Super Bowl reaches 100.7 million viewers, the least-watched title game in a decade
PASADENA, Calif. — The New England Patriots’ competitive but action-starved Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams was seen by 100.7 million people on television and streaming services, the smallest audience for football’s annual spectacle in a decade. A boycott by disgruntled New Orleans Saints fans, a campaign by...
With wait over, Bengals free to hire Zac Taylor as coach
CINCINNATI — The Bengals went more than a month without a coach after firing Marvin Lewis. The Super Bowl’s over, and so is their long wait to bring Zac Taylor to town to size him up as the successor. They’ve targeted the Rams quarterbacks coach as Lewis’ replacement, but they...
Patriots’ ‘Reagan’ audible probably means run to the right
Did the New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady bring politics onto the football field during Super Bowl XLIII? During the third quarter with the ball deep in their own territory, the broadcast caught Brady calling: “Reagan. Reagan.” The audible was apparently a run to the right: Brady handed off...
Rob Gronkowski makes 2 key catches for Patriots in what could be last game
ATLANTA — Rob Gronkowski rumbled down the field, got past two defenders and hauled in the football to set up New England’s go-ahead touchdown. If this was the farewell performance for the Patriots tight end, he went out in playmaking style. Was it his biggest catch ever? “You tell me,”...
Jared Goff, Rams offense falls flat in Super Bowl defeatVideo
ATLANTA — Jared Goff trudged to the Los Angeles Rams bench, his face a mask of confusion and despair while the Patriots celebrated their interception behind him. Sean McVay left the sideline and leaned into his ear. The coach didn’t say much, but he encouraged his quarterback to learn from...
Super Bowl LIII: Six things you’ll remember from the Patriots’ win over the RamsVideo
The Patriots’ 13-3 win over the Rams may have been among the least memorable Super Bowls. It was the lowest-scoring title game in NFL history, the first Super Bowl without a touchdown through three quarters, and the first Super Bowl of the nine featuring Tom Brady and Bill Belichick decided...
Patriots smother Rams, tie Steelers with 6th Super Bowl titleVideo
ATLANTA — That super shootout everyone expected turned into a defensive standoff. The New England Patriots showed they can win that type of championship game, too. So after Tom Brady led one classic drive to win the Patriots their record-tying sixth Super Bowl, he perfectly summed up the 13-3 victory...
Peter Schmuck: Hall of Famer Ed Reed a study in contrasts with Ravens
BALTIMORE — Longtime Ravens safety Ed Reed has always been something of a contradiction, but that’s what made him the player who Saturday was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He was the guy who pulled off a pick-6 from 7 yards...
Paul Newberry: Patriots prevail in instantly forgettable Super stinkerVideo
ATLANTA The NFL should’ve ended the season two weeks ago. This Super Bowl was a hot mess, really no better than a sloppy preseason game. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots captured their sixth championship Sunday night, an amazing accomplishment that was overshadowed by the ugly way they won...
Super Bowl a homecoming for Rams’ Sean McVay
ATLANTA — They still talk about that play at the Marist School. Wham Naked. If there was ever any doubt that Sean McVay was a coach-in-the-making, it should’ve ended that night in 2003. “He was special,” said Alan Chadwick, who was McVay’s high school coach at Marist. “He had a...
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes wins MVP, Rams’ Aaron Donald repeats as top defensive player
ATLANTA — Patrick Mahomes’ breathtaking breakthrough season earned him the NFL’s MVP award. The Chiefs quarterback landed a pair of honors at NFL Honors on Saturday night, taking the Associated Press 2018 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. In his second pro season, Mahomes led Kansas City to...
Youth meets experience as Rams, Patriots clash in Super Bowl
ATLANTA — Hey, have you guys been here before? If you’re a New England Patriot, the answer pretty much is “all the time.” If you play for the Rams, the reply basically is “never in my life.” So if experience is a factor in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the overwhelming edge...
Steelers fan among 3 with perfect attendance for Super Bowl
ATLANTA — Don Crisman knows precisely when the streak began: Jan. 15, 1967. The ticket price for the Super Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was $12. “Good seats,” Crisman, 82, said. “You could buy $6 tickets, and $10. There were three prices.” On Sunday, Crisman, Pittsburgh Steelers fan...
After latest goodbye, Rams’ Aqib Talib says hello to another Super Bowl
ATLANTA — It might seem as though Aqib Talib says “goodbye” as often as the flight attendant standing at the front of the plane. And yet, he keeps resurfacing on good teams — and at the Super Bowl. The colorful cornerback brought his necklaces, his personality and, yes, even defensive...
Patriots right where they want to be entering Super Bowl
ATLANTA — The Super Bowls have become a yearly ritual for the New England Patriots under Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They’re back for the third straight year and the ninth time overall despite a taxing season that seemed doomed after Julian Edelman’s four-game suspension for performance-enhancers, a 1-2 start...
Rams really ready to knock off Patriots in Super Bowl
ATLANTA — The Los Angeles Rams aren’t ready to beat the Patriots, according to much of the conventional wisdom around the Super Bowl. Only four members of the upstart NFC champions have played in a Super Bowl. Even though the Rams are coming off a 13-3 regular season and two...
Here’s reportedly why Trump stopped bashing the NFL and players who protested
WASHINGTON — During his annual pre-Super Bowl news conference this week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sidestepped a question about President Donald Trump’s complaints that the game had gone soft, insisting, “We have a lot of fans, the president among them.” Trump may sometimes sound like Joey from Tarzana or some...
Penn Hills cherishes Aaron Donald as he prepares for Super Bowl debut
When Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald takes the field Sunday for the Super Bowl, millions will be watching — including those from Western Pennsylvania who knew him long before his time in the NFL. Those who watched the Penn Hills graduate before his professional football days expect Donald...
Steelers Nation shares mixed emotions about Tom Brady’s greatness
One thing we know for sure going into Super Bowl LIII: Many Steelers fans will passionately root against New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady. After all, Brady has dashed the Steelers’ championship dreams time and time again. How much heartbreak can one fan base take? Plus, he’s taking our...
The Rams just sold a year’s worth of gear in 10 days
The Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl berth has been good news for its merchandise business, with the team ringing up about $3.5 million in online sales in the 10 days after they clinched a spot in the big game. To put that number in perspective, it’s about the same amount...
Tom Brady, Jared Goff have massive age gap but same Super Bowl dreamVideo
ATLANTA — Tom Brady vividly remembers the first time he experienced all the hype, hoopla and heightened expectations of playing in the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots quarterback was just a wide-eyed yet supremely confident second-year player who was on the verge of jumpstarting what has become one of...
Super Bowl 2019: Some of the prop bets that are making the bookies nervous
At the SugarHouse Casino, they’re seeing a lot of action on C.J. Anderson scoring the first touchdown. The biggest liability for the William Hill-US bookmakers is whether James Develin will score. Most of their bettors are saying no, he will not. Some guy walked into Resorts Casino in Atlantic City...
Saints’ Payton says he ate ice cream, binge-watched Netflix after Rams loss
METAIRIE, La. — Saints coach Sean Payton turned to ice cream, binge-watching and seclusion after his team’s football season came to an excruciating end. Payton was finally ready on Wednesday to stand in front of reporters for his NFL-mandated, end-of-season media availability, some 10 days after New Orleans’ 26-23 overtime...
Super Bowl 53 on TV: A viewer’s guide to Sunday’s game
Sunday’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams marks the biggest day of sports broadcasting for networks. Here are some things to know about CBS’ coverage as well as other Super Bowl-related programming on other networks: ••• SUPER 20 FOR CBS This marks the 20th Super...
Roger Goodell admits blown call in Rams-Saints; NFL will consider replay for pass interference
ATLANTA — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the league’s competition committee will consider the prospect of making pass interference calls subject to review by instant replay, but he stopped short of declaring that he favors such a change to the sport’s replay system. Goodell, speaking at his annual...