Super Bowl 53: What are the keys to a Patriots victory?

For the New England Patriots to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53, they’ll need to focus on finding success in these five key areas.

The Patriots are in their third straight Super Bowl and their fourth in the past five seasons. A win against the Rams would give the franchise three championships in half a decade – surely enough to qualify as the first NFL dynasty since New England itself won three in four years during the early 2000s.

It’s been a crazy ride over the past 19 seasons with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady at the helm. Along the way, there have been highs (five Super Bowl rings, three league MVPs, a perfect regular season), and there have been lows (Spygate, Deflategate, Eli Manning).

The 2018/19 season was by far one of the team’s most challenging, with the Patriots finishing with their worst record (11-5) since 2009. Fans and analysts openly wondered if it was the beginning of the end, especially as retirement rumors swirled around key team members and questions mounted concerning Brady’s apparent decline.

And yet, “we’re still here,” as Brady himself chanted with the nearly 35,000 fans who showed up to the Patriots’ Super Bowl 53 send-off rally. Like it or not, this team is right where they’re used to being this time of year: competing for another championship.

It won’t be easy – winning a Super Bowl seldom is. But if New England can focus on these five key areas heading into their matchup with the Rams, a sixth Lombardi Trophy should end up coming back to Foxborough.