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Super Bowl LIII



Super Bowl LIII is an upcoming American football game between the two-time defending American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The game is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the Patriots, led by second-year head coach Bill Belichick and back-up quarterback Tom Brady, defeated the heavily favored Rams, who played in St. Louis at the time, 20–17. The game is scheduled to be played on February 3, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This will be the third Super Bowl in Atlanta, which previously hosted Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994 and Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 at the Georgia Dome.
The Patriots are making their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, their fourth in five years, their record 11th overall, and ninth under the Belichick–Brady head coach–quarterback tandem; the Patriots are also the first team to play in three consecutive Super Bowls since the Buffalo Bills played in four straight from Super Bowl XXV through Super Bowl XXVIII. The Patriots are only the third team overall to play in three consecutive Super Bowls, after the aforementioned Bills and the 1971–73 Miami Dolphins. The Rams are making their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, their first appearance in the Super Bowl since moving back to Los Angeles in 2016, and their first as a franchise since Super Bowl XXXVI.
Background
Host-selection process

On May 19, 2015, the league announced the four finalists that will compete to host Super Bowl LIII in 2019, LIV in 2020, and LV in 2021. NFL owners voted on these cities on May 24, 2016, with the first round of voting determining the host for Super Bowl LIII, the second round deciding a different site for Super Bowl LIV, and the third round deciding the site for Super Bowl LV. The four finalists for Super Bowl LIII, all in the Southeastern United States, were:[5][6]
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia: This will be the first Super Bowl played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after it opened in 2017. The city has previously hosted two Super Bowls at the Georgia Dome, with the last being Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida: South Florida has previously hosted 10 Super Bowls, with the last being Super Bowl XLIV in 2010.
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana: New Orleans has previously hosted 10 Super Bowls, with the last being Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida: Tampa has hosted four Super Bowls, with the last being Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.
After three votes, Atlanta was awarded Super Bowl LIII at the NFL owners' meeting on May 24, 2016. The losing candidates, except for New Orleans which removed itself from the voting for all games except Super Bowl LIII due to event conflicts in 2020 and 2021, were then pitted against Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California for Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LV hosting rights. Miami eventually won the rights to host Super Bowl LIV, and Los Angeles won the rights to host Super Bowl LV.[7][8]  However, on May 23, 2017, NFL owners opted to award Super Bowl LV to Tampa and give Super Bowl LVI to Los Angeles after it was announced that Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park would open in 2020 due to construction delays. New Orleans would be awarded Super Bowl LVIII.
The NFL unveiled the official logo for Super Bowl LIII in February 2018; it is a navy blue-tinted version of the design introduced at Super Bowl LI, and the overall branding of the game will feature use of blue and red. The host committee logo features a stylized overhead rendition of Mercedes-Benz Stadium's roof.[9]
Teams
The NFC is represented by the number-two playoff seed Los Angeles Rams, while the AFC is represented by the number-two playoff seed New England Patriots.
New England Patriots

