Patriots vs. Rams: Initial Betting Odds, Favorite, Preview for Super Bowl 53

It's not surprising to see the five-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots enter Super Bowl LIII as the favored team. 

The Patriots, who are appearing in their ninth Super Bowl of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, take on the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium February 3. 

The game will be played 17 years to the date when the Patriots conquered the then-St. Louis Rams for their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Although they are the underdog, the Rams have enough stars on both sides of the ball to make the Patriots feel uncomfortable from the start and leave Atlanta with the franchise's second title. 

Super Bowl Betting Odds

Preview

Two matchups stick out right away when taking an initial look at Super Bowl LIII. 

The first pits Brady and the Patriots offensive line against the Los Angeles defensive line, led by Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.

In the AFC Championship Game, the front five of the Patriots produced a stellar performance, as Brady received plenty of time to throw in the pocket. 

Down in New Orleans, Donald wreaked havoc on the Saints offensive line, as he totaled three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. 

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

In order to put together long scoring drives, like they did against Kansas City, the Patriots need to find a way to negate Donald's impact on the interior. 

Because Donald gets such a good start once the ball is snapped, the easy decision for the Patriots would be to double him and force the other 10 players on the Rams defense to beat them. 

The problem with committing two players to Donald is the Rams have players like Suh and Michael Brockers who are capable of catapulting themselves into the backfield to stop New England's advances. 

Over the next two weeks, Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have an opportunity to break down the smallest weaknesses in Donald's game, if there are any, and prepare Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead to exploit them on the ground. 

Protecting Brady is also imperative for the Patriots, which means there has to be a focus on Donald when the five-time Super Bowl champion drops back to pass. 

As long as the Patriots find a way to contain Donald, they'll be able to control the time of possession and matriculate their way down the field at their own pace. 

The other matchup that sticks out upon first glance features Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson against New England's rushing defense. 

Although the Patriots conceded 24 points in the fourth quarter to Kansas City, they still limited the Chiefs to 41 rushing yards. 

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

In the regular season, the Patriots finished 11th in rushing defense and gave up the second-fewest rushing touchdowns in the NFL. 

Stopping Los Angeles' progress on the ground should be the main focus of the New England defense, as the Rams averaged 193.5 rushing yards over their last four games. 

Gurley will be the player to keep an eye on, as he enters the Super Bowl off his worst rushing performance of the season. 

Gurley admitted after the NFC Championship Game that he didn't play well and Anderson deserved to receive the bulk of the carries, per ESPN.com's Lindsey Thiry. 

If Gurley is able to rebound from his rough outing in New Orleans, the Rams could hit triple digits in rushing yards for the fourth time in five games. 

Even if the Patriots contain Gurley's production, they have to find a way to stop Anderson from bruising his way through the line for decent gains. 

Since joining the Rams, Anderson has turned in a trio of 100-yard rushing performances and recorded 44 yards on the ground in the NFC Championship Game. 

If the Rams can develop a rhythm between Gurley and Anderson, they'll keep the Patriots off balance and counter with long drives of their own. 

If both offenses play up to their potential, we could be in an offensive showcase February 3, but it would be foolish to count out the defenses from making an impact on the championship tilt. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.