Patriots vs. Rams: Latest Odds and Predictions for Super Bowl 53

The New England Patriots are nearly impossible to kill.

Faced with a 24-point, fourth-quarter onslaught led by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and the Patriots found a way to survive in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The Patriots pulled out a 37-31 overtime victory over the Chiefs, as Rex Burkhead scored on a two-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the extra period, and the Patriots earned their third straight AFC title.

The Patriots move on to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, where Brady and Co. will face the Los Angeles Rams, 26-23 overtime victors over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game.

Home teams had won the previous 10 conference championship games, but the Patriots and the Rams broke that spell in dynamic fashion. Championship Sunday also marked the first time that two NFL postseason games went into overtime on the same day.

The Rams were behind for nearly 60 minutes, but Sean McVay's team kept fighting, and thanks to Greg Zuerlein's 57-yard field goal in the extra session, L.A. found a way to survive and advance.

The last time the Rams went to the Super Bowl came after the 2001 season when they were heavy favorites over Bill Belichick, Brady and the Patriots.

Jared Goff threw for 297 yards and a touchdown after a slow start in the NFC title game, and he got help from wideout Brandin Cooks, who caught seven passes for 107 yards.

The Patriots used their ball-control offense and a surprisingly strong defensive showing to get a first-half edge on the Chiefs, but Mahomes and the Kansas City offense found their stride in the second half.

Mahomes completed 16 of 31 passes for 295 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Brady completed 30 of 46 passes for 348 yards with one TD and two interceptions.

Belichick and Brady were playing in their eighth straight AFC title game, and those two will attempt to win the sixth Super Bowl title for the franchise.

The Patriots had no Super Bowl titles and just two appearances in the game when they met the then-St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. New England pulled out a 20-17 upset, as placekicker Adam Vinatieri connected on the game-winning 48-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.

That game, and that entire postseason, helped turn around the fortunes of the Patriots. They had been largely a sad-sack franchise for the first 40-plus years of their existence.

Within minutes of New England's AFC title game win, the Rams were established as one-point favorites. However, minutes after that, the number went in New England's favor, and the Patriots became one-point favorites, per OddsShark. The total in the game is listed at 57.5 points.

With the Rams as the underdogs in this matchup, McVay will try to engineer the upset against Belichick and the Patriots.

Prediction

There will be a number of storylines for Super Bowl LIII, including the revenge matchup for Super Bowl XXXVI.

Other angles include the young genius in McVay going up against the old master in Belichick. The quarterback matchup of Goff vs. Brady is similar to the coaching battle. Goff is a third-year quarterback going up against an ancient warrior in Brady.

The analysis is just starting, but the immediate reaction is that New England will find a way to win its sixth Super Bowl. Brady has played two sensational postseason games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Chiefs, and he clearly knows how to handle the big stage.

Goff played a gutsy game in helping his team come back against the Saints, but the Rams looked lost early in the game.

If Los Angeles is anything but its best for 60 minutes, the Patriots will find a way to win this game.

The Patriots may not have the top athletes in the game today; receivers like Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan are very good, and James White is a fine receiver out of the backfield, but they are not superstars. They just find a way to carry out their assignments at the most important moments.

The Rams may be a bit more talented than the Patriots, but Goff, Todd Gurley and the defense are going to have to prove they can be at their best on the biggest stage.

The Patriots win another high-scoring game with a late touchdown, and they earn their sixth Super Bowl ring.