ATLANTA — If you love punting, Sunday’s Super Bowl LIII was the game for you.
The game featured 14 punts as a combination of good defense and bad offense made for a boring punt-fest for most of the game.
Rams punter Johnny Hekker punted nine times and Patriots punter Ryan Allen punted five times. Allen and Hekker kept the game as a battle of field position. Hekker placed five punts inside the 20 and Allen had three. All of those three were inside the 10. Patriots special teams ace Matthew Slater downed it inside the 10 twice.
“Our kicking game was really good, too,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “I don’t know how many times we pinned them inside the 10-yard line. It was at least three. … That helped our defense out, too. They were on a long field several times.”
Allen kept the Rams pinned deep inside their own territory, and an argument could be made that he deserved MVP consideration in the game.
Hekker had a 65-yard punt that broke the record for the longest punt in Super Bowl history. It broke Allen’s record of 64 set in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks.
The Rams became the first team in Super Bowl history to punt on their first eight possessions.
Patriots defensive play-caller Brian Flores is expected to become the head coach of the Dolphins on Monday. The fans of South Florida must be excited after watching the performance by the Patriots defense on Sunday night under Flores’ direction as the Rams were held to three points and 260 yards.
“I know this is a challenging time for him between his other opportunities he has career-wise and putting everything he had into this game and our football team to fulfill his commitment to this group of guys,” Belichick said. “We’re all extremely happy for him personally but really appreciative of what he did on a professional level to help our football team.”
It was the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history at 16 combined points. New England’s 13 points are the fewest by a winning team in the Super Bowl, too. … The 3-0 halftime score was the second-lowest scoring first half in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl IX, the Steelers led the Vikings 2-0 at halftime. The 3-3 score at the end of the third quarter was the fewest combined points in Super Bowl history. … The Patriots held the Rams scoreless in the first half, just as they did the Chiefs in the AFC Championship. The Chiefs and Rams had the No. 1 and 2 scoring offenses, respectively, this season.
The Patriots lost safety Patrick Chung early in the third quarter when he broke his right arm on a tackle of Todd Gurley.
Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein’s 53-yard field goal was the second-longest in Super Bowl history. Bills kicker Steve Christie hit a 54-yard field goal in Super Bowl XXVIII.
The roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium was closed during the game. It was opened for the pregame festivities, including the national anthem and the flyover. It had been closed earlier during the team warm-ups.
