Yes, this was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. Just as the game ended, I tweeted this graph:

This is the first Super Bowl to ever have less than 20 combined points. Patriots win, 13-3. X-Axis: Super Bowl number

Y-Axis: Total points scored by both teams pic.twitter.com/bVyKULKYYa — Football Perspective (@fbgchase) February 4, 2019

But this game was even more anemic than you think, once you consider the two teams in the game. Consider that in the regular season, Los Angeles averaged 32.9 points per game, just 1/16th of a point per game more than the famed ’99 Rams. In fact, the ’18 Rams were the 6th-highest scoring offense to ever make the Super Bowl, behind five other Super Bowl losers: the ’13 Broncos, ’07 Patriots, ’83 Redskins, ’16 Falcons, and ’67 Raiders. But by being held to just 3 points, Los Angeles came in at a whopping 29.9 points below their regular season average. That narrowly (by, in fact, 1/16th of a point per game) bests the ’13 Broncos as the biggest underachieving result in the Super Bowl. There have been 106 teams to play in the Super Bowl, and despite being the 6th-highest scoring team to make it, LA finished as one of just two teams to score only 3 points in the Super Bowl (no team has ever been shut out).

But the Patriots don’t get off easy here. In the regular season, New England averaged 27.3 points per game, but in Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots couldn’t even get halfway to that total. With just 13 points, New England finished 14.3 points below their regular season average, the single worst result by any of the 53 Super Bowl winners.

So there you have it: the Rams were the lowest scoring team (relative to their average) of any team to lose in the Super Bowl, and the Patriots were the lowest scoring team (relative to their average) of any team to win the Super Bowl. With just 16 points, this was the lowest scoring Super Bowl, of course, but it was expected to be the third highest scoring Super Bowl ever! The Over/Under was 55.5 points, which trails only the ’16 Super Bowl (New England/Atlanta, with an O/U of 57.0 points and 62 points actually scored) and the ’09 Super Bowl (New Orleans/Indianapolis, 56.5, 48).

The biggest overachievers in Super Bowl history? Well, that honor belongs to the ’89 49ers, who averaged 27.6 points per game in the regular season and then doubled up on that number in the Super Bowl. The table below is fully sortable and searchable, and shows all 106 teams to make the Super Bowl, and how many more (or less) points they scored in the Super Bowl compared to their regular season average:

