Tom Brady is old, and Jared Goff is young. However, some digging beneath the surface illuminates how stark a contrast this matchup truly is. Brady has more QB wins (29), pass yards (10,917), pass TD (73), and game-winning drives (12) in the playoffs than Goff has in his entire career, including the playoffs (26 wins, 10,323 pass yards, 67 pass TD, and 6 game-winning drives).

Tom Brady has made the Super Bowl in nine of his 17 full seasons as a starter (excluding 2008, torn ACL). Brady has been more likely to reach the Super Bowl than the following sports legends are/were to complete mundane tasks: Hall of Fame QB Terry Bradshaw completing a pass (51.9 pct), Barry Bonds getting on base (44.4 pct), Tiger Woods finishing under par in a major (48.1 pct), and the craziest of them all: Brady has been more likely to make a Super Bowl than Michael Jordan was to make a shot (49.7 pct).

Jared Goff was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and made the Super Bowl in his third season. That is the fastest a QB selected number one overall in the NFL Draft has ever reached the Super Bowl. Four former top picks reached the Super Bowl in their fourth season (John Elway, Troy Aikman, Drew Bledsoe, and Eli Manning) and went 2-2 in those games, including Manning's win over Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Regardless of the outcome, the winning head coach in Super Bowl LIII will break a record. Should Bill Belichick hoist his sixth Lombardi Trophy, he would not only tie George Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most championships (6) in NFL history, but he would also become the oldest head coach (66 years, 293 days old on game day) to win a Super Bowl. Should the Rams and Sean McVay emerge victorious, McVay would become the youngest head coach (33 years, 10 days) to do so. Moreover, Belichick is 33 years and 283 days older than McVay, the largest age differential between opposing head coaches in Super Bowl history. Belichick has been employed in the NFL at the coordinator or head coach level longer than McVay has been alive.

Aaron Donald led the NFL with 20.5 sacks this season and joined Lawrence Taylor (1986 Giants) as the only players to amass 20+ sacks and make it to the Super Bowl in the same season. The 1986 Giants Super Bowl-winning defense was coordinated by Bill Belichick.

Brandin Cooks will become the 15th player since the 1970 merger to play in back-to-back Super Bowls for different teams. With a win, Cooks would become the ninth player in that span to win a Super Bowl with his new team after leaving a team that made the Super Bowl in the previous season. The last three players to accomplish that feat all left the Patriots and then won a Super Bowl the following season: S James Ihedigbo with the 2012 Ravens, and RB LeGarrette Blount and DE Chris Long with the 2017 Eagles.

Rob Gronkowski's recent struggles are not indicative of the matchup nightmare he's proven to be over the course of his career. Gronk has the most postseason receptions (75), receiving yards (1,076), and receiving TDs (12) by a tight end in NFL history. Only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (22) has more playoff receiving TDs than Gronkowski. In fact, Rice (8) is also the only player with more receiving TDs in the Super Bowl than Gronkowski (3).

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have more Super Bowl appearances (9) than any team (sans the Patriots) in NFL history. Super Bowl LIII will be Belichick's 12th Super Bowl as a head coach or assistant. Belichick has been involved in 22.6 percent of Super Bowls all-time, and 36.4 percent of all Super Bowls since his first appearance as the Giants defensive coordinator in 1986.

Tom Brady's reign over the AFC is well-documented, but if you add two of his AFC quarterback brethren to the equation, the trio's dominance over the conference in undeniable. Super Bowl LIII will be the 15th of the last 16 Super Bowls in which one of Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, or Peyton Manning represents the AFC, with Brady accounting for eight of those AFC championships himself.

It's been C.J. Anderson's backfield for the Rams of late, as he's eclipsed 120 rush yards in three of his four games with the team. Anderson's run is even more perplexing considering he had more rushing yards in each of those three 100-yard efforts than he had in nine games with the Panthers (104) this season. Anderson also provides playoff experience and production to Los Angeles. He's the only member of the Rams to play in multiple Super Bowls, and he leads the NFL in postseason rushing yards (481) over the last five seasons.

The 2018 Rams and 2001 Rams share many similarities. Both teams averaged 30+ points per game, 400+ total yards per game, and won an NFC Championship. The one difference the 2018 Rams are obviously hoping for: a win over the team that beat them in Super Bowl XXXVI.

The X factor for the Rams defense this season has undoubtedly been cornerback Aqib Talib. With Talib in the lineup, the Rams' defense has allowed 18.3 points per game and a 78.4 passer rating (including playoffs). When Talib missed eight games due to an ankle injury (Weeks 4-11), the Rams allowed 30.8 points per game and a 111.6 passer rating. Talib also has some history with the Rams' Super Bowl LIII opponent. Not only is Talib a former Patriot (2012-13), but in 2015, he and Denver's "No Fly Zone" defense also beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the only time in the last five seasons that the Patriots failed to reach the Super Bowl.

The Patriots and Rams combine to have seven players on their rosters who have made the Pro Bowl at least once as a special teamer. - Patriots: ST Matthew Slater (7), K Stephen Gostkowski (4), and KR Cordarrelle Patterson (2) - Rams: P Johnny Hekker (4), LS Jake McQuaide (2), ST Cory Littleton (1) and K Greg Zuerlein (1)