On Feb. 3, the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams met in Super Bowl 53. The game ended up being the most boring Super Bowl that I have ever seen, and many viewers and fans felt the same way. Comedian Conan O’Brien described it best; “I found that [game] to be, what is the opposite of a nail biter? It was a nail grower.” I have to agree with him.
The game ended in a score of 13-3 Patriots, and it was 3-0 Patriots at halftime. This makes Super Bowl 53 the lowest scoring Super Bowl in NFL history. It also set other Super Bowl records – such as fewest touchdowns for both teams, fewest kickoff returns for both teams, and most consecutive drives ending in a punt, set by the Los Angeles Rams at eight.
You might have enjoyed the game a bit more if you are a fan of good defensive performances, but even then there wasn’t much there for you. The game started off exciting, with the Rams inside linebacker Cory Littleton intercepting a deflected Tom Brady pass. After that, not much really happened. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was 1-2 on his first-half field goal attempts, and outside of the second half touchdown drive, the Patriots never got much going offensively. Defensively, however, they played outstanding, with four sacks, one interception, and they only allowed the Rams to convert 14 first downs the whole game.
If the Patriots were bad offensively, the Rams were absolutely dreadful. Quarterback Jared Goff often looked clueless on the field, and he was constantly missing throws and trying to avoid sacks. Running backs Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson never got going either, with only a combined 62 yards running between them. You know an offense is playing poorly when they are only able to muster up three points.
The game wasn’t the only thing to disappoint viewers. The halftime show, which consisted of Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi and a brief appearance by Spongebob, drew plenty of criticism on Twitter. Many people were upset at Spongebob and the song Sweet Victory only getting roughly five seconds of screen time (for those who don’t know, Spongebob creator Stephen Hillenburg passed away in November and a Change.org petition was created to have a song from the show called Sweet Victory played at the halftime show in his honor).
Maroon 5 also drew plenty of criticism, with one viewer writing on Twitter “I wish a hologram of Prince would appear on stage, start beating Maroon 5 with a purple boot, and break into Purple Rain.”
Yikes. At least Big Boi driving up to the stage wearing a goofy fur coat was kinda fun. Overall, however, the halftime performance matched the game quite well – both were dull and forgettable.
These factors might explain why the Superbowl rating hit a 10-year low, at a 44.9 rating on CBS. While there are certainly other factors, such as New Orleans Saints fans boycotting the game as a form of protest for a controversial call in the NFC Championship Game, it is safe to say that the boring game and disappointing halftime show didn’t help.
As an avid football fan and someone who has watched the Super Bowl for as long as I can remember, this is by far the most boring game I’ve ever seen. While that clearly is not an objective statement, many viewers share my sentiments. The Super Bowl is something that I typically cherish and enjoy. The parties, the commercials, the game itself – it’s usually a thrilling time. This year, however, I’m left thinking about how that’s three hours of my life that I will never get back.