Super Bowl Preview 2019

Eighteen years after it all began for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick against the Rams in the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots are back on football's biggest stage once more, and facing a familiar foe. That's right, it's the Rams again! This time around, they're led by quarterback Jared Goff, stud running back Todd Gurley, and whiz kid Sean McVay, who has rocketed a moribund franchise to dominance in just two short years at the helm. For the second time in as many seasons, the Pats will feature in a Super Bowl rematch. Let's just replay all the hits! Where are Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy when you need them? Alright fine, technically they were the St. Louis Rams back then, not the Los Angeles Rams. Let's not cloud the issue with facts.
 

Of course, the matchup has to begin - as it often does - with the quarterbacks. The 17 year age gap between starting QB's actually marks the largest in Super Bowl history. Goff was just seven years old when Adam Vinatieri kicked that game-winner against the Rams to give Brady his first title! Now, nearly two decades later and after a season filled with fits and starts and perplexing losses, he and the Pats have emerged in their annual tradition to claim what seems to be rightfully theirs. On the other sideline, Goff becomes the first quarterback drafted number one overall to start the Super Bowl within his first three years. There's no doubt that Belichick is going to present some challenges he's never seen before.

Outside of the quarterbacks, the single most important matchup in this game is going to be the stout Patriots offensive line going up against a dominant Rams defensive line led by the all-world Aaron Donald. Like basically every other quarterback, Brady's effectiveness tanks when facing pressure up the middle. That's just what Donald provides more than any other player maybe in the history of the sport, with his 20.5 sacks this season the most ever recorded by a defensive tackle. Oh, and they also have Ndamukong Suh and Dante Fowler Jr. along the line as well, both of whom were highly drafted and have been highly productive. Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, generally considered the best in the game, is going to have his hands full.
 
Top to bottom, this Rams roster is probably the single most talented in the league, and it's being helmed by an elite coaching staff with both McVay and wily old defensive mastermind Wade Phillips pulling the strings. That's why I'm picking them to unseat the Evil Empire, and send the Pats to their second straight February defeat. The Rams have better players at nearly every position, coaches that can be trusted to bust out all sorts of new wrinkles the Patriots can't prepare for, and were simply the better team all season long. It feels like sacrilege to ever doubt Belichick and Brady in these moments, but at the end of the day they're still mortal men.  

Final Score: Rams over Patriots, 31-28

Stay tuned to WhoReps next week as we recap the big game!