Rk Tm Year Super Bowl Opp Result Reg Sea PPG PF Diff 1 SFO 1989 SBXXIV DEN W 55-10 27.6 55 27.4 2 DAL 1992 SBXXVII BUF W 52-17 25.6 52 26.4 3 TAM 2002 SBXXXVII OAK W 48-21 21.6 48 26.4 4 CHI 1985 SBXX NWE W 46-10 28.5 46 17.5 5 SFO 1994 SBXXIX SDG W 49-26 31.6 49 17.4 6 SEA 2013 SBXLVIII DEN W 43-8 26.1 43 16.9 7 WAS 1987 SBXXII DEN W 42-10 25.3 42 16.7 8 NYG 1986 SBXXI DEN W 39-20 23.2 39 15.8 9 BAL 2000 SBXXXV NYG W 34-7 20.8 34 13.2 10 PIT 1978 SBXIII DAL W 35-31 22.3 35 12.8 11 PHI 2017 SBLII NWE W 41-33 28.6 41 12.4 12 GNB 1966 SBI KAN W 35-10 23.9 35 11.1 13 RAI 1983 SBXVIII WAS W 38-9 27.6 38 10.4 14 NWE 2003 SBXXXVIII CAR W 32-29 21.8 32 10.3 15 GNB 1967 SBII OAK W 33-14 23.7 33 9.3 16 BAL 2012 SBXLVII SFO W 34-31 24.9 34 9.1 17 CAR 2003 SBXXXVIII NWE L 29-32 20.3 29 8.7 18 SFO 1984 SBXIX MIA W 38-16 29.7 38 8.3 19 DAL 1978 SBXIII PIT L 31-35 24 31 7 20 OAK 1976 SBXI MIN W 32-14 25 32 7 21 GNB 2010 SBXLV PIT W 31-25 24.3 31 6.8 22 WAS 1991 SBXXVI BUF W 37-24 30.3 37 6.7 23 GNB 1996 SBXXXI NWE W 35-21 28.5 35 6.5 24 DAL 1993 SBXXVIII BUF W 30-13 23.5 30 6.5 25 NWE 2016 SBLI ATL W 34-28 27.6 34 6.4 26 SFO 2012 SBXLVII BAL L 31-34 24.8 31 6.2 27 WAS 1982 SBXVII MIA W 27-17 21.1 27 5.9 28 PIT 2008 SBXLIII ARI W 27-23 21.7 27 5.3 29 PIT 1979 SBXIV RAM W 31-19 26 31 5 30 NWE 2017 SBLII PHI L 33-41 28.6 33 4.4 31 OAK 1980 SBXV PHI W 27-10 22.8 27 4.3 32 SFO 1981 SBXVI CIN W 26-21 22.3 26 3.7 33 DEN 1998 SBXXXIII ATL W 34-19 31.3 34 2.7 34 DAL 1977 SBXII DEN W 27-10 24.6 27 2.4 35 IND 2006 SBXLI CHI W 29-17 26.7 29 2.3 36 SDG 1994 SBXXIX SFO L 26-49 23.8 26 2.2 37 DEN 2015 SB50 CAR W 24-10 22.2 24 1.8 38 PIT 2010 SBXLV GNB L 25-31 23.4 25 1.6 39 DEN 1997 SBXXXII GNB W 31-24 29.5 31 1.5 40 DAL 1995 SBXXX PIT W 27-17 27.2 27 -0.2 41 MIA 1973 SBVIII MIN W 24-7 24.5 24 -0.5 42 SEA 2014 SBXLIX NWE L 24-28 24.6 24 -0.6 43 NOR 2009 SBXLIV IND W 31-17 31.9 31 -0.9 44 NYG 1990 SBXXV BUF W 20-19 20.9 20 -0.9 45 RAM 1979 SBXIV PIT L 19-31 20.2 19 -1.2 46 NWE 2014 SBXLIX SEA W 28-24 29.3 28 -1.3 47 GNB 1997 SBXXXII DEN L 24-31 26.4 24 -2.4 48 KAN 1969 SBIV MIN W 23-7 25.6 23 -2.6 49 SFO 1988 SBXXIII CIN W 20-16 23.1 20 -3.1 50 PHI 2004 SBXXXIX NWE L 21-24 24.1 21 -3.1 51 NWE 2001 SBXXXVI STL W 20-17 23.2 20 -3.2 52 NWE 2004 SBXXXIX PHI W 24-21 27.3 24 -3.3 53 PIT 2005 SBXL SEA W 21-10 24.3 21 -3.3 54 DEN 1986 SBXXI NYG L 20-39 23.6 20 -3.6 55 NYG 2011 SBXLVI NWE W 21-17 24.6 21 -3.6 56 ARI 2008 SBXLIII PIT L 23-27 26.7 23 -3.7 57 BUF 1991 SBXXVI WAS L 24-37 28.6 24 -4.6 58 