- The Washington Times - Monday, February 4, 2019

Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams drew an overnight rating of 44.9, the lowest rating since 2009 when the Steelers and Cardinals earned a 42.1 for Super Bowl XLIII.

Furthermore, in New Orleans, many Saints fans boycotted the game after their team suffered a missed penalty call in the NFC Championship Game that hurt their chances of winning and advancing to Super Sunday.

As a result, New Orleans was the lowest-rated market for the game, and at 26.1, it was the lowest rating a Super Bowl has ever earned in the city.

The NFL had experienced a bounce-back year in terms of television ratings, as high-powered offenses and new, young superstars like Patrick Mahomes took over. But the Super Bowl was the lowest-scoring in history with just 16 combined points, and it was the ninth time Tom Brady’s and Bill Belichick’s Patriots played in the game since 2001, which may have turned some casual fans off.

• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.

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