7 Reasons Why the New England Patriots Will Win Super Bowl LIII

Before Robert Kraft bought the New England Patriots, they were one of the more moribund franchises in the NFL. Between 1970 and 1996, they won exactly two division titles and one AFC title, going to Super Bowl XX, where they would get demolished by the Chicago Bears, who were at the height of their mid-1980s dominance. Then came a run of 17 division championships in 23 seasons, including a current streak of 10 straight seasons atop the AFC East, and nine conference championships in the last 18 seasons — and five Super Bowl titles since 2001, most recently in Super Bowl LI. After a dramatic overtime win over Kansas City in which we saw, once again, that no one can put passes in windows as tight as those Tom Brady finds, and that the offensive and defensive lines of the Patriots are rounding into form at just the right time. We also see that the betting public is leaning heavily toward the Patriots, as an initial line that had New England as a one-point underdog shifted in a matter of hours the other way, with New England currently sitting as a 2 ½-point favorite to win. For NFL betting enthusiasts, here are seven reasons why you should pick the New England Patriots to win their sixth Super Bowl title.

7 Reasons Why the New England Patriots Will Win Super Bowl LIII

A look back at some key plays from Sunday’s win, 1-on-1 with @dandrews61 and more of the latest #Patriots news on #Patriots Right Now. pic.twitter.com/zsTGCFplt6

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 23, 2019

Jared Goff’s numbers have fallen over the course of the season

In the early going, the young Ram quarterback was putting up numbers as gaudy as those from Philip Rivers, Patrick Mahomes II and Drew Brees, and he was in the same MVP conversations as those other signal callers. However, in the postseason, he has gone 40 for 68 in two games, throwing for 483 yards and a score — and a pick. That’s a completion percentage of just 58.8 percent. Now he has to come in and face a Patriots team that sacked Mahomes four times in the AFC Championship and brought many different pressure looks, contributing to a first half in which the high-flying Chiefs offense did not score a single point. Will Goff be able to fare any better against the Patriots’ defense?

The Patriots’ defensive front seven can shut down the Rams’ running game

The Los Angeles Rams looked like an old-school running juggernaut against Dallas in the divisional playoff, with both C.J. Anderson and Todd Gurley II running for more than 100 yards against the Cowboys. However, we soon found out that the Rams were able to predict what the Cowboys were doing with their stunt and twist packages more than 90 percent of the time in that game. Against the Saints, Gurley was a non-factor, barely making it onto the field, and Anderson was not nearly as big a factor too.

The Patriots’ offensive line can slow down the Rams’ pass rush

Aaron Donald did pick up 20 ½ sacks during the regular season and should win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year title. Michael Brockers and Ndamukong Suh also combined for 5 ½ sacks over the course of the season. However, the Chiefs, who also have a strong pass rush, didn’t sack Tom Brady one single time, which was a major factor in the drives that Brady led in the fourth quarter and overtime to secure the win. The Patriots’ offensive line doesn’t have any stars — but it does open holes and keep Brady secure in the pocket.

Bill Belichick will win the battle of coaching intangibles

Sure, Sean McVay is a hot name right now after outwitting Dallas’ Jason Garrett and making the needed adjustments to take down New Orleans. McVay does have a terrific offensive mind and has contributed mightily to the development of Goff. However, Belichick is the master of the postseason, and he will win the chess match between the two sidelines.

James White is a major X-factor

When the Patriots came back from a 28-3 deficit to beat Atlanta in Super Bowl LI, James White carried the ball six times for 29 yards and two scores, including the decisive touchdown in overtime. He caught 14 passes for 110 yards and another score. In the 2018 regular season, he carried the ball 76 times for 329 yards and four scores and caught 74 passes for 659 yards and six scores. He is a change-of-pace third down back who waits for holes to open and then darts through him, and he will frustrate the aggressive Ram front seven.

The Patriots are aiming for redemption

How can a team that wins almost every year be hungry for redemption? Well, they did lose last year’s Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagle after rolling to wins over Tennessee and Jacksonville in the playoffs. The Patriots’ defense permitted 41 points and went down in unlikely fashion. This year, they want to keep that from happening again.

The Rams’ secondary gives up big plays

If any of the officials on the field had been watching late in the Rams-Saints game, they would have seen a pass interference call that would have given the Saints on the five-yard line and all the Saints would have had to do was kneel three times and seal the win. In the early going, the Rams left Saints receivers open on routes that Drew Brees missed, leading to two early field goals for the Saints that should have been touchdowns. I don’t see the Pats making similar mistakes.