The New England Patriots are the narrow favorites to win Super Bowl LIII following their overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs, however the Los Angeles Rams will be looking to avenge their Super Bowl XXXVI defeat on February 3rd. Money has been flooding in on the Patriots ever since their win on Sunday, with Tom Brady and Co hoping to earn their sixth Super Bowl success since the turn of the millennium.
However, despite winning the AFC East, helping them to earn the No.2 seed in the AFC in the process, the Patriots have certainly not been at their best this season. Five losses to non-playoff teams certainly raised eyebrows, however their postseason performances have certainly helped them to become Super Bowl LIII favorites, with bookmaker William Hill offering them a money line price of -135 to come out on top at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The New England Patriot
What Do the Statistics Show?
41-year-old Tom Brady continues to be a huge influence for the Patriots, however it is the teams rushing attack that has helped them achieve such success over recent years. In fact, they have averaged almost 166 yards in rushing per game in the postseason, helped by rookie Sony Michel rushing for 242 yards and five touchdowns in such games. Should they keep up such form, which has seen them win their last four games, they could well be too much for the dynamic Rams offence.
However, with the Rams having defeated the New Orleans Saints in overtime thanks to a Greg Zeurlein field goal, the young underdogs will be quietly confident of upsetting the odds at the beginning of February. The Rams overcame a 13-0 deficit in order to eventually come out on top, with the defensive partnership between Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh having been a major factor behind their success this season. Donald had 20.5 sacks, while he is also the leading contender for Defensive Player of the Year. Meanwhile, wide receiver Brandin Cooks showed his skills by catching all seven of his targets from quarterback, with the Rams’ running game potentially causing the Patriots problems.
Head-to-Head Record
The two teams do not have a huge amount of history to talk about in terms of previous meetings, with only five games between the duo having taken place since 2002. However, it is undoubtedly the Patriots who have had the better of things here, with a record of 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS against the Rams. New England most recently defeated the Rams 26-10 back in 2016, however both teams have identical records over the last eight games, winning six and losing two.