Reporting from atlanta — His voice wavered slightly as the emotion clearly moved across his face.
But Mark Barron didn’t want his expression to be misunderstood.
“I’m not about to cry,” the Rams linebacker said. “I’m pissed off.”
The New England Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After scoring 78 points in their first two postseason games, the Patriots were repeatedly thwarted by the Rams. They had only two possessions that netted more than 60 yards and just one series that extended for more than nine plays.
The Patriots won the time of possession by more than six minutes as the Rams offense was forced to punt nine times.
Yet, the game remained tied as the midway point of the fourth quarter passed, thanks to a defensive effort good enough to win most NFL games.
“Definitely one of our best efforts of the year,” Barron said. “I’m proud of the guys for showing up and giving their best effort.”
And what could the Rams have done better?
“We could have played a perfect game,” Barron said. “We had some errors in there. We could have minimized those and played even better than we did.”
Both defenses produced one turnover. The Rams limited New England to a 3-for-12 performance on third down.
They sacked Tom Brady once and hit him three other times. The Rams were credited with five passes defensed and linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. had two tackles for loss.
“We had some other opportunities that we could have capitalized on, but I thought we played a great game,” Fowler said. “You don’t really see 13-3 games in the Super Bowl. That tells you how prepared we were.”
—Jeff Miller
Marked man
The first pass by Patriots quarterback Brady came in the direction of Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, who tipped it into the arms of linebacker Cory Littleton for an interception.
“It felt good,” Robey-Coleman said. “We came out there and started the game off right and tried to get some things going. The momentum definitely shifted after that play.”
Robey-Coleman, already at the center of controversy because of a noncall by officials during the NFC championship game at New Orleans, caused a stir at the outset of Super Bowl week for comments he made about Brady.
In a story published last Monday by Bleacher Report, Robey-Coleman said of Brady, “Age has definitely taken a toll. For him to still be doing it, that’s a great compliment for him. But I think that he’s definitely not the same quarterback he was.”
Robey-Coleman has said his words were misconstrued and taken out of context.
Robey-Coleman said no Patriots players said anything to him about his statements about Brady.
—Gary Klein
1/45
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates a touchdown by Sony Michel against the Rams inthe 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff watches after throwing an intereption in the fourth quarter as Patriots Adrian Clayton (94) and Duron Harmon celebrate.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 3/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks has his pass broken up by Patriots Duron Harmon (center) and Stephon Gilmore in the fourth quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 4/45
Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman hoists the Lombardi Trophy after New England beat the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5/45
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) sits on the bench behind his teammate after giving up a late game interception.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 6/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is hit by Patriots Dont’a Hightower in the end zone after an incomplete pass in the 3rd quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 7/45
Rams losing head coach Sean McVay walks off the field after meeting with Patriots head coach BIll Belichick in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 8/45
New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) hugs New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) as the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bow.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 9/45
Rams receiver Robert Woods walks off the field after losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 10/45
Rams running back C.J. Anderson, left, and reeiver Josh Reynolds look at the scoreboard late in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 11/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a pass in front of Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12/45
Patriots running back Sony Michel breaks free from the Rams defense in the 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 13/45
Rams receiver Josh Reynolds makes a catch in front of Patriots Jason McCourty inthe 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 14/45
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) was wide open in the end zone but couldn’t hang onto a pass while getting hit by New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty (30) in the second half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 15/45
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) beats Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56) for a reception in the Super Bowl.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 16/45
Patriots receiver Julian Edelman leans into Rams defensive back Aqib Talib during first half catch and run in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 17/45
Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers tips a pass that was ultimately completed to Rams receiver Josh Reynolds from Jared in Goff during the first half.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 18/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is harrassed by Patriots defenders as he throws a second half pass in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 19/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks fails to haul in a pass after it is broken up by Patriots defenders Stephon Gilmore and Duron Harmon during the fourth quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20/45
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepts a pass intended for Rams receiver Brandin Cooks near the end zone during the fourth quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 21/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks can’t haul in a pass in the end zone as he is defended by Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty in the third quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) barely gets a pass off under pressure from Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers (98) and outside linebacker John Simon (55) during the second half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 23/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski just misses a pass from Tom Brady as he is defended by Rams linebacker Cory Littleton.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24/45
