Will Bill Belichick and Tom Brady avoid losing back-to-back Super Bowls, earning their sixth Lombardi Trophy? Can second-year head coach Sean McVay and his Rams bring a title back to Los Angeles? Which players will seize the spotlight shining on Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta? Our analysts provide their predictions for Super Bowl LIII.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> The Pats' offensive line will match up very well against the
Rams' defensive front. That gives New England the opportunity to run the ball and win by shortening the game.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Sony Michel
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> This will be the last game for
Rob Gronkowski in a
Patriots uniform.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> The teams that traditionally have given
Tom Brady fits in the
Super Bowl possess a common trait: a strong defensive line.
Aaron Donald,
Ndamukong Suh and
Dante Fowler Jr. will have similar success against him.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Jared Goff
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Rams cornerback
Marcus Peters will intercept two passes in this game.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> First off, the Pats will control the ball with their power running game against the
Rams' linebackers. They will also contain Sean McVay's offense by taking away
Brandin Cooks deep with
Stephon Gilmore, keeping defensive ends wide to eliminate bootleg plays and being disciplined in gaps against
Todd Gurley and
C.J. Anderson.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> No sacks for
Aaron Donald.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> My
<em>official</em> game prediction will come Sunday morning, but until then ... In a back-and-forth affair, there will be a game-changing pressure on
Tom Brady that will cause a late turnover.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Aaron Donald
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Todd Gurley rushes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> It will be a hard-fought, close game, but
Tom Brady is great in the moment and comes up big once again.
<strong>MVP:</strong> Sony Michel/
James White
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> The
Patriots have the game's leading receiver and rusher.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> I nailed
this prediction in the preseason, so I'm sticking with my original pick. Sean McVay out-schemes Bill Belichick for his first Lombardi.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Jared Goff
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> After throwing a combined three picks on Championship Sunday, neither
Tom Brady nor
Jared Goff throw an interception.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong>
Tom Brady and interior pressure aren't friends, and the
Rams' pass rush makes sure it stays that way.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Aaron Donald
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Tom Brady throws two interceptions for the second time in a
Super Bowl.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> It's utterly impossible to pick against the
Patriots. After seeing how their offensive line has dominated, I think it can even handle the
Rams. And a clean Brady is a deadly one.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> The
Patriots' defense holds the tandem of
Todd Gurley and
C.J. Anderson under 100 yards.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> After 58 minutes dominated by two strong running attacks, a creative blitz by the
Patriots will force
Jared Goff into one huge mental mistake late on the final drive.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Rob Gronkowski scores two touchdowns in his final game.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> Los Angeles brings its "A" game.
Todd Gurley looks like
Todd Gurley,
Aaron Donald dominates and Sean McVay dazzles!
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Aaron Donald
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
"Greg the Leg" launches two 50-plus-yard field goals.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> As the only NFL.com rep to pick the Pats in
our preseason
<em>and</em>
midseason predictions, I'd be a fool and a coward to back down now. This one will follow the exact same script of both championship games: A dominant Pats first half, followed by a
Rams resurgence in the final frame. Legatron bangs home a field goal with time expiring. New England wins the OT toss, drives down in, like, six plays to win, and we debate the OT rules for the ensuing seven months.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady, Adonai,
New England Patriots
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Trey Flowers has more sacks than
Aaron Donald and
Ndamukong Suh combined.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong>
Todd Gurley and
C.J. Anderson run wild against the
Patriots and combine for 175 rushing yards.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Jared Goff
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> A late turnover by the
Patriots sets up Los Angeles' game-winning drive.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> It's clear in this game that youth beats wisdom.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Jared Goff
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> Sean McVay's girlfriend, Veronika, will be trending by Monday.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> The
Patriots peak at just the right time, riding into the
Super Bowl on a wave of confidence. The
Rams won't know what him 'em.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> The
Patriots' dink-and-dunk offense will drive Sean McVay and Wade Phillips mad. Brady will complete over 70 percent of his passes, and
James White will surpass his 14-catch total from
Super Bowl LI.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> Motivated by a poor Championship Sunday performance,
Todd Gurley returns to early-season form and comes up BIG in the
Rams' passing game. He proves why he was in the MVP conversation for most of the year.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Jared Goff
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Jared Goff tosses five touchdown passes.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> New England will again play keep-away, winning time of possession by running away from
Aaron Donald and targeting
James White plenty. The
Rams come close, but fall short of dethroning the team that makes appearances on this stage an annual tradition.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady (though it should be one of the running backs)
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Todd Gurley doesn't break 75 yards rushing, and Los Angeles' offense suffers just enough to lose by three.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong>
Tom Brady and the
Patriots are consistently great in crucial situations, and their experience proves valuable against a young
Rams squad.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> Brady has a pair of rushing touchdowns.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> The
Rams' pass rush will be too much for
Tom Brady to overcome. Brady has yet to be sacked in the playoffs, but the
Rams get to him three times in this game.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Jared Goff
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Greg Zuerlein hits another game-winning field goal.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong>
Tom Brady will get the ball last and author an epic drive to produce
Stephen Gostkowski's game-winning field goal -- just like when Brady set up
Adam Vinatieri the last time these teams played in the
Super Bowl.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
James White
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Brandin Cooks is the leading wide receiver in the game.
<strong>Why the Patriots will win:</strong> It's hard to believe New England has been playing the underdog card during the playoffs, but here we are. Ultimately, the
Patriots are a dynasty and have obviously been here before. The past experiences of playing in the biggest NFL game will help out tremendously against the up-and-coming
Rams.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Tom Brady
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong> The
Rams' defense, which struggled against the run during the regular season, turned it around in the playoffs by holding down the potent ground games of the
Dallas Cowboys and
New Orleans Saints. But rookie running back
Sony Michel will get his on Super Sunday, rushing for 100-plus yards and a touchdown -- while adding a touchdown through the air -- to help out the
Patriots' winning cause.
<strong>Why the Rams will win:</strong> This game comes down to O-line play and executing touchdown/scoring drives. No doubt
Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T., and his O-line has been playing extremely well (just five sacks allowed since their Week 11 bye), but the
Rams' -- and specifically,
Aaron Donald's -- ability to generate interior pressure is the most elite we've seen in recent years. Their 17 percent interior-pressure rate paces the NFL (per Next Gen Stats) and projects to be a drive-stopping problem for the Pats.
<strong>MVP:</strong>
Aaron Donald
<strong>Bold prediction:</strong>
Josh Reynolds, especially on crossing routes, keeps the
Rams' offense moving the sticks and scoring.