Super Bowl LIII Pick from the Iceman

With Super Bowl LIII just days away its time to break down the game and make my pick as another NFL season concludes.  A Super Bowl XXXVI rematch, which was the game where the Patriots' dynasty officially began and was the launch of the GOAT Brady's unbelievable career, was an epic battle.  Here we are 18 years later and these two franchises meet again for the Lombardi Trophy, in what could be an instant classic.

First and foremost, I feel this game will be close, let's not forget that every Super Bowl that the Patriots have participated in, win or lose, has been a nail-biter.  Let's look at some basic facts about this game. It is the Patriots' record eleventh Super Bowl, and the Rams' first since the 2000 season.  It's the first time in sports history that two teams from the same metro area, (LA and Boston), will be meeting for a championship in a sport twice in the same season, as the Red Sox and Dodgers met last October in the World Series as well.

In the Super Bowl era, 22 teams have scored 500 or more points in a season and only four of those squads have gone on to win the Super Bowl, the Rams scored 527 points this season.  For the Pats, 36 players have Super Bowl experience to only 4 for LA.  This being Brady's ninth Super Bowl means that he has played in a whopping 17 percent of all 52 games played thus far, which is a stunning statistic.  At age 41, Tom Brady is the oldest QB to start a Super Bowl, and he is 2-0 versus teams who average 30 or more points per game, which is a good sign for New England.

The Patriots are only the third franchise in NFL history to reach three consecutive Super Bowls, the other two, Buffalo, and Miami.   Brady's 29 postseason wins are the most in NFL history, and he has twelve game-winning drives in the fourth quarter.  With all of these intriguing stats, you might think that I'm clearly picking New England to win their sixth Super Bowl.  All I can say about that statement is, "NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!!!!"  Somehow, someway the Rams pull this one out in a squeaker 30-27.

Why do I pick the Rams when it seems that the vast majority are picking the Pats?  I realize that Jared Goff is no Brady, however, in big games this season he has stepped up to the plate and performed relatively well.  Their defense is lights out and there's this feeling that I get that LA's All-Pro DT Aaron Donald is going to be all over Brady and pressure him throughout the game.  What does that mean?  Well, it seems as though the teams who've gotten the most pressure on Brady in previous Super Bowls, ala Philly and NY have gone on to defeat New England.

Rams' defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will have a special game plan for New England and do enough to shut them down.  Gronks could be hard to contain, but the Rams' secondary should be able to keep Edelman in check.  Offensively, look for Goff to light up the Patriots' secondary and their ground game will be solid as CJ Anderson will pick up the slack if Gurley can't get it going on the ground.  All I know is that we should be in for an exciting Super Bowl, after all, if the Patriots are in it, its bound to be a good game.