Patriots vs Rams history
The New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams (used to be Saint Louis Rams) first met back in 2002. It was a huge upset for the Rams as the Patriots defeated them 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXV.
17 years later they meet again for Super Bowl LIII.
The Patriots were once considered the underdogs, which is no longer the case anymore. They now have five Super Bowl wins under their belt. The Patriots have been dominating the American Football Conference (AFC) since Tom Brady became their starting quarterback in 2001. The Patriots have played in 12 AFC championship games from 2001 to 2017.
The Rams have played in only three Super Bowls and have only won once back in 2000 for Super Bowl XXXIV defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16.
Season 53
The Rams started the season off strong with eight consecutive wins before their first loss to the New Orleans Saints in week nine. In week 11 they beat the Kansas City Chiefs 54-51 making that the third highest scoring game in NFL history.
The Patriots started strong winning their first game 27-20 but lost the following two games. After that, they didn’t lose another game until week 10. The Patriots ended the season with five losses, the most they’ve lost since 2009.
“I think it’ll be a good matchup, it’ll be fun to see the differences in coaching styles between Sean McVay and Bill Belichick, considering how they are two very different coaches,” junior marketing major Andrew Sennet said. “I think the key players are obviously Tom Brady and Jared Goff, just like their coaches it’s two very different quarterbacks with two different styles so it’ll be fun to see the contrast.”
The Patriots go into the Super Bowl 13-5 while the Rams record is 15-3. Statistically, it seems that the Rams have an advantage. However, the Patriots are one of the strongest teams in the National Football League (NFL) and always surprise viewers.
“Both teams excelled in late game situations in both conference games. When it comes to the Super Bowl it comes down to the offensive line and running game. I believe that whoever has more rushing yards is going to win the game,” senior marketing major Tom Maioriello said.
Super Bowl winner predictions
Even though the Patriots are highly successful, most fans would not like to see them win another Super Bowl. If they win this year, it will be their sixth win, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history.
According to SportsLine, the Patriots are at a 53 percent chance to win. However, the game could be a nail bitter predicting the average score to be 29-28 Patriots.
I created a poll on Twitter to see who Cabrini students wanted to win the Super Bowl. It’s no shocker that many voted that they want the Rams to win. 67 percent want the Rams to win while 33 percent said that they want the Patriots to win. However, almost everyone believes that the Patriots will win.
“I don’t like the matchup. I wanted my team (Colts) to make it but after they lost to the Chiefs, I was then rooting for the Chiefs,” junior criminology major Kyle Hopkins said. “I think it will be a good matchup, obviously Tom Brady has been in the league for a while, and the Patriots are used to these playoff games so they have the experience needed to win.”
That’ll be the deciding factor, experience. The Patriots are no stranger to the Super Bowl. The Rams are a strong team, being number one overall for this season.
“I think the Patriots will win the super bowl because Bill Belichick is the best coach of all time going against a young head coach and quarterback who have not had to face much adversity to this point. Brady is generally unstoppable come playoff time and his experience will win them the game,” sophomore Ray Wilson said.
This will be McVay’s first Super Bowl with the Rams. He was appointed head coach just two years ago.
The key players for the Patriots will be Sony Michel and Rob Gronkowski who should both have a big impact in the final outcome. The key players for the Rams will be Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson, they’ll have to play a big roll in keeping the offense on the field.
“I am rooting for the Rams, but I think the Patriots are going to win. They have more experience in the Super Bowl and I think that’ll be the difference,” Sennet said.
