Super Bowl LIII marks a meeting between two of the NFL’s best teams—with completely different play styles—on the world’s biggest stage. The aging, dynastic Patriots against the young, up-and-coming Rams. The youngest head coach in the NFL making his first Super Bowl appearance against possibly the greatest head coach of all time in his ninth appearance. A team that has largely relied on scheme and individual talent against a team whose system has prevailed since the beginning of the decade.
While Super Bowl LIII represents a congregation of teams with different styles, one factor is more similar than what may meet the eye: the starting quarterbacks. Jared Goff, a 24-year-old in his third NFL season faces off against Tom Brady, a five-time Super Bowl Champion still playing at an extremely high level at age 41.
Both quarterbacks grew up in the Bay Area, watching Joe Montana of the 49ers religiously. Brady is on record as a die-hard Montana fan, having attended the 1981 NFC Championship in which Montana threw “The Catch” to Dwight Clark. Goff has sported number 16 as a tribute to Montana since his childhood. Despite Brady being 17 years older than Goff, the two generations of Montana fans have plenty in common.
Following three stellar varsity seasons at Marin Catholic High School, Goff eventually chose to play at UC Berkeley, a school 30 minutes from Goff’s home that has had a historically great football program. While Brady’s father wanted him to play at Cal, Brady turned down their offer to attend the University of Michigan.
While Goff’s impressive college career earned him the top spot in the 2016 NFL Draft, Brady was not a highly-regarded prospect coming out of college, as he was taken with the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. Though both struggled to earn the starting job in each of their rookie seasons, their sophomore seasons were a different story. In Brady’s second season, the Patriots’ starter Drew Bledsoe got hurt, opening the door for Brady, who led New England past the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl. Under new head coach Sean McVay, Jared Goff’s second season not only stripped him of the “bust” title many had placed upon him, but also earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
For Brady, the rest is history. Since Bledsoe’s injury, Brady has put together one of the best careers in professional sports behind a coach who is also considered one of the best to ever do it. Despite a subpar rookie season, Goff has steadily been approaching elite status in his past two seasons, under a head coach who was named Coach of the Year last year, the youngest to ever receive the honor.
While this year’s Super Bowl doesn’t necessarily mean a changing of the guard atop the NFL hierarchy, it suggests that the Los Angeles Rams might be next. Maybe all it takes to create a dynasty after all is a young Bay Area quarterback and a smart head coach working in tandem.
Prediction:
Brady’s comfort on the big stage will reign superior to Goff’s, and the Patriots’ execution
will include a few key stops and forced turnovers to help seal the game. The Patriots will run the ball through the Rams, opening up Brady’s options in the passing game. Play action will be a big part of the Patriots’ offense, opening up big plays downfield.
I anticipate a big game from Sony Michel. Close to 100 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. I expect Brady to have around 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with one interception early in the game.
Goff will be solid. Somewhere around 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, but at least two turnovers. I expect one touchdown to a tight end and one to Brandin Cooks. I expect minimal impact from both Gurley and CJ Anderson. If there’s one thing Belichick and the Patriots are good at, it’s taking away the other team’s best weapon. They were able to contain Tyreek Hill last week, and keep Melvin Gordon to only 15 rushing yards the week before.
Final Score: Patriots 31, Rams 27