Super Bowl LIII was a largely underwhelming affair and will not go down as a classic anywhere outside of New England.
However, the Patriots' 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams deserves its place in the history books, as a number of records came crashing down in Atlanta.
Here some of the key numbers from the 53rd edition of the Super Bowl.
0—This was his first Super Bowl appearance in which Tom Brady did not throw a touchdown pass. In his previous eight appearances, including the losses, the 41-year-old had always thrown at least one touchdown pass.
Super Bowl LIII has also tied the record for the fewest passing touchdowns in a title game.
1—Sunday night was the first Super Bowl with only one touchdown scored between the two teams.
3—The number of points scored by the Rams. Los Angeles is only the second team in NFL history to be held to three points in the Super Bowl, sharing the unwanted record with the Miami Dolphins, who lost Super Bowl VI 21-3 against the Dallas Cowboys.
6—The Patriots are the second team in NFL history to win six Super Bowls, equalling a record held by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh did it over a 35-season span, while New England achieved the feat in 18 years.
Brady was key in each of those six triumphs and is the only player in NFL history to win six titles, while Bill Belichick became only the third coach after George Halas and Curly Lambeau to win six NFL championships.
Six is also the lowest amount of points scored by the two teams combined through the first three quarters.
9—Sunday was Brady's ninth Super Bowl appearance, more than any other player in football's history. Brady has also appeared in the big game more time than any NFL franchise, with the exception of the Patriots.
10—The winning margin is the biggest of any Patriots' Super Bowl triumph. Up until Sunday, the Patriots had never won the title game by more than six points, which they did when they beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI. Their first three titles under Belichick all came by a three-point margin.
11—Sunday night was the Patriots' 11th appearance in the big game, a league record.
13—In Super Bowl history, never had a winning team scored fewer points than the Patriots did on Sunday night. In fact, only once had New England scored less than 10 points in its previous 10 Super Bowl appearances—when they were thrashed 46-10 by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.
16—The total number of points in Super Bowl LIII was the lowest in Super Bowl history, just pipping Super Bowl VII, when the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins 14-7.
37—The Patriots recorded their 37th postseason win, moving one clear of the Steelers and setting a new record.
41—Brady is the oldest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, beating a record held by Peyton Manning, who was 39 when he led the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl 50.
66—Belichick is the oldest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.
256—Brady's 21 completed passes saw him extend his record for most completions in Super Bowl history with 256, more than twice as many as Manning, who is second on the list with 103 completions.
2,838—Unsurprisingly, Brady also leads the Super Bowl's all-time list in passing yards.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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