New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams Pick

Super Bowl LIII is finally here and this year’s edition features the storyline of where it all began. 17 years ago, the New England Patriots were led into Super Bowl 36 by a young quarterback by the name of Tom Brady. The Pats were the up-and-comers going against the “Greatest Show on Turf” or the then St. Louis Rams led by Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. The rest is history. Now, the roles have reversed as the Los Angeles Rams (15-3) will look to knock off the New England Patriots (13-5) who have appeared in nine of the last eighteen Super Bowls. Kick-off is set for 6:30 PM ET and will be broadcasted on CBS.

New England Patriots at Los Angeles Rams Overview

New England Patriots

The Patriots enter in off a thrilling 37-31 win in overtime when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the vaunted Arrowhead Stadium. The Patriots closed as a rare three-point underdog but managed to come out on top despite frigid conditions and home-field advantage working against them. The AFC Championship marked New England’s third consecutive AFC title. Last year, the Patriots were upset by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52.

Los Angeles Rams

Like their counterparts, Los Angeles also enters in off a thrilling overtime when they traveled down to the Big Easy to take on the NFC’s top seed, the New Orleans Saints. Also, like the Patriots, the Rams closed as a three-point underdog at the final bell for kickoff. However, the NFC Championship game, unfortunately, was one that was marred by controversy as a blown pass interference call ultimately kept the Saints from winning in regulation and afforded the Rams the opportunity to win the NFC title by a score of 26-23 in extra time.

Reasons to Back New England

There are a lot of moving parts to this market. Though the early action has come in on the Patriots much of this could be attested to New England opening as a 1.5-point underdog where sharp action saw value. There are also a lot of futures bets on the table where some takers booked the Rams to win the Super Bowl in the pre-season at upwards of 25/1. New England priced as a mild underdog or pick-em gives those with those tickets to hedge their bets. Needless to say, New England even with the low hanging fruit here is a good play as they have a pedigree for excellence and no team has a stronger Super Bowl resume in nearly the last two decades. The fact we get to back them laying less than a field goal offers tremendous equity.

Reasons to Avoid Los Angeles

On the flip side of New England’s experience, Los Angeles has a lot of superstars making their first appearance in the biggest game of them all. Among these newcomers, include Quarterback Jared Goff and Running Back Todd Gurley. Both players have been in MVP discussions in the last two seasons, but the question remains how they will fare in their first run out? Secondly, how will Coach Sean McVay fare against one of the greatest coaching minds in NFL history who knows how to prepare and execute at this highest level. These questions make Los Angeles a risky play.