This year, Super Bowl LIII will include the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams squaring off in a Super Bowl XXXVI rematch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This is the Rams’ fourth Super Bowl appearance and the Patriots’ 11th, nine of which have come in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.
This is the true youth vs. experience matchup. Jared Goff, 24, and Sean McVay, 33, the youngest head coach to appear in a Super Bowl, will face Tom Brady, 41, and Bill Belichick, 66. The Rams will be going for their second championship and first since 1999. The Patriots will look to tie the Steelers and win their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history. This is a tale of two teams in different points of their franchise – one being on the rise and the other trying to continue its dynasty.
The Rams are a team looking to become something special for a long time. With a playoff appearance in 2017 and the addition of players like Aqib Talib, Ndamukong Suh, Brandin Cooks and Marcus Peters to begin the 2018-19 season, this was a team primed to make a Super Bowl run.
Los Angeles completely dominated their division in the regular season, as they had it clinched by Week 13. They beat the Dallas Cowboys 30-22 in the Divisional Round at home before escaping New Orleans with a controversial 26-23 overtime win.
The Patriots and Brady were the powerhouse of the AFC, coming off two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, including a Super Bowl LI victory. However, New England started the season on the wrong foot at 1-2, which included Brady not playing the way he was capable of. Many people thought the Patriots wouldn’t make the noise they usually do in the playoffs.
The team didn’t let criticism stop them, as they clinched the No. 2 seed before embarrassing the Los Angeles Chargers at Foxborough and going to Arrowhead to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in overtime. Brady did Brady things, leading the Patriots on a last-second drive in regulation before converting three third and longs in overtime to clinch their third-straight trip to the big game.
The key for the Rams to win the game is simple: apply pressure to Brady. New England was able to put up 41 points against a front seven that included Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, as well as 37 points against the team that was tied for the league lead in sacks. In both of these games, Brady was not sacked once. In fact, he was barely ever pressured, especially against the Chiefs. With interior linemen Suh and Aaron Donald, this will be key for the Rams to win. However, these two have a tough task ahead of them, as they are lining up against the fourth best offensive line, according to Pro Football Focus.
For the Patriots to win the game, Rob Gronkowski needs to show up like he did in the AFC Championship Game. Although he never reached the end zone, he was able to step up and make big plays late in the game. Gronkowski really struggled this year, posting the fewest yards per game since his rookie season. If New England wants the chance to win for the second time in three years, Gronkowski needs to be a factor, especially with the loss of Josh Gordon.
I predict that the Patriots will slightly edge the Rams after an exciting matchup. I think we will see a game very similar to Super Bowl XLIX. (No, McVay will not call for Goff to throw the ball with 20 seconds instead of handing it off to Todd Gurley or C.J Anderson at the one-yard line). The reason I think they will be similar is because of how the Patriots will win the game. I envision the Rams winning after the first half 17-10. The interior line featuring Suh and Donald will be too much for the Patriots offensive line to handle at first. After halftime, the Patriots will adjust and put points on the board while making the necessary adjustments on defense to slow down the Rams. I see Brady throwing two touchdowns in the 2nd half, as well as kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicking a field goal to put the Patriots at 27. The Rams will put up six points in the second half. It’ll come down to a two-minute drill, but Goff won’t march down the field to the end zone, leading to a 27-23 Patriots victory.
Kickoff is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on CBS.
