With a viewing audience around the world of many hundreds of 
millions, around 75,000 screaming fans inside the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Atlanta, Georgia and the eyes of an awaiting nation all zoned in on the action, this Sunday’s Superbowl LIII will be one of the biggest and most exciting sporting spectacles of the year.
With Gladys Knight singing the U.S. National Anthem at the start of the game and Maroon 5, along with Travis Scott and Big Boi, being the half time headliners, the event is as much an exercise in razzmatazz as it is sport, but that is not how the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots will see it as they both chase the ultimate prize in Gridiron, The Vince Lombardi trophy awarded to the Superbowl winners.
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Sunday’s match will see the Patriots involved in their fourth Superbowl in the last five years, winning two and losing two of those games, while for Los Angeles, this is the Rams first trip to the Superbowl since their famous “Greatest Show on Turf” team were defeated in Superbowl XXXVI in February 2002, by none other than the New England Patriots.
That victory was the first of five successes in the big match for the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick combination at New England and the Patriots will go into this game as the slight favourites. Let’s now give you a preview of both the teams competing on Sunday, before we bring you details of our top tips to back for the match itself.
Superbowl Preview
New England Patriots
Owner – Robert Kraft
Headcoach – Bill Belichick
Key Players –
- Tom Brady (QB)
- Stephon Gilmore (CB)
- Sony Michel (RB)
- James White (RB)
- Julian Edelman (WR)
- Rob Gronkowski (TE)
- Adrian Clayborn (DE)
Home Field – Gillette Stadium (66,829)
Season Record – 11-5 (1st in the AFC East – Seeded 2nd in the AFC)
Playoff Results
- Divisional Playoff Game – v San Diego Chargers – W 41-28,
- AFC Championship Game – @ Kansas City Chiefs – W 37-31 (OT)
AFC Champions (11 times) – 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
Superbowl Champions (5 Times) – 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017
The Patriots in 2018-19
After three weeks, and defeats to the Jaguars and Lions, the Patriots were written off by many as a force in the AFC, however Tom Brady and Bill Belichick then went on six game winning streak, before it was ended in their worst defeat of the season against the Tennessee Titans. They finished the season as winners of the AFC West and as the second seed in the AFC behind Kansas City.
The mastermind of their success, as always, has been quarterback Tom Brady. The veteran may be the wrong side of 40 now, but he still remains a massive threat and his partnership with Bill Belichick has been the most successful in NFL history. With a supporting crew of players that buy into the team mentality, the Patriots team work and ethic are arguably their strongest point.
They do have weaknesses on defence and teams have found them out this season but they are also amongst the best at negating other teams strengths and finding a way to win a game, something that Brady and Belichick both excel at. Add to that strong Special Teams and provided the Patriots offensive line can buy Tom Brady time to stay in the pocket and pick his passes, he could pick apart that vulnerable Rams secondary.
Los Angeles Rams
Owner – Stan Kroenke
Headcoach – Sean McVay
Key Players –
- Jared Goff (QB)
- Todd Gurley (RB)
- Aaron Donald (DT)
- Roger Saffold (G)
- Dante Fowler JR (DE)
- Aqib Talib (CB)
- Brandin Cooks (WR)
Home Field – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (78,467)
Season Record – 13-3 (1st in the NFC West, 2nd in NFC)
Playoff Results –
- NFC Divisional Playoff – v Dallas Cowboys – W 30-22,
- NFC Championship Game – @ New Orleans Saints – W 26-23 (OT).
NFC Champions (4 times) – 1979, 1999, 2001, 2018
Superbowl Champions (1 Time) – 1999
The Rams in 2018-19
After falling in the playoffs last year, Sean McVay has led his team to the Superbowl in the following season. The Rams started the season superbly well, starting 8-0 before losing to the Saints. While having a relatively poor defense, the Rams success has been built on a high-octane offense, heavily reliant on the running game of Todd Gurley, which has seen them rack up huge numbers of points throughout the season.
With the reliable Greg, the leg, Zuerlein kicking for the team, the Rams are a multi-faceted offence as they showed in the NFC Championship Game against New Orleans where Todd Gurley barely featured allowing C.J.Anderson to take the majority of carries. Against New England though, Gurley will have to feature heavily for the Rams to offer a viable run threat which will then open up the field for Jared Goff to hit his speedy receivers.
On defence, the main wrecking ball has been Aaron Donald, who has amassed over 20 sacks this season on his own. Add to that real talent in the likes of Fowler and Suh and you have a front line that could cause Brady and the Patriots real problems. However, the Rams weakness is in the secondary, where they can and do give up some big plays.
Superbowl LIII Tips – Game Lines
- Spread – New England at -2.5 (10/11)
So how do we see this game going? There’s no doubt both team can rack up points, but I do feel Superbowl’s rarely see offences post huge scores and after last year, I am sure the Patriots defense will be out to prove a point. A low scoring game would suit New England more and although they have a -2.5 point handicap, I still feel they will win by three or more to be the team to back in the Spread betting market.
- Total – Under 56.5 points (10/11)
I mentioned above that I felt this Superbowl may not be quite so high scoring as many people expect or as the last few have been. I can see New England getting 30 points, but I feel the Rams may fall just short and as such, the Under 56.5 points seems the best option here.
- First Sack of the Game – Dante Fowler Jr (14/1)
Aaron Donald is the hot favourite in this market but I have no doubt Belichick will double-team the massive lineman, which I think will free up Dante Fowler Jr, who had a superb game against the Saints and who I think could be a big influence for the Rams on defence. At 14/1, he is a great shout for the first sack bet.
