Super Bowl 2019: Initial Odds, Final-Score Prediction for Patriots vs. Rams

The New England Patriots are headed to Super Bowl LIII, where the NFL's greatest dynasty will challenge the ascending Los Angeles Rams for football glory.

If you like drama, the conference championships were for you. According to ESPN's Bill Barnwell, it was the first time in NFL playoff history one day featured two overtime games.

To begin the day, the Rams recovered from a 13-point deficit on the road and toppled the New Orleans Saints for the NFC crown. And in the AFC, the Pats coughed up a 14-point lead yet managed to squeak past the Kansas City Chiefs.

In addition to winning the AFC for the third consecutive season, New England will be making its ninth Super Bowl appearance of the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era. Los Angeles, meanwhile, earned the franchise's first NFC crown in 17 years.

The Patriots and Rams met in Super Bowl XXXVI, and New England's 20-17 win sparked this amazing 18-year run.

Super Bowl LIII Info

Date: Sunday, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Spread: Patriots -1 (OddsShark)

How the Patriots Advanced

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

New England absolutely, completely, thoroughly dominated the opening half. The Patriots entered the locker room with a 14-0 advantage after holding the Chiefs to 32 yards of offense.

The second half? Oh, it was tremendously fun.

Patrick Mahomes overcame his tepid start to throw a trio of touchdown passes, the first to Travis Kelce and next two to Damien Williams. Mahomes' third score helped push Kansas City to a 21-17 edge as the fourth quarter dipped below eight minutes left.

Tom Brady responded quickly and engineered a 10-play drive that Sony Michel punctuated with a 10-yard scamper. The Patriots retook the lead at 24-21 with 3:32 remaining, but it didn't last long.

Kansas City took advantage of a defensive holding, a pass interference and a pick play to set up Williams' two-yard touchdown just ahead of the two-minute warning. The "scored too fast" tweets came rushing in, and Brady swiftly guided the Patriots downfield for Rex Burkhead's go-ahead touchdown run.

The Chiefs only had 39 seconds but moved into field-goal range, and Harrison Butker' 39-yard connection forced overtime.

New England won the coin toss; Brady didn't waste it.

A methodical―and, for Chiefs fans, soul-crushing―13-yard drive covered 75 yards, included three 3rd-and-10 conversions and ended with Burkhead's game-winning two-yard touchdown.

How the Rams Advanced

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

While it wasn't without controversy, Los Angeles earned a comeback victory in a raucous Mercedes-Benz Superdome environment.

The Rams fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter, but they steadily closed the gap. Late in the fourth quarter of a tie game, Drew Brees targeted Tommylee Lewis on a 3rd-and-10 in the red zone. As the ball arrived, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman leveled Lewis.

But there was no call.

Instead, the Saints kicked a field goal with 1:41 remaining in regulation. Jared Goff guided Los Angeles downfield for a game-tying 48-yard field goal to force overtime.

During the extra period, Rams edge-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. smacked Brees' arm and forced a rainbow of an interception. Although the drive stalled after one first down, Sean McVay trotted out veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein for a 57-yard kick.

He hammered it.

Immediately after the game, the attention turned to Saints coach Sean Payton. He told reporters that he spoke with an NFL representative who said the officials missed a pass interference and helmet-to-helmet contact.

Rams superstar Todd Gurley even posted an edited picture on Instagram of him "exchanging" jerseys with a referee.

The unchangeable result, however, is Los Angeles won 26-23.

Super Bowl LIII Breakdown

Let's get this out of the way: Old School vs. New Kids on the Block.

Anyway, the Patriots often do a tremendous job at something so difficult: taking away the opponent's best receiver.

For example, they limited Kansas City star Tyreek Hill to a single catch for 42 yards and only three targets. In the Super Bowl, New England must decide between Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, who both collected 1,200 yards this season.

But it's safe to say the Patriots will be focused on slowing Gurley and C.J. Anderson first. Gurley accounted for more than 1,800 total yards during the regular season, and Anderson has played well in four appearances since joining the Rams.

Contain them, and New England will put the pressure on Goff. That's a battle Belichick surely thinks he can win.

And with two weeks to prepare, he probably will.

Offensively, the Patriots will lean on Brady to pick apart a decent defense. New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara caught 11 passes for 96 yards, so New England will likely try to stress the Rams linebackers with a heavy dose of James White and Rex Burkhead.

Those quick-hitters will minimize the impact of Los Angeles stars Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh up front. Pressuring Brady is a key to beating the Pats. If the Rams can't, the margin won't be close.

Prediction: Patriots 34, Rams 20

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.