Super Bowl LIII superlatives

Best Defensive Plays: Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots 

On back-to-back defensive plays, the Patriots’ big free agent acquisition from two years ago may have saved New England’s sixth championship.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff appeared to have Brandin Cooks open in the corner of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. Instead, Gilmore made a strong enough defensive play that the ball slipped through Cooks hands.

On the following play, an all-out blitz caused Goff to release the ball too soon, and Gilmore made another play -- this time intercepting the pass at the Patriots 4-yard line with just over four minutes left in regulation.

New England drove down the field to eat up most of the remaining clock and kicked the game-sealing field goal with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter.

Best History: Bill Belichick Becoming Oldest Coach to Win Super Bowl 

Even in the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever, there’s plenty to choose from for this category. Most will probably pick Brady becoming the first player with six Super Bowl rings or the Patriots tying the NFL record for most Super Bowl championships (six).

When it comes down to it, though, this season has been all about Bill Belichick. That’s because the midseason discussions about the Patriots dynasty ending weren’t necessarily premature. New England lost more games this season than they had in nine years, and all five of their losses came against teams that failed to make the playoffs.

But after the first-round bye, Belichick re-designed his offense around the running game and the play-action pass. The 66-year-old coach also devised excellent defensive game plans to stop both high-flying offenses from Los Angeles. The Patriots also slowed down league MVP Patrick Mahomes enough to hold on in Kansas City.

Belichick is the greatest NFL coach of all-time and winning his sixth championship at 66 cements that fact. He thoroughly dominated and out gameplanned Rams 33-year-old head coach Sean McVay. If it wasn't for Rams 71-year-old defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and his game plan, the game couldn't have turned into a blowout.

Most Tiresome NFL narrative: Patriots as an underdog

Maybe the most masterful coaching Belichick did this season was convincing his team that America didn’t think the Patriots could win the Super Bowl. This tactic is straight out of the coaching book of his former defensive coordinator in Cleveland, Nick Saban.

Yes, there always tends to be an overreaction to the Patriots losing a game. Still, Belichick’s comment on the Super Bowl podium that “everyone counted them out” at the beginning of the season is beyond ridiculous.

No one picked the Dolphins, Jets or Bills to win the AFC East. But everyone does find motivation in different ways, and clearly, what Belichick brainwashed his team into believing worked.

Man with Most Unwanted Super Bowl Airtime: Rams Punter Johnny Hekker 

Incredibly, the Rams, who posted the second-most yards and scored the fourth-most points in the league this season, punted on their first eight possessions. In total, Hekker punted nine times.

It’s a good thing the Rams invest in the kicking game, otherwise they would have made Super Bowl history with no points. Hekker averaged 46.3 yards on his punts and pinned the Patriots inside the 20-yard line five times. He also recorded a new Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt.

With the historic punt, Hekker flipped the field and forced the Patriots to take over at their own 29-yard line despite the fact Hekker was punting from inside his own end zone. New England was unable to move the ball, and then Los Angeles had decent field position on its next possession, which was its only scoring drive.

Had the Rams came back to win, this punt would have been seen as a key play.

Best Halftime Song: "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5

I’m a 60-year-old trapped in a 28-year-old’s body, so I’m not exactly the most knowledgable when it comes to Maroon 5. But their opening song “Harder to Breathe” is very catchy and was the best one of the night.

Furthermore, anyone who bet it would be the group’s first song of the halftime show really cashed in. With the lack of points, that bet was more entertaining than any square game.

Best Commercial: NFL 100 Commercial

Patriots haters will have to stay away from the news for awhile. Or, they could turn their attention to next season, which will be the 100th in NFL history.

Even at halftime of Super Bowl LIII, the league was already looking ahead to its monumental year with the best commercial of the night. The commercial featured some of the better offensive plays of the night too.

However, outside of this ad, the Super Bowl LIII commercials were a bit lackluster. Just about every other commercial featured some kind of futuristic robot, which was definitely strange.