Super Bowl Over-Under 2019: Point Spread, Predictions for Patriots vs. Rams

The final hours before the Super Bowl can be crucial.

The game plans were set in the previous week, and after the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams arrived in Atlanta, the two teams were able to get in their practice sessions and fine-tune their plans for the game.

Super Bowl LIII will not kick off until shortly after 6:30 p.m. ET. Players have to steady their nerves, and coaches have time to consider and implement one or two more plays that might make a difference.

The Super Bowl is about execution, playing under pressure and sustaining an effort. The last part may be the most difficult because the routine is so different from a regular-season game. Not only is there a two-week break between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl to go with the late start, but the halftime break also extends to 40 minutes when it is normally in the 12-15 minute range.

Combine all of those factors with the scrutiny of the whole world watching, and that magnifies the pressure dramatically.

Super Bowl LIII Information

Date: Sunday, Feb. 3

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

TV: CBS

Live Stream: CBS All Access and FuboTV

Odds (via OddsShark): Patriots -2.5; Over/Under: 56

Experience is why the Patriots apparently have an advantage. This is the ninth time that Bill Belichick has brought his team to the Super Bowl, and all of them have been with Tom Brady at quarterback, so this team knows what to expect every step of the way.

The Rams haven't been to the Super Bowl since the 2001 season, when Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk lost to the Patriots, and none of those players remain.

Those were the St. Louis Rams that dropped a 20-17 decision to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, not the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, for all intents and purposes, are Super Bowl rookies.

Sean McVay may be the brightest of the young head coaches who have been given the responsibility of leading NFL teams. But McVay is still human, and waking up on Super Bowl morning knowing that the whole world is watching will be overwhelming.

So while McVay is considering the way the day will unfold, Belichick knows what it is all about. The New England head coach is all about preparation and getting the job done, and he will take the additional steps needed to give his team a better chance to win.

That's an advantage, and if the Rams are going to win, they are going to have to overcome it.

If Belichick and the Patriots are able to come up with offensive plays in the hours before the game, and they can make those plays work, Super Bowl LIII has all the signs of being a high-scoring, back-and-forth game.

The combination of Brady, Sony Michel, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski should have the opportunity to move up and down the field and score four touchdowns or more. The Rams will counter with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, C.J. Anderson, Brandin Cooks, and Robert Woods, and it's difficult to think that the Patriots can stop them.

Prediction

The Patriots are playing their best football of the season. They pounded the Los Angeles Chargers in the divisional round and won the AFC Championship Game on the road over the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in overtime.

The Rams were an 8-0 team in the first half of the season, and they lit up the scoreboard on a regular basis. While they lost some of their traction in the second half of the campaign, they appeared to find themselves in their divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The NFC Championship Game win over the New Orleans Saints was controversial because of a non-call, but the Rams managed to hang in there on the road against the NFC's top-seeded team. They may have gotten a break, but it wouldn't have meant a thing if they hadn't taken advantage of it.

These are two strong teams and should be able to exchange punches for 60 minutes. The result will be a high-scoring game, and both teams will approach or surpass the 30-point mark.

This game will go over the 56-point total, and the Patriots will be the team that has the ball last and scores the winning points. New England wins by a 31-28 margin and takes home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the sixth time.