Reporting from atlanta — Julian Edelman had caught all 10 of his passes for 141 yards Sunday night, a performance that would earn the New England Patriots slot receiver Super Bowl most valuable player honors, when he turned to tight end Rob Gronkowski in the huddle with a fourth-quarter plea.
“Julian looked at me and said, ‘We need another play out of you, Rob, we need a huge play,’” Gronkowski said after the Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Rams in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“He’s been making them all game. I had to step up. Tom threw that ball where it needed to be, and I made the play.”
The score was tied 3-3 when New England took over on its own 31-yard line with 9 minutes 49 seconds remaining. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, looking for some more favorable matchups, went to a “big” personnel package, with two tight ends, one wide receiver, a fullback and running back.
Quarterback Tom Brady opened the drive by lofting an 18-yard swing pass to Gronkowski, who made the catch over the shoulder of Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam.
Brady hit Edelman for 13 yards and Rex Burkhead for seven yards, moving the ball to the Rams’ 31.
That’s when Edelman made his request to the 6-foot-6, 268-pound Gronkowski, who ran a corner route toward the left sideline and hauled in a perfectly thrown pass from Brady behind face-guarding linebacker Cory Littleton for a 29-yard gain.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates a touchdown by Sony Michel against the Rams inthe 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff watches after throwing an intereption in the fourth quarter as Patriots Adrian Clayton (94) and Duron Harmon celebrate.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks has his pass broken up by Patriots Duron Harmon (center) and Stephon Gilmore in the fourth quarter.
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Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman hoists the Lombardi Trophy after New England beat the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) sits on the bench behind his teammate after giving up a late game interception.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff is hit by Patriots Dont’a Hightower in the end zone after an incomplete pass in the 3rd quarter.
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Rams losing head coach Sean McVay walks off the field after meeting with Patriots head coach BIll Belichick in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) hugs New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) as the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bow.
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Rams receiver Robert Woods walks off the field after losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams running back C.J. Anderson, left, and reeiver Josh Reynolds look at the scoreboard late in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a pass in front of Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII.
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Patriots running back Sony Michel breaks free from the Rams defense in the 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams receiver Josh Reynolds makes a catch in front of Patriots Jason McCourty inthe 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) was wide open in the end zone but couldn’t hang onto a pass while getting hit by New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty (30) in the second half.
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New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) beats Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56) for a reception in the Super Bowl.
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Patriots receiver Julian Edelman leans into Rams defensive back Aqib Talib during first half catch and run in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers tips a pass that was ultimately completed to Rams receiver Josh Reynolds from Jared in Goff during the first half.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff is harrassed by Patriots defenders as he throws a second half pass in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks fails to haul in a pass after it is broken up by Patriots defenders Stephon Gilmore and Duron Harmon during the fourth quarter.
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Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepts a pass intended for Rams receiver Brandin Cooks near the end zone during the fourth quarter.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks can’t haul in a pass in the end zone as he is defended by Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty in the third quarter.
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Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) barely gets a pass off under pressure from Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers (98) and outside linebacker John Simon (55) during the second half.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski just misses a pass from Tom Brady as he is defended by Rams linebacker Cory Littleton.
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Linebacker Brandon King (36) lies in the confetti on the field after the Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald drags down Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, forcing an incomplete pass during the first half.
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Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) celebrates with offensive lineman Ted Karras (75) after kicking a field goal late in the fourth quarter to give New England a 13-3 lead.
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Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore prevents Rams receiver Brandin Cooks from making a catch in the third quarter.
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Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) intercepts a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) to end a scoring threat late in the fourth quarter.
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Rams receiver Brandin Cooks walks away as Patriots defensive backs celebrate an interception by Stephon Gilmore to kill a fourth-quarter drive.
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Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore intercepts a Jared Goff pass in the fourth quarter.
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Patriots running back Sony Michel dives into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski hauls in a 29-yard pass to set up a Patriots touchdown.
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Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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From fire to lights, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, before he peeled off his shirt, performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty tries to grab the ball after breaking up a pass intended for Rams receiver Josh Reynolds during the first half.