MIA 1982 SBXVII WAS L 17-27 22 17 -5 59 DAL 1971 SBVI MIA W 24-3 29 24 -5 60 NWE 1996 SBXXXI GNB L 21-35 26.1 21 -5.1 61 CIN 1981 SBXVI SFO L 21-26 26.3 21 -5.3 62 PIT 1975 SBX DAL W 21-17 26.6 21 -5.6 63 ATL 2016 SBLI NWE L 28-34 33.8 28 -5.8 64 PIT 1974 SBIX MIN W 16-6 21.8 16 -5.8 65 NYG 2007 SBXLII NWE W 17-14 23.3 17 -6.3 66 BUF 1992 SBXXVII DAL L 17-52 23.8 17 -6.8 67 BAL 1970 SBV DAL W 16-13 22.9 16 -6.9 68 OAK 2002 SBXXXVII TAM L 21-48 28.1 21 -7.1 69 BUF 1993 SBXXVIII DAL L 13-30 20.6 13 -7.6 70 BUF 1990 SBXXV NYG L 19-20 26.8 19 -7.8 71 MIN 1976 SBXI OAK L 14-32 21.8 14 -7.8 72 DAL 1975 SBX PIT L 17-21 25 17 -8 73 DAL 1970 SBV BAL L 13-16 21.4 13 -8.4 74 PIT 1995 SBXXX DAL L 17-27 25.4 17 -8.4 75 TEN 1999 SBXXXIV STL L 16-23 24.5 16 -8.5 76 ATL 1998 SBXXXIII DEN L 19-34 27.6 19 -8.6 77 IND 2009 SBXLIV NOR L 17-31 26 17 -9 78 DEN 1977 SBXII DAL L 10-27 19.6 10 -9.6 79 CHI 2006 SBXLI IND L 17-29 26.7 17 -9.7 80 STL 1999 SBXXXIV TEN W 23-16 32.9 23 -9.9 81 CIN 1988 SBXXIII SFO L 16-20 28 16 -12 82 DEN 1989 SBXXIV SFO L 10-55 22.6 10 -12.6 83 NWE 1985 SBXX CHI L 10-46 22.6 10 -12.6 84 NYG 2000 SBXXXV BAL L 7-34 20.5 7 -13.5 85 MIA 1972 SBVII WAS W 14-7 27.5 14 -13.5 86 NYJ 1968 SBIII BAL W 16-7 29.9 16 -13.9 87 PHI 1980 SBXV OAK L 10-27 24 10 -14 88 MIN 1973 SBVIII MIA L 7-24 21.1 7 -14.1 89 NWE 2018 SBLIII LAR W 13-3 27.3 13 -14.3 90 STL 2001 SBXXXVI NWE L 17-20 31.4 17 -14.4 91 NWE 2011 SBXLVI NYG L 17-21 32.1 17 -15.1 92 DEN 1987 SBXXII WAS L 10-42 25.3 10 -15.3 93 MIA 1984 SBXIX SFO L 16-38 32.1 16 -16.1 94 MIN 1974 SBIX PIT L 6-16 22.1 6 -16.1 95 WAS 1972 SBVII MIA L 7-14 24 7 -17 96 SEA 2005 SBXL PIT L 10-21 28.3 10 -18.3 97 OAK 1967 SBII GNB L 14-33 33.4 14 -19.4 98 MIA 1971 SBVI DAL L 3-24 22.5 3 -19.5 99 MIN 1969 SBIV KAN L 7-23 27.1 7 -20.1 100 CAR 2015 SB50 DEN L 10-24 31.3 10 -21.3 101 BAL 1968 SBIII NYJ L 7-16 28.7 7 -21.7 102 KAN 1966 SBI GNB L 10-35 32 10 -22 103 NWE 2007 SBXLII NYG L 14-17 36.8 14 -22.8 104 WAS 1983 SBXVIII RAI L 9-38 33.8 9 -24.8 105 DEN 2013 SBXLVIII SEA L 8-43 37.9 8 -29.9 106 LAR 2018 SBLIII NWE L 3-13 32.9 3 -29.9

The Patriots have actually scored below their expectation in 6 of the 9 Super Bowls under Brady and Belichick, with Super Bowl LIII being the worst offender in a winning effort and Super Bowl XLII being the worst performance overall. With better defenses in the Super Bowl, this isn’t too surprising: 67 of the 106 teams (63%) scored fewer points in the Super Bowl than they averaged during the regular season.