Super Bowl National Anthem 2019: Twitter Reacts to Gladys Knight's Performance

Before the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams faced off in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Gladys Knight captivated the crowd with her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The NFL received criticism for announcing Maroon 5 as the Super Bowl halftime performer since the band doesn't have any ties to Atlanta or the greater Southeast region. That wasn't the case with the national anthem and the Atlanta-born Knight.

Knight's effort was universally praised on social media:

According to Bovada, Knight was -160 (bet $160 to win $100) to complete the national anthem in over one minute, 55 seconds and +120 to hit the under. ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf knew Knight would take her time on the microphone.

Action Network's Darren Rovell tweeted Knight went 2:01, going slightly over. The Houston Chronicle's David Barron put the length of time into historical perspective:

Last year's anthem at Super Bowl LII was memorable—not necessarily for positive reasons. Pink performed despite battling the flu, and at one point the cameras caught her removing a throat lozenge before she began singing.

Knight experienced no such issues and was a welcome contrast. In fact, she was so good many had to remind themselves she turned 74 last May.

Knight is a music legend and showed exactly why Sunday. Given both the grandeur of the Super Bowl and the location for this year's game, she was the perfect choice to deliver the anthem.

Whether she can lay claim to the best Super Bowl anthem is another matter. Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV arguably still represents the gold standard, but Knight's effort will undoubtedly be remembered fondly.