In an NFL season full of offensive records, defence dominated in Super Bowl LIII. A handful of new milestones were set, both on and off the field, including the longest punt seen in a Super Bowl. Fans also had lots to say about the lacklustre halftime show and the lineup of big-budget advertisements that punctuated the game.

If you weren’t able to catch the action, here’s what you might have missed:

 

Patriots, Rams set new Super Bowl records

The New England Patriots took home their sixth Super Bowl win in Atlanta Sunday night, beating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 -- the lowest scoring Super Bowl in the game’s history.

Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady thew to tigth end Rob Gronkowski, who made a pivotal diving catch, as it set up the team’s winning (and only) touchdown of the game by running back Sony Michel. This marked the first time that a Super Bowl had gone into the fourth quarter without a touchdown.

The win marks the sixth title under the combination of head coach Bill Belichick and 41-year-old signal-caller Brady, who claimed the title of oldest winning quarterback in a Super Bowl. The Patriots are now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl wins by a franchise.

Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman earned Super Bowl MVP honours after 10 receptions for a 141 yard performance. Edelman finished the game just 75 yards shy of beating the record for most Super Bowl receiving yards.

Los Angeles has led the league in points per game over the past two seasons, but became the second team in NFL history to fail to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

While the Rams offence couldn’t match the strength of the Patriots defence, Rams kicker Johnny Hekker was able to launch a 65-yard punt to set a new record for the longest in Super Bowl history. The Rams’ cheerleading team also made history as the first NFL team to have male cheerleaders perform at the Super Bowl.

As far as retiring, Brady says the win has not changed in mind, having previously said that he will retire at 45.

 

Maroon 5's halftime show lacked the hype

This year’s Pepsi Halftime show was headlined by Grammy-Award winning band Maroon 5, featuring short cameos -- if you blinked you would have missed it -- from rapper Travis Scott and former Outkast member Big Boi.

Adam Levine and company kicked off the performance with some of their classic rock hits including “Harder To Breathe” and “This Love” but played with less energy and enthusiasm than previous Super Bowl performers. The group closed their show with their more recent, pop-focused tunes such as "Girls Like You” and "Moves Like Jagger,” minus Cardi B. and Christina Aguilera who are featured on the recorded tracks.

In November, an online petition was launched calling for the inclusion of popular SpongeBob song called “Sweet Victory” at the Pepsi Halftime show as a tribute to the show’s recently deceased creator Stephen Hillenburg.

In an effort to appeal to their younger audience, Maroon 5 made an ambiguous reference to the SpongeBob song in Scott’s introduction. Fans later expressed their disappointment on Twitter, lamenting that SpongeBob’s “Sweet Victory” did not play in full and Scott instead burst into “Sickomode,” letting the intro from Drake consume the first part of the cameo without Drizzy himself.

Levine awkwardly danced along with Scott and Big Boi, eventually taking off his shirt and quickly drawing a barrage of criticism online citing a double-standard in reference to the furor over Janet Jackson’s nipple-baring 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction.

Viewers were quick to point out on social media that maybe there should have been more SpongeBob and less of everything else.

 

Advertisements focused on AI, female empowerment

There were two main themes that stood out among this year’s Super Bowl commercials: artificial intelligence and female empowerment. Humour was also a central component with fewer political messages than in previous years.

Serena Williams appeared as spokeswoman for the dating app Bumble, urging women not to wait to be given power, saying "we already have it."

Women were also seen as the faces of beer and car advertisements with Toyota’s ad featuring female football player Antoinette "Toni" Harris and actress Sarah Jessica Parker reprising her role as Carrie Bradshaw to shock servers at a restaurant by ordering a Stella Artois.

Advertisements that focused on technology included TurboTax’s robot child commercial and Michelob Ultra showcasing an athletic robot sad that it can't partake in a post-work-out beer. Pringles and Amazon used their TV slots to make fun of smart assistants with Amazon getting celebrities including Harrison Ford to test out rejected Amazon Alexa products.

Microsoft also released a heartwarming video titled ‘We all Win’ that showcased new technology designed for kids with physical challenges.

But not all ads entertained viewers.

A Canadian ad from the union representing the General Motors workers at its closing Oshawa, Ont. plant resulted in a cease-and-desist letter from the automaker.

A surprise "Game of Thrones" tie-in with Bud Light confused some while another slot from the company trolled rival beer brands that use corn syrup, hitting a nerve with the corn industry.