It's been a hell of a year for Winners. After a fantastic regular season campaign, the postseason has been, as predicted, up and down. I'm an even 5-5 heading into the big game, so a win would put me in the black for this postseason. Let's go out on a high note. Here's your Super Bowl LIII winner.
Super Bowl LIII:
New England Patriots (13-5) @ Los Angeles Rams (15-3)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Halftime Show: Maroon 5
Kickoff: 6:29 p.m. EST
Channel: CBS
Broadcast Team: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson
Line: New England -2.5
Now that all those frivolous details are out of the way, let's get to the game. Those who listen to The Sportsballers podcast know what my predicted score was for this game, so this might have been spoiled for you. Still, I'll do a quick look at the most compelling matchups for this game.
The Rams have turned into a much more run-based unit since the legendary Chiefs-Rams shootout on Monday Night Football. However, with Todd Gurley seemingly out of sorts lately, it feels like this game is going to fall on Jared Goff's shoulders. New England has an elite secondary that can certainly stay with Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, so the lack of Cooper Kupp could prove to be a costly absence for Los Angeles. If the Rams can get what they need out of Gurley and CJ Anderson, they should have success on offense, especially if they can use the play-action to great effect. They need to stay multiple if they want to win this one.
On the other side of the ball, the most critical matchup of the game is obviously LA's interior pass rush with Aaron Donald vs. Tom Brady's quick release and New England's offensive line, which has been locked in all postseason. We've seen edge rushers not even sniff Tom Brady, but the interior prowess of Aaron Donald is a different animal and much tougher to stop with scheme. I think the Patriots rushing attack can neutralize that devastating pass rush, and we've seen the Rams struggle to stop the run in the past. Ultimately, this is going to come down to how Brady and his favorite weapons play. We've seen a resurgence from Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman this postseason, and it's going to be lights out for the Rams if that continues.
Ultimately, I landed on picking New England to win this game. Tom Brady's experience in these situations is unrivaled, while the Rams are a bit new to the scene. I'm not sure how much experience matters, but it certainly helps that they've been peaking at the right time. The Rams are a worthy foe, but the Patriots have been on a roll figuring out how to beat great teams. I see no reason for that to stop on Sunday evening.
The Pick: New England -2.5 over Los Angeles
Super Bowl LIII:
New England Patriots (13-5) @ Los Angeles Rams (15-3)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Halftime Show: Maroon 5
Kickoff: 6:29 p.m. EST
Channel: CBS
Broadcast Team: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wolfson
Line: New England -2.5
Now that all those frivolous details are out of the way, let's get to the game. Those who listen to The Sportsballers podcast know what my predicted score was for this game, so this might have been spoiled for you. Still, I'll do a quick look at the most compelling matchups for this game.
The Rams have turned into a much more run-based unit since the legendary Chiefs-Rams shootout on Monday Night Football. However, with Todd Gurley seemingly out of sorts lately, it feels like this game is going to fall on Jared Goff's shoulders. New England has an elite secondary that can certainly stay with Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, so the lack of Cooper Kupp could prove to be a costly absence for Los Angeles. If the Rams can get what they need out of Gurley and CJ Anderson, they should have success on offense, especially if they can use the play-action to great effect. They need to stay multiple if they want to win this one.
On the other side of the ball, the most critical matchup of the game is obviously LA's interior pass rush with Aaron Donald vs. Tom Brady's quick release and New England's offensive line, which has been locked in all postseason. We've seen edge rushers not even sniff Tom Brady, but the interior prowess of Aaron Donald is a different animal and much tougher to stop with scheme. I think the Patriots rushing attack can neutralize that devastating pass rush, and we've seen the Rams struggle to stop the run in the past. Ultimately, this is going to come down to how Brady and his favorite weapons play. We've seen a resurgence from Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman this postseason, and it's going to be lights out for the Rams if that continues.
Ultimately, I landed on picking New England to win this game. Tom Brady's experience in these situations is unrivaled, while the Rams are a bit new to the scene. I'm not sure how much experience matters, but it certainly helps that they've been peaking at the right time. The Rams are a worthy foe, but the Patriots have been on a roll figuring out how to beat great teams. I see no reason for that to stop on Sunday evening.
The Pick: New England -2.5 over Los Angeles