UPDATE 1-NFL-Patriots receiver Edelman named Super Bowl MVP after win over Rams

Patriots' wide receiver Julian Edelman won the Super Bowl MVP trophy on Sunday in Atlanta after his key plays helped lift New England to a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL's championship game. In a game where both offenses struggled to find the end zone, Edelman made the most of his opportunities, catching 10 of the 12 passes thrown his way for 141 yards while rushing once for eight yards.

The speedy and undersized 32-year-old, nicknamed 'The Squirrel', was quarterback Tom Brady's most reliable target, providing an offensive spark en route to his third Super Bowl championship with the team. Edelman, who was selected 232nd in the seventh round of the 2009 draft when few saw the value he could bring to a team, put the credit for his success on his team mates.

"It just matters that we won, man," he said after the win. "It was a crazy year. We’ve got a resilient bunch of guys. It was unreal man."

He said the heavily Patriots-leaning crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium also boosted the team as well. "It was like a home game here. We love you guys. It was awesome," he said. (Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Frank Pingue/Amlan Chakraborty)