My heart says Rams; my head says Pats.
Championship Sunday was a day of blown calls, high drama, and great football matchups. In the end, the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots emerged and will meet in Super Bowl 53.
The last time these two teams met was 2002–when Tom Brady and Bill Belichick started “The Dynasty” known as the Patriots. Nearly twenty years later, those two are still at it, while Sean McVay enters the game as the youngest man ever to coach in a Super Bowl game.
Pats/Rams set up a match-up between Genius Belichick and New Age McVay. It yells ‘entertainment’ as they engage in a chess match for all to see.
Could this be the end of the Pats’ reign and the beginning of a new dynasty? We’ll see. What we know for sure is that the Pats have made eight Super Bowl trips during that time, winning five. So McVay and 23-year-old Jared Goff have serious work to do.
But wait! The Patriots have their work cut out, too. The Rams have one of the best offenses in the NFL–simple in some ways, complex in others, including play-action passing, which the Rams run more than any other team in the league. It runs effectively with the use of motion, misdirection, and tight ends. The Rams also have a running game with a two-headed monster named Gurley and Anderson.
Watch out, Pats’ fans, if Goff gets the ball to playmakers Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and the newly emerging Josh Reynolds, and Gurley and Anderson start running through the line.
I think the Rams can take advantage of the run game–IF they can get it going early and control the clock. If the run game can’t be stopped, then the deep ball and play-action passing will come into play with big plays resulting. Cooks can take the top off of the Patriots defense, and Woods can run quick out-routes, excel in the screen game, and run those dangerous jet sweeps.
My point: there’s just so much the Rams can do offensively. I can’t wait to see what McVay dials up!
And then there’s the Rams’ defense. Aaron Donald and the Rams’ defense have risen from the dead. In the playoffs, the defense has looked like it was supposed to look coming into the season. The Rams allowed only 290 yards against the high-powered Saints, and I see the defense getting to Brady a lot in this game.
But the Pats do have a huge advantage. They’ve been here and done that. Yes, this game is a big deal. But it helps if you have experience. With experience on their side, it’s a mistake to view New England as an underdog.
Besides, the Patriot offense has found a new identity by running the ball. Sony Michel and James White are one-two punches. Michel is a workhorse and shifty White is an outstanding pass catcher.
And while the Pats’ wideouts can’t take the top off of a defense, they can (and do) stretch out the field. Julian Edleman runs through the middle on crossing routes–an absolute beast when it comes to running that scheme. Then there’s TE Gronkowski. ‘Nuff said!
But the key to the Patriots’ offense will be ball control. New England will play slowly, eating up as much of the clock as possible. The Rams’ offense can’t score if it’s not on the field.
And the Patriot defense–just like the Rams’ D–has been playing better lately. In last Sunday’s matchup against the juggernaut Chiefs, the Pats’ defense took away a lot of what the Chiefs wanted to do, and that’s why KC went into the halftime locker room scoreless.
I can imagine Belichick having the Chiefs’ game plan against the Rams–control the clock and pressure Goff.
In the end, I think this game will come down to coaching, including who’s willing to take chances at just the right time. To me, that says New England will win. I see Belichick out-coaching the young McVay.
Giving Bill two weeks to prepare is almost criminal in its implications.
New England 24, Los Angeles 21
