New England Patriots: What to watch for in Super Bowl 53
By Hal Bent
The New England Patriots will take on the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, this Sunday February 3 in Super Bowl 53.
The improbable run continues for the “underdog” New England Patriots.
First, the Pats defeated the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs by a final score of 37-31 on a chilly Sunday night in Kansas City during the AFC Championship Game. Now, the team will square off against the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta on Sunday with a national championship on the line.
The Rams defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-23 in overtime to win the NFC Championship Game.
2018 was a season which saw the Patriots start 1-2, as local and national media began to openly wonder and root for the end of the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady dynasty. As they’ve done so many times before, the team briefly turned it around with a six game winning streak, before uncharacteristically faltering again later in the season (and losing home field advantage to the Chiefs in the process).
New England got to the Super Bowl by first decimating the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 in the divisional round. They followed that performance up with an impressive win on the road in chilly Kansas City. The Patriots out-rushed the Chiefs by 135 yards, while winning the time of possession 43:59 to 20:53 (all statistics from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated).
Of course, the Los Angeles Rams won in New Orleans after cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman famously interfered with Saints’ receiver Tommylee Lewis on a crucial third-down. The officials failed to call the blatant pass interference, and the Saints had to kick a field goal instead of having a first-and-goal.
Let’s take a look at what to watch for on Sunday, examining the offense and defense of both squads in the biggest game of the 2018 NFL season: Super Bowl 53.