Super Bowl 53 has the potential to showcase the changing of the guard in the football kingdom. The New England Patriots’ dominance over the National Football League is now closing in on two decades and at some point, it has to end.
The Patriots’ quest for
immortality
Within two decade, the Patriots have reached the Super Bowl eight times, five of which they’ve won. If they beat the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday in Super Bowl 53, they would be the first team ever to win six Super Bowls in a 17-year span. In addition, New England will tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowls wins by any franchise
Furthermore, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, 41, has an opportunity to surpass legendary defensive end/linebacker, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Haley who is currently tied with Brady for most the Super Bowl wins by any player (five).
On the other hand, this game is just as important to the legacy of Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots heroic 28-3 comeback win in Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons made Belichick the most winningest coach ever with five Super Bowl victories, over-taking legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Chuck Noll, who had won 4. Belichick would solidify his stature as the greatest coach ever if he is the first to achieve six Super Bowls.
Nonetheless, Sunday night, Belichick might be staring down the man who has all the potential to take the reigns as the number one coach in the NFL, and that’s Rams’ Head Coach Sean McVay. Coincidentally, Belichick won his first Super Bowl against the Rams in the 2001-02 season, so McVay has a rare opportunity to get revenge for the franchise, especially since the report that Patriots cheated to beat the Rams that season by recording their walk-through practice. This franchise would not recover from this lost until 2017 season.
The Rams’ Resurgence
As the Patriots were too busy racking up Lombardi trophies over the 2000’s, the St. Louis Rams’ fans had to watch their team slowly crumble after the devastating lost in Super Bowl 36 courtesy of the New England Patriots. After that franchise-crippling loss, the Rams would only win one divisional title in their final 14 years in St. Louis. The Rams’ organization felt like it was in need of a change.
Therefore, the Rams’ packed their bags and made the geographical move back out west to Los Angeles. In hopes of creating a new brand image for the team, it was crucial for the Rams to make a huge splash at the quarterback position. Weeks before the 2016 NFL Draft, the Rams decided to push all their chips to the table and go get their franchise quarterback.
Rams’ General manager Les Snead traded up in the 2016 NFL draft to acquire the rights to first overall pick, which was used to select Cal quarterback Jared Goff. Snead gave up a 2016 first-round pick, two 2016 second-round picks, 2016 third-round pick, a first round pick in 2017, and a third-round pick in 2017 for the opportunity to get Goff. In other words, he gave up the house and the car to get a really big boat that had the potential to bring the team gold. Nevertheless, Goff struggled his first year and was labeled a bust by many NFL experts. Jeff Fisher was the coach at the time and numerous NFL personal correlate that fact to the inadequate rookie year Goff produced.
Hence, the firing of Fisher and the hiring of brilliant offensively-minded head coach Sean McVay. Since Mcvay’s hiring, the LA Rams are 24-8 in the regular season and have finished top two in points scored in both seasons. The Rams also have won the NFC West twice under McVay’s watch. Not to mention, how different Jared Goff looks in McVay’s’ offense. Goff has become an elite quarterback under his new coach. Goff’s new confident and precision play even led to serious talks advocating him as an MVP candidate this season. LA Rams’ running back Todd Gurley also had his career revived when McVay stepped into the equation. Since McVay took over as coach, Gurley has led all running backs in rushing touchdowns (30) and rushing yards (2555). Similar to Goff, Gurley also has MVP buzz surrounding his name because of his outstanding production. McVay took the talent Jeff fisher wasted and turned them into a team that is one win away from potentially ending the greatest dynasty in NFL history…. maybe even sports history.
The Bottom Line
The Rams have the more talented roster players than the Patriots, but we have seen New England win with less talented teams before. The difference in this game is going to be Sean Mcvay versus Bill Belichick. Belichick is a defensively-savvy coach who eliminates the opposing teams strengthens and intimidates the opposition. Sean McVay on the other hand is great at designing confident game-plans that exploit less talented rosters. Super Bowl 53 will be a chess match between generational greatness.
Prediction: McVay’s mind and talented roster are too much for Belichick to conquer. The LA Rams beat the New England Patriots 34-21 and end the almost 20-year dynasty.
