Super Bowl 53: Winner, Final Box Score Predictions for Patriots vs. Rams

The modern NFL game is all about coming up with formations and plays that opponents have not seen with any regularity and using them to unleash a torrent of big plays that the defense is not ready to defend.

In nearly all cases, the big plays come through the air.

If that form holds, both the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams are in good shape for Super Bowl LIII with Tom Brady and Jared Goff at quarterback. Brady, of course, is widely considered the greatest of all time, and he has five Super Bowl championships to his credit.

Goff is part of the next generation of young quarterbacks in the NFL. Goff belongs in the same category with Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky and Carson Wentz. Where he stands in that group is up for debate, but he has a strong arm and can find the open man. 

Brady has been razor-sharp during the postseason and better than he was during the regular season. He has completed 71.1 percent of his passes and thrown for 345.5 yards per game. Goff has been good during the regular season, but nowhere near as accomplished as Brady. Goff is completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 241.5 yards per game.

The Patriots will try to attack the Rams secondary with Julian Edelman, James White, Rob Gronkowski and Phillip Dorsett. This is not a superstar-laden group of pass-catchers, but they are more than good enough to have a game-changing impact for the Patriots.

The Rams started their season with three excellent wideouts in Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks. Kupp, quite possibly the best of those wideouts, went out with a knee injury after playing eight games.

Woods, a former Buffalo Bill who played the Patriots twice a year in his first four seasons and scored four TDs against the AFC East champions, has played his best football since coming to the Rams. Cooks played with the Patriots last year, and he knows the New England offense as well as anyone in an L.A. uniform.

It looks like Super Bowl LIII could be a passing duel, but football can be a strange game. As well as Brady has played during the postseason, he has had tremendous support from the New England ground game. Rookie Sony Michel has five rushing touchdowns in the two playoff games, while fellow running back Rex Burkhead has three TDs.

The Rams have a much better running game on paper. Todd Gurley had an All-Pro season by rushing for 1,251 yards and 17 touchdowns. He accomplished that in 14 games, as he missed the last two games with a knee injury.

Gurley has returned for the playoffs, and after rushing for 115 yards in the divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys, he was held to 10 yards against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game.

Gurley insists he is healthy, but doubts remain. He has had 20 carries in two playoff games, while backup C.J. Anderson has carried the ball 39 times during that time.

Head coach Sean McVay says Gurley is healthy and that he has to do a better job of getting the star running back in the game.

"I gotta do a much better job for Todd to get him opportunities to get going, love the way that he responded though, and fully expect him to be the Todd Gurley, that we all know and he's going to be," McVay told reporters.

If Gurley is healthy and effective, it could go a long way toward helping the Rams win. If the Patriots can slow him down, a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy could be at hand for the Patriots.

Predicted box score

New England 31, Los Angeles 28

Patriots 7-10-0-14—31

Rams    7-0-14-7—28

Passing

NE: Brady, 22 of 31, 305 yards, 2 TDs

LA: Goff, 21 of 34, 270 yards, 3 TDs

Rushing

NE: Michel, 85 yards, 2 TDs; Burkhead, 55 yards

LA: Anderson, 70 yards, 1 TD; Gurley, 40 yards

Receiving

NE: Edelman, 75 receiving yards, 1 TD; Gronkowski, 65 yards, 1 TD; Dorsett, 90 receiving yards; White, 60 yards, 1 TD

LA: Cooks, 90 yards, 2 TDs; Woods, 115 yards, 1 TD; Tyler Higbee, 50 yards