Super Bowl LIII will be the 53rd championship game since the NFL-AFL merger on June 8, 1966. It’s also the first game where both conference championships needed to go to overtime but certainly not the only game where blown calls changed the outcome.

Rams To Face Patriots In Super Bowl LIII

The Los Angeles Rams beat out the New Orleans Saints 26-23 on Jan. 20 with luck, clutch plays and a blown call that could have been defensive pass interference, a hit on a defenseless receiver, or even a helmet-to-helmet hit. The New England Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 that same day with a signature Tom Brady two-minute drill and a questionable roughing the passer call. Now the teams battle again in Super Bowl LIII, a repeat matchup of Super Bowl XXXVI when the Patriots dynasty started nearly 17 years ago.

Super Bowl LIII will be at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home of the Falcons. It’s important to note that it’s not the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where the Saints play and where the power went out for 22 minutes during Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013. This is the second season Atlanta’s played in their new season and it’s a fan favorite so far. For the big game, sodas and hot dogs are only $2 each and a beer is $5. At last year’s Super Bowl, soda was $7 and a beer was $13. Both New England and LA have Super Bowl history with the Falcons. The Patriots beat them in overtime in Super Bowl LI after a 25-point comeback. The Rams won their most recent title in Super Bowl XXXIV and played in the Georgia Dome.

This year CBS will broadcast the game. It takes place on Sunday, February 3. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM EST. If you can’t get to a TV, the game is streamable with the CBS Sports App or by going to CBSSports.com.

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What’s at stake for each team? If the Rams win, head coach Sean McVay will become the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. He’s 33 years old. To put that in perspective, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is twice his age (66). Jared Goff is also part of the youth movement at 24. If the Rams win, he’d be the second-youngest quarterback ever to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. It’s worth noting that the Pats don’t care about age. Only one quarterback over 40 has started a Super Bowl: Brady last year. If he wins, he’d become the oldest quarterback to win it all at 41. Two important players to watch are Rams lineman Aaron Donald and running back Todd Gurley. Donald is coming off a 20.5-sack season and will bring interior pressure that Brady is all too familiar with from his two Super Bowl losses to the New York Giants and from the teams that the Baltimore Ravens put together earlier this decade. Gurley has led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns since he was drafted in 2015. He was notably absent in the NFC Championship game, though. Fans will be on edge to see if he’s hurt or not on Sunday.

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Bill Piersa

Article by Bill Piersa

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