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Rams defensive end John Franklin-Myers (94) and defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks sack Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and forces him to fumble in the first half.
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Rams linebacker Cory Littleton intercepts a pass intended for Patriots receiver Chris Hogan in the first quarter.
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Patriots middle linebacker Kyle Van Noy sacks Rams quarterback Jared Goff for a loss in the first half.
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Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise takes down Rams running back C.J. Anderson for a loss in the first half.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski can’t catch a pass while defended by Rams cornerback Aqib Talib during first-quarter action.
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Patriots fans outnumber Rams fans at the Marta train stop near Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Super Bowl LIII.
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Rams tight ends Tyler Higbee (89), Johnny Mundt (82) and Gerald Everett (81) take the field to warm up for Super Bowl LIII.
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Rams running back Todd Gurley jogs around the field during warmups for Super Bowl LIII.
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Patriots fans yell for players during warmups before Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) That set up Sony Michel’s tiebreaking two-yard touchdown run with seven minutes left that gave the Patriots a 10-3 lead and sent them hurdling toward their sixth Super Bowl championship since 2001.
“It was just an incredible catch,” Brady said of Gronkowski, who caught six passes for 87 yards. “He’s an awesome player, a great teammate and friend, and I’m just so proud of everything that he’s done for our team. He just had an incredible game.”
So did the sure-handed Edelman, who found so many seams and soft spots in the Rams’ zone coverage and won so many one-on-one battles that, according to Next Gen Stats, he averaged 3.9 yards of separation, getting open by three or more yards on nine of his 12 targets.
The 5-foot-10, 198-pound Edelman caught seven passes for 93 yards in the first half and passed 100 yards in a playoff game for the sixth time in his career, tying Michael Irvin for the second-most games behind Jerry Rice (eight).
The former Kent State dual-threat quarterback who was a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2009 also ranks second behind Rice with 115 career postseason receptions for 1,412 yards. Rice caught 151 passes for 2,245 yards during his Hall of Fame career.
“It’s hard to imagine, for sure,” Edelman said of his rise from small-college quarterback to star NFL receiver to Super Bowl MVP. “I’m getting to live out a dream, so it’s pretty surreal right now. It’s an honor to be put in the same sentence as Jerry Rice.”
Edelman missed the 2017 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn knee ligament, and he was suspended for the first four games of 2018 for violating the NFL’s policy on performing-enhancing substances.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Edelman said. “I was always taught as a young boy that you always have to work hard, put in the extra time, and we’ll see where it goes. Worry about what you have on your plate at that time. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”
Edelman was clearly the best player on the field for the first three quarters Sunday night, when both teams struggled to generate any kind of offensive momentum and continuity.
His 25-yard reception on a third-and-one play in the second quarter, when he deked Nickell Robey-Coleman with an outside move and cut back over the middle, set up Stephen Gostkowski’s 42-yard field goal that gave New England a 3-0 lead with 10:29 left in the first half.
Edelman had one more big play in the third quarter, turning a quick slant from Brady into a 27-yard gain, but the Patriots were unable to find the end zone until the fourth.
“Julian had an unbelievable game,” Gronkowski said. “He’s an unbelievable player. He played his ass off tonight, like he always does. He was the MVP, and it was well-deserved.”
Gronkowski suffered what he called a “quad shot” in the second quarter when a vicious hit knocked him out of the game for a play, but that didn’t stop him from playing a significant role in the fourth.
“It hurts a lot — I can barely walk right now,” Gronkowski said afterward. “It tightened up, but the adrenaline’s flowing, and it’s the Super Bowl. I probably won’t be able to walk that well tomorrow, but it’s all good, we’re Super Bowl champs.”
There has been speculation that Gronkowski, a nine-year veteran who reportedly played through Achilles and lower-back injuries this season, might retire. He was not ready to make any kind of announcement after winning his third Super Bowl.
“Tonight, it’s about celebrating with my teammates, and that decision will be made in a week or two,” Gronkowski said. “We’re gonna have a good time. Bill [Belichick, Patriots coach] told me he’s partying tonight, so you know it’s gonna be good.”
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