Super Bowl set to be grudge match

The+New+England+Patriots+and+the+Los+Angeles+Rams+will+face+off+in+Super+Bowl+LIII+on+Sunday%2C+Feb.+3.

IMAGE / Connor Earegood

The New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams will face off in Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, Feb. 3.

No matter the outcome of Super Bowl LIII, “Touchdown” Tom Brady will not hang up his helmet for good.

Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams will look to give his New England Patriots a loss nonetheless.

On Sunday, Feb. 3, the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams will face off in an epic grudge match.

Brady and the Patriots’ offense — ranked fifth in the National Football League for yards per game — will face a defense full of well-rounded talent.

Linebacker Cory Littleton and defensive tackle Aaron Donald both represented the Rams in the Pro Bowl and will look to keep Brady from connecting with tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman.

Gronkowski, one of Brady’s most trusted receivers, amassed 682 yards in the regular season while Edelman picked up 850.

In the backfield, the Rams face rookie sensation Sony Michel, who ran the AFC Championship winning touchdown and earned 931 yards throughout the season. Los Angeles can’t rest when he takes the field.

For the Rams, Goff aired out 4,688 yards passing in the regular season with 483 added in the postseason.

His passer rating of 101.1 is brought down by his difficulty in keeping the ball secure. He has 12 fumbles and as many interceptions this season.

Running back Todd Gurley has a nose for the end zone, racking up 17 scores on the season. He will receive many touches early in the game, as his offense depends on him to chew up valuable yards and extend drives.

The Patriots defense will have to clog the middle of the field to contain Gurley while defending downfield well enough to prevent any easy pickups through the air. This will be a labor of Hurculean proportions.

With 92 and 84 total tackles, respectively, middle linebacker Kyle Van Noy and strong safety Patrick Chung will be able to bear the brunt of that work.

Junior Jon Conway believes the Patriots will pull off a victory, but is skeptical after their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the last Super Bowl.

“I’m going with my gut. The Patriots will win,” Conway said. “Nothing beats Brady and (Coach Bill) Belichick, especially not when Brady gets in the zone.”

He feels New England must keep a strong line in front of Brady.

“The biggest thing the Pats have to do is keep their offensive line strong,” Conway said. “The Rams have one of the best defenses in the game. They’ll have to keep their heads on straight.”

Junior Cole Zemore is siding with the Rams because of his dislike of the Patriots.

“I just don’t want the Patriots to win, to be honest,” Zemore said. ” The Pats choked last year, so why won’t they choke this year?”

No matter who takes home the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Super Bowl LIII will be an offensive showdown football fans will not want to miss.