Super Bowl 2019: Patriots vs. Rams Favorite and Betting Odds from Las Vegas

With one week of preparation under their belts, the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots will finally be packing up and making the trip to Atlanta this week for Super Bowl LIII. 

This Super Bowl has the potential to be one of the best coaching matchups in recent history. Bill Belichick and Sean McVay are arguably the two best coaches in the game right now, and each has an uncanny ability to self-scout and adjust their tendencies. With two weeks to prepare for the game, it's difficult to predict what either one may have up their sleeve. 

For this reason, it's probably best to remain skeptical of any hunches you have about this matchup—inevitably someone will do something you didn't see coming. But we'll still take a look at a few trends in an effort to figure out who may have an edge on Sunday.

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

When: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Spread: Patriots -2.5, via OddsShark.com

One of the keys to the Super Bowl will be the Rams' ability to put pressure on Tom Brady. With Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh in the middle of the defensive line, the Rams have the potential to pressure Brady at a rate he has yet to see this postseason. 

However, Brady is one of the most difficult quarterbacks to get to due to his ability to quickly distribute the ball. According to Next Gen Stats, the Patriots used a quick-strike passing attack against the Chiefs to ensure their pass rush was unable to get to Brady. The chart below shows Brady attempted just six passes longer than 15 yards downfield:

If Brady is able to quickly get the ball in the hands of receivers such as Julian Edelman and James White—typically his two favorite receivers on shorter routes—there may not be much the Rams pass rush can do to stop him. 

If the Rams can't slow down Brady, it will be up to Jared Goff to ensure their offense is able to keep up. 

When the Rams offense is cruising, they typically dominate the defense on first down. Los Angeles led the league averaging 6.82 yards per play on the first down this season, according to Pro Football Reference. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots had the 10th worst first-down defense, giving up 5.99 yards per play. 

Surprisingly, the Rams are a relatively run-heavy team on first down, handing the ball off on 53 percent of their first-down plays. When Goff does drop back to pass, though, no one is more efficient. Among the 29 quarterbacks with at least 125 first-down throws, Goff led the league with 9.35 yards per attempt. 

Based on these numbers, it's tempting to predict the game will turn into a shootout. The Patriots appear to have the ability to keep the ball moving with their quick-strike offense and the Rams' efficient first-down offense should keep them ahead of the chains and lead to sustained drives. 

According to OddsShark, the over/under is set at 57 points. If you believe these numbers are sustainable for each team in the Super Bowl, the over definitely deserves consideration. 

As for the matchup itself, it's hard to pick against the Patriots on the biggest stage, but their defense has proven vulnerable throughout the year. That means Brady will likely have to put up big numbers to keep the Patriots in this game.

New England survived a scare against the Chiefs, but the Rams defense won't be walked over like Kansas City's in the AFC Championship Game. As long as Goff and the Rams can turn this into a shootout, they should be able to outlast New England in a close one. 

Final Prediction: Rams 34, Patriots 31