephon Gilmore stepped in front for the interception.

The Rams, who averaged 32.9 points a game this season, joined the Miami Dolphins —from Super Bowl 6 in 1972—as the only the second team not to muster a touchdown in the title game.

The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 on Sunday, Feb. 3, to capture a National Football League record-tying sixth Super Bowl title.

Despite the record breaking touchdown drought during the game, the championship got off to an electric start with the legendary Gladys Knight performing the national anthem.

Her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” drew enthusiastic applause from the tens of thousands of people at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Knight’s version of the anthem went for 1 minute and 47 seconds.

“I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta,” Knight told CBS News in a Feb. 1 report.

She added: “The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year.”

Knight told the “Today” show on Feb. 1 that she saw her performance as an opportunity to bring unity to the country. “I felt like I could do my part,” she said.

She added: “It is unfortunate that our National Anthem has been dragged into this debate when the distinctive senses of the National Anthem and fighting for justice should each stand alone.”

“I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3 to give the Anthem back its voice,” Knight said, “to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life, from walking back hallways, from marching with our social leaders, from using my voice for good.”

She continued: “I have been in the forefront of this battle longer than most of those voicing their opinions to win the right to sing our country’s Anthem on a stage as large as the Super Bowl LIII.

“No matter who chooses to deflect with this narrative and continue to mix these two in the same message, it is not so and cannot be made so by anyone speaking it.”

The Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

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