Two teams projected as favorites to reach Super Bowl LIII before the season began accomplished just that, and they both did it in breathtaking fashion on Championship Sunday. Returning to the Super Bowl for the ninth time in the last 18 seasons, the New England Patriots beat the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, 37-31, in overtime. That dramatic win came a few hours after the Los Angeles Rams knocked off the NFC’s No. 1 ranked team New Orleans, also in overtime. And they both won outright as 3-point dogs. Now, it’s time to look at the matchups ahead of the game.
The Rams had one of the best offenses during the regular season, ranking second in scoring and total yards. The play of Jared Goff and his mates on that side of the ball often covered for a defense that struggled at times. But the Rams picked things up late in the season and during the playoffs. They held the Saints to 290 total yards and picked off two Drew Brees offerings, the second leading to the game-winning field goal.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Los Angeles Rams vs. New England Patriots
Date and Time: Sunday, February 3, 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Opening NFL Odds: Patriots -2, O/U 57.5
Rams vs. Patriots TV Coverage: CBS
Odds Analysis
Falling to the Bears and Eagles late in the regular season, the Rams suffered through the first two-game losing streak of the Sean McVay era. That cost them the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but it didn’t matter. The Rams worked out the kinks and finished the season with wins over Arizona and San Francisco, covering the double-digit line in both. They played as a dog for the first time on Sunday and continued their heater with the outright win. The Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four games.
The Pats are playing with a chip on their shoulder after many predicted their demise. They weren’t good on the road going just 3-5 SU and ATS, but they came through in the AFC title game with an impressive win over the Chiefs. And they have Tom Brady slinging the ball around. Brady is 5-3 in his previous eight Super Bowl appearances.
Offense
During the course of the regular season it was the Rams who had the better numbers offensively. They scored 33 points per game while churning out 421 yards per game. They haven’t been nearly as dominant during the playoffs, but they have been able to do enough. C.J. Anderson has been a big reason why. With Todd Gurley affected by the knee injury that sidelined him for the final two games of the regular season, Anderson has picked up the slack. And he was on the field for most of the snaps on Sunday.
The Rams have more weapons and would have the edge if Gurley comes to play. They didn’t have much of a ground game against the Saints with Anderson rushing for 44 yards and the team totaling 77. Goff was efficient against the Saints, but he’ll need to be better in what could be a shootout. He’s completed just 59 percent of his passes in two playoff games.
There is no one better than Brady and he showed off again on Sunday. Working their game plan to perfection, the Pats played keep away and got the victory. Brady threw for 348 yards and a touchdown, and the emergence of Sony Michel has given New England a balanced attack that the Chargers and Chiefs couldn’t stop. The Pats amassed 1,022 yards in sweeping the AFC West.
Michel had four 100-yard rushing games during the regular season and he’s had at least 113 yards with five touchdowns in two playoff games. The Pats held the ball for 44 minutes and ran twice as many plays a KC. The clincher was in OT when Brady led a 13-play drive for the game-winning score, not allowing Mahomes and the Chiefs offense to get on the field.
Defense
The Rams have Aaron Donald and the Pats don’t. That alone could be the difference. Donald wasn’t much of a factor on the stat sheet Sunday, but he drew a lot of attention from the Saints and that allowed Ndamukong Suh, Michael Brockers and Dante Fowler to pressure Brees. Fowler has been a huge pickup for the Rams, giving them and edge rusher and a backer who can defend guys like James White and Rex Burkhead. He is going to the X-factor.
It had been over two seasons since the Chiefs were shutout in any half of a game. The Pats kept them off the board over the first 30 minutes on Sunday. Things changed in the second half and the Pats were able to contain Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. They have a way of neutralizing an opponent’s best offensive weapon, but that’s not going to be easy against the Rams stable of gifted playmakers.
NFL Betting Odds
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