Linebacker Brandon King (36) lies in the confetti on the field after the Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 25/45
Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald drags down Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, forcing an incomplete pass during the first half.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26/45
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) celebrates with offensive lineman Ted Karras (75) after kicking a field goal late in the fourth quarter to give New England a 13-3 lead.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 27/45
Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore prevents Rams receiver Brandin Cooks from making a catch in the third quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 28/45
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) intercepts a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) to end a scoring threat late in the fourth quarter.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 29/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks walks away as Patriots defensive backs celebrate an interception by Stephon Gilmore to kill a fourth-quarter drive.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 30/45
Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore intercepts a Jared Goff pass in the fourth quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 31/45
Patriots running back Sony Michel dives into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 32/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski hauls in a 29-yard pass to set up a Patriots touchdown.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 33/45
Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
( Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 34/45
From fire to lights, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
( Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 35/45
Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, before he peeled off his shirt, performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
( Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36/45
Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty tries to grab the ball after breaking up a pass intended for Rams receiver Josh Reynolds during the first half.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times ) 37/45
Rams defensive end John Franklin-Myers (94) and defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks sack Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and forces him to fumble in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 38/45
Rams linebacker Cory Littleton intercepts a pass intended for Patriots receiver Chris Hogan in the first quarter.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times ) 39/45
Patriots middle linebacker Kyle Van Noy sacks Rams quarterback Jared Goff for a loss in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 40/45
Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise takes down Rams running back C.J. Anderson for a loss in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 41/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski can’t catch a pass while defended by Rams cornerback Aqib Talib during first-quarter action.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times ) 42/45
Patriots fans outnumber Rams fans at the Marta train stop near Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Super Bowl LIII.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 43/45
Rams tight ends Tyler Higbee (89), Johnny Mundt (82) and Gerald Everett (81) take the field to warm up for Super Bowl LIII.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 44/45
Rams running back Todd Gurley jogs around the field during warmups for Super Bowl LIII.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 45/45
Patriots fans yell for players during warmups before Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Back-to-back Ls
The defeat marked back-to-back Super Bowl losses for Rams receiver Brandin Cooks, who played for the Patriots last season and was knocked out of last year’s Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles because of a concussion after his only catch.
“It’s disappointing,” said Cooks, who led the Rams with eight receptions for 120 yards. “All that hard work you put in and you get here, and you don’t capitalize.”
Cooks came close to scoring on a long pass from Jared Goff when he briefly got wide open in the end zone. But he unable to hang onto the high throw.
“Just one of those plays,” Cooks said. “Kind of popped open, busted coverage, and just back there waiting for the ball. Not something we expected, so Jared saw it late and, you know, I’ve just got to go up earlier to give myself a better opportunity.”
—Sam Farmer
Getting his kicks
The Rams kept one of their most effective weapons busy much of the night. Unfortunately, that was the right leg of punter Johnny Hekker.
Hekker punted nine times, including on each of the Rams’ first eight drives. No Super Bowl team had ever punted on its first eight possessions.
Hekker’s eighth punt traveled a Super Bowl record 65 yards. It wasn’t much of a consolation prize for the four-time Pro Bowl player from Oregon State.
“It’s nice to have an accolade next to your name, something cool and noteworthy,” Hekker said. “But that punt probably rolled for half the total distance, so I wasn’t too happy with the way that one came off my foot.”
—Shotgun Spratling
Decisions, decisions
Rams offensive lineman and captain Andrew Whitworth, 37, was asked if he will retire after the most successful season of his 13-year career.
But Whitworth wasn’t ready to announce his intentions for 2019. After the game, teammates begged him not to make any announcement. He obliged them.
“I have no idea. I really don’t,” said Whitworth, who signed a three-year contract in 2017. “I still love playing. I still love the game. I still feel great.
“I still play at a high level. I’ll let the offseason play out and kind of see what’s best for the franchise, what’s best for me and see what happens.”
When asked if he was more frustrated with the loss or with the possibility that this could be the end of his career, Whitworth was matter of fact.
“You’re not going to get me to pout — I realize what this game means,” he said. “I cherish ... it and I don’t [care] if you have a Hall of Fame bust, if you’ve been a Pro Bowler or you win 20 Super Bowls.
“At the end of the day, you’re all going to die.
“Who you are, how you carry yourself … are the only things that are going to matter because that is what people are going to remember about you.”
—Shotgun Spratling
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