Super Bowl Preview: Matchup of two smart teams

Brady and Belichick face off with Goff and McVay for the right to be called champions this Sunday

Kevin Korbel
Sports Editor

Two smart quarterbacks, two smart head coaches, and two talented backfields. This is the description of the two teams that are left standing in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots, who are set to battle for the coveted Super Bowl trophy this Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia.

Going into this matchup, they both look to be evenly matched up on paper, and while that might be the case, both teams still operate a little differently. 

For the Los Angeles Rams, they are led by a young, upcoming coach in 33-year old Sean McVay. 

McVay has led a team, that just two seasons ago, finished with a regular season record of 4-12, and had their franchise moved back to Los Angeles for the first time since 1994. 

Today, they sit at 13-3 and on the brink of bringing a Super Bowl trophy back to their city. But to do that, they’ll need all the ammunition they can muster to get by the five-time Super Bowl Champions, in the Patriots.

Quarterback Jared Goff and running backs Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson will be the focal point on offense for the Rams, who come into this game top five in almost every offensive category. 

Goff is coming off a clutch performance against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game, where he went 25-for-40, 297 yards, one touchdown, and a pick. 

While they might not be eye-popping stats, it’s what Goff did in the final minutes of the game that made him clutch. He hit his receivers when he needed to get into field goal range, and eventually sent the Saints home.

Anderson and Gurley look to play big on Sunday as well, as the duo has been tough to stop all of the playoff season. If they can find a hole at the line of scrimmage, look for one of these talented backs to score come Sunday.

The Patriots on the other hand operate on a different wavelength than the Rams do. While both have some comparisons in terms of talent, the Patriots have the biggest advantage in their corner, and that’s experience. 

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are no strangers to the Super Bowl, both appearing in their now ninth Super Bowl, winning in five of those Super Bowls. 

The key in this game will be the same game plan which they used on Kansas City’s offense on Sunday, and that’s to control the clock and keep the ball out of their hands at all costs. It worked for a half against Kansas City, until eventually they figured out a way to get the ball in the hands of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and they were close to pulling off the victory against the Patriots.

Unfortunately, close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades. Brady, who is the master of the comeback, got the ball back and squeaked out a win for the club.

The one thing the Rams have going for them is they know this team is beatable in the Super Bowl.

Coming off a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last year in Super Bowl 52, the Pats will be going into Sunday desperate to get off the shnide and produce another Super Bowl victory for the city of Boston.

This looks to be a great matchup between two of the most exciting teams to watch in the NFL, but only one team can prevail on Sunday. Look for the game to be a very-close matchup, in what, in my opinion, will only be decided by one possession late in the game.

The Pick:

Patriots over Rams, 35-31

Feature photo courtesy of the Associated Press.