New England finished the 2018 season with an 11–5 record to earn the #2 seed in the AFC and their 17th season with double digit wins in their 19 years under 66-year old head coach Bill Belichick. They went on to join the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills as the only teams in NFL history to ever reach three consecutive Super Bowls. Though the team had only two Pro Bowl selections, they scored 436 points (4th in the league) while giving up only 325 (7th fewest)
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady earned his 14th Pro Bowl selection at age 41, finishing the season with 4,355 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, with only 11 interceptions, while also rushing for 35 yards and two more scores on the ground. These totals made him just the second quarterback in NFL history to amass 70,000 career passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards. His top receiver from the previous season, Brandin Cooks, was traded to the eventual Super Bowl rival Rams, but Julian Edelman, who had missed the previous season with an torn ACL injury, returned to lead the team with 74 receptions for 850 yards and 6 touchdowns, while also returning 20 punts for 154 yards. Other key receivers included Chris Hogan  (35 receptions for 553 yards and 3 touchdowns) and Josh Gordon (40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns), though Gordon would end up leaving the team to focus on his mental health after 11 games when faced with a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Tight end Rob Gronkowski added 47 receptions for 682 yards and 3 scores. Meanwhile, the running game featured a dynamic new weapon, rookie halfback Sony Michel, who lead the team with 931 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, along with veteran James White who racked up 1,176 yards from scrimmage while leading the team in receptions (87) and total touchdowns (12). On special teams, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson returned 23 kickoffs for 663 yards and a touchdown, an average of 28.8 yards per return (3rd in the NFL), while also catching 21 passes for 247 yards, rushing for 228 yards, and scoring four touchdown on offense.
On defense, defensive end Trey Flowers led the team with 7.5 sacks and also forced three fumbles. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy led the team in total tackles (92), while also recording 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. In the secondary, safety Duron Harmon lead the team in interceptions for the second year in a row with 4, while Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepted 2 passes and forced 2 fumbles. Safety Patrick Chung also made an impact with 84 total tackles to go with an interception and a fumble recovery.[10]
Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles finished the 2018 season earning the #2 seed in the NFC, before knocking off the Dallas Cowboys and top seeded New Orleans Saints to earn their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history. It was the culmination of a long journey for the Rams, who went from 2004 to 2016 without recording a winning record. But after relocating from St. Louis back to Los Angeles and posting a dismal 4–12 season in 2016, the team's fortunes changed with the hiring of 30-year old head coach Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history. Under McVay and second year quarterback Jared Goff, who recovered from a lackluster winless rookie season to record a triple digit passer rating, the Rams improved to an 11–5 record in 2017. Then in 2018, they won their first 8 games and finished the year with a 13–3 record, tying the Saints for the best record in the NFC.
The Rams offense ranked second in the NFL in both points scored (527) and yards gained (6,738). Goff continued to improve in his third season, setting new career highs in passing yards (4,688, 4th in the NFL), passing touchdowns (32), passer rating (101.1), rushing yards (108) and rushing touchdowns (2). His top receiver was Robert Woods, who caught 86 passes for 1,219 yards and 6 touchdowns. Brandin Cooks, an off-season pickup from New England via trade, also made a big impact with 80 receptions for 1,204 yards and 5 scores. The team's #3 receiver, Cooper Kupp, suffered a season ending injury after catching 40 passes for 566 yards in 8 games, forcing Goff to rely heavily on other targets like Gerald Everett (32 receptions) and Josh Reynolds (29). Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley was the team's leading rusher with 1,251 yards (4th in the NFL) and 17 touchdowns, while also catching 59 passes for 580 yards and 5 more scores. His 17 rushing touchdowns led the league, while his 22 total touchdowns gave him 132 points, 5th in the NFL. Running back C. J. Anderson, who made the Rams his third different team in 2018 after signing up with them in December, also was a key aspect of the running game, finishing the season with 405 yards and leading the team in rushing in both of their playoff victories. On special teams, JoJo Natson returned 26 punts for 280 yards, while kicker Greg Zuerlein made 87.1% of his field goals, including a franchise postseason record 57-yard kick to defeat the Saints in overtime in the NFC championship game.
Los Angeles’ defense featured Pro Bowl defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who led the league in sacks with 20.5, as many sacks as the rest of the team combined. He also had 59 tackles (25 for loss), four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Veteran defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was second on the team with 4.5 sacks, while also getting 59 tackles and recovering two fumbles. Pro Bowl linebacker Cory Littleton led the team in total tackles with 125, while also picking up four sacks, three interceptions, and blocking two punts. The Rams also had a strong secondary, led by John Johnson (119 tackles and four interceptions), Marcus Peters (three interceptions), Lamarcus Joyner (78 tackles) and Aqib Talib.[11]
Playoffs

In the playoffs, the Patriots earned a first-round bye as the AFC's second overall seed. In the divisional round, they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 41–28, scoring touchdowns on five of their first six possessions. Brady passed for 343 yards and a touchdown, while running back Sony Michel rushed for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns. They then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 37–31 in the AFC Championship Game, scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime. The Patriots held a 14–0 lead at halftime, before the Chiefs rallied to take the lead 21–17 in the 4th quarter. From there, both teams took turns taking the lead, until the Chiefs forced overtime with a 39-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to tie the game 31–31. In overtime, Rex Burkhead scored a 2-yard touchdown to win the game. Michel ended up rushing for a combined total of 242 yards and 5 touchdowns in New England's two playoff games, setting an NFL record for postseason rushing touchdowns by a rookie.  In the AFC championship game, the Patriots defense held Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, who had both gained over 1,300 receiving yards during the season, to a combined total of just 4 receptions for 65 yards.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles also had a first-round bye as the NFC's second overall seed. They started off the divisional round by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 30–22. Los Angeles gained 273 yards on the ground with running backs Todd Gurley and C. J. Anderson rushing for over 100 yards each. They then defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–23 in the NFC Championship Game, scoring a game-winning field goal in overtime. The Saints jumped out to an early 13–0 first quarter lead, before the Rams rallied to close the lead to 13–10 at halftime. In the fourth quarter, Greg Zuerlein tied the game at 20–20, with just over 5 minutes remaining. The Saints moved the ball to the Rams' 13 yard line, but could not gain a first down. On 3rd down, quarterback Drew Brees threw a pass to receiver Tommylee Lewis, who was covered by Nickell Robey-Coleman. Though Robey-Coleman knocked Lewis to the ground and the pass fell incomplete, no penalty was called, and the Saints' Wil Lutz kicked a 31-yard field goal to take the lead. The Rams took possession, and sent the game to overtime with a 48-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein. In overtime, Brees threw an interception on their first drive, and Zuerlein proceeded to kick a 57-yard field goal to win the game.
Pre-game notes
This would be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI when the Rams were based in St. Louis.[12] Only one player, Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady, remains on either roster from that contest. Bill Belichick, the Patriots' head coach in that contest, also remains in that position.[13]
Super Bowl LIII featured record setting age differences between rival coaches and quarterbacks, pitting the 41-year old Tom Brady against the 24-year old Jared Goff, as well as the 66-year old Bill Belichick against 33-year old Sean McVay.[14]
As the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Rams elected to wear their royal blue and yellow throwback uniforms for the game, which they have previously worn for six home games and their home playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys during the 2018 season.[15][16][17]  This marks the first time the Rams will wear blue jerseys for the Super Bowl, as they wore white jerseys in each of their three previous appearances.  The Patriots will wear their standard white away uniforms.
Boston and Los Angeles teams of other professional sports have met in the championship rounds. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have contested a record twelve NBA Finals.  The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers faced off in the 2018 World Series, and with the Patriots and Rams meeting in Super Bowl LIII, it will be only the second time since 1969 that two cities' MLB and NFL teams have competed for the league title in the same season (or calendar year). Also noteworthy is that the Patriots faced another Los Angeles-based team in the same playoffs, the Chargers in the divisional round, en route to their Super Bowl meeting with the Rams.[18][19][20]
Associated events
Pre-game events and entertainment are centered around Downtown Atlanta, with State Farm Arena having hosted Super Bowl Opening Night, the Georgia World Congress Center hosting the Super Bowl Experience, and Super Bowl Live at Centennial Olympic Park. State Farm Arena will also host the inaugural Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, a three-night concert series that will be headlined by Ludacris and Migos (night 1), Aerosmith (night 2), and Bruno Mars and Cardi B (night 3).[21][22]
The NFL will officially launch its centennial commemorations at Super Bowl LIII, ahead of its 100th season that next September.[23][24][25]
Broadcasting
United States
CBS will broadcast Super Bowl LIII as part of an annual cycle between the three main broadcast television partners of the NFL, and marking the 20th time it has broadcast the game.[26] As with CBS's most recent Super Bowl (Super Bowl 50), ESPN Deportes will air a Spanish-language broadcast of the game (the audio of which will be simulcast on CBS's SAP channel).[27] CBS's coverage will utilize a total of 115 cameras, including 8K resolution cameras (for the first time in a U.S. network sports telecast) in the end zones, as well as field-level and "up close" augmented reality graphics (with the latter generated from a wireless, handheld camera).[28][29] CBS' broadcast will be particularly notable as being the first time the event will be filmed by an openly gay cameraman.[30]
Advertising
With a base price slightly higher than US$5 million for a 30-second ad, the cost of Super Bowl commercials remains even with the previous three events. As of early January, most of the ad inventory had sold out, with a limited number of second-half advertisements still available.[31]
Anheuser-Busch made its largest-ever advertising purchase for the Super Bowl, with a total of eight different commercials of various lengths (covering 5-and-a-half minutes of airtime) across 7 products, including three being advertised during the game for the first time.[32][33]
Lead-out programs
CBS's lead-out program will be the series premiere of the talent competition series The World's Best.[34] After late local programs, CBS will also air a special Sunday-night episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert[35]
International
Both BBC Sport and Sky Sports will broadcast Super Bowl LIII in the United Kingdom. In Canada, CTV (along with CTV2 and all TSN stations) will simulcast CBS’ broadcasting of the game. In Australia, the event will be broadcast on Seven Network and 7mate. TrueVisions’ flagship channel, True Sport HD will screen live in Thailand. The game is broadcast in New Zealand on ESPN from 11:30 to 16:00 local time on Monday. (This is 17:30 to 22:00 EST Sunday.)[36]
Entertainment
Pre-game
Gladys Knight will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner."[37][38]
Halftime show


On January 13, 2019, the NFL officially announced that pop band Maroon 5 will headline the Super Bowl LIII halftime show. They will be joined by Big Boi of Outkast and Travis Scott as guests.[39][40]
Controversy
Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi have faced criticism for their decision to perform at the half-time show due to the NFL's treatment and alleged blacklisting of Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem before games.[40][41][42][43] Several artists, including Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Cardi B, reportedly turned down offers to perform at the show to support the protests.[44][45]
In response to the controversy, Scott agreed to participate in the halftime show only if the NFL joined him in donating $500,000 to Dream Corps, an organization founded by Van Jones that supports social justice efforts.[46] Maroon 5 subsequently announced that they had joined with the NFL and Interscope Records to donate the same amount to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.[47]
On Tuesday January 29, three days before scheduled, NFL cancelled the traditional press conference for the halftime show.[48][49]
Game summary
Box score


New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams– Game summary

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Date: February 3, 2019Game time: 6:30p.m. EST/3:30p.m. PSTGame weather: TBD (retractable roof stadium)Referee: John ParryTV announcers(CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn






Final statistics
Statistical comparison



Starting lineups