It was truly the Adam Levine show, as he ran through all of Maroon 5’s hits: “Harder to Breathe,” “This Love,” “She Will Be Loved” and finally ending the show with “Sugar.” Levine grew progressively less clothed throughout the 15-minute show, and as he sang the final bar of “Sugar” he was shirtless, with flames crackling all around him.

With the Super Bowl in Atlanta, the N.F.L. had a surfeit of local musicians to choose from for the halftime show: Outkast, T.I., Lil Jon, Future, 2 Chainz and Migos. The list goes on and on.

It seems quite telling of something that they chose Maroon 5. — Kevin Draper

Halftime: What Was That?

The first half was a mess of punts and offensive ineptitude, with neither team looking like the powerhouses they had been throughout the playoffs.

It’s the lowest first-half score since Super Bowl IX, when the Steelers led the Vikings, 2-0, at the half.

The Rams defense has played better than anyone could have predicted, holding the Patriots to just 3 points and repeatedly stopping promising drives with tenacious pass defense and occasional bursts of interior pressure. But that still added up to Los Angeles being down at halftime thanks to a horrendous effort from the Rams’ offense, with all six Rams drives ending in punts.

The Rams offense generated just 57 yards in the first half, with Jared Goff dealing with a great deal of pressure and not being able to get anything going, which is at least partially a result of Los Angeles not being able to establish the run at all behind Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson.