Super Bowl LIII position-by-position breakdown

Jared Goff has had an excellent third NFL season, but Brady's experience wins out. Arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Brady is going for his sixth Super Bowl win. He threw for 4,355 yards and 29 touchdowns during the regular season. Goff led the Rams to a 13-3 regular-season record, throwing for 4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also had an outstanding 8.4 yards per pass attempt.

The battle of the No. 1 running backs features two Georgia alums. Gurley has fought through a knee injury lately, but the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year finished the regular season with 1,831 yards from scrimmage and a league-leading 21 touchdowns. Sony Michel had an outstanding rookie season for the Pats, finishing the season with 931 yards rushing and six touchdowns in 13 games. He's rushed for more than 100 yards in both playoff games.

White is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses as primarily a receiving back. He had a career-high 87 receptions during the regular season, along with a career-high 94 carries. He surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the first time this season. C.J. Anderson has emerged as a key part of the Rams offense after signing late in the year. The former Broncos starter has totaled 82 carries over the last four games, while Todd Gurley although nursing a knee injury, is an excellent power back.

Cooks was traded from the Patriots to the Rams in the offseason and just notched his fourth straight 1,000-yard season. He finished the year with 80 catches for 1,204 yards and five scores, adding one more on the ground. Veteran Patriots wideout Julian Edelman remains one of the quickest receivers in the game and didn't lose a step after a four-game suspension to start the season. The 32-year-old had 74 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season.

Woods clearly had the best season of his career, finishing with 86 receptions for 1,219 yards and six receiving touchdowns for the high-flying Rams offense. He averaged 14.2 yards per reception. Chris Hogan had an up-and-down year, finishing with 35 receptions for 532 yards and three touchdowns. He was forced into a bigger role after Josh Gordon was lost for the season.

Reynolds has stepped in for Cooper Kupp, who was lost for the year to a knee injury. He had 29 receptions for 402 yards and five touchdowns, getting most of his work beginning in Week 11. Phillip Dorsett has gotten hot at the right time, scoring a touchdown in three consecutive games. He had 32 receptions for 290 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.

Battling injuries this season, Gronkowski isn't the player he once was but still remains an outstanding receiver and blocker for the Patriots. He had 47 receptions for 682 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games during the regular season. Tyler Higbee scored a touchdown during the NFC championship after a relatively quiet regular season. He had 24 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns in 16 starts for the Rams.

The 37-year-old Whitworth is one of the most underappreciated linemen in the NFL. He's a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro and has missed only three games since 2009. Trent Brown is one of the league's biggest offensive linemen, at 6-foot-8, 380 pounds, and does an excellent job protecting Tom Brady's blindside. This is his first season with the Patriots after coming over from San Francisco.

Saffold has been with the Rams organization his entire career, getting drafted in 2010. He started his career at tackle but has improved as he's moved to guard. Joe Thuney is in his third season with New England, and the former third-round pick has yet to miss a game.

The veteran Sullivan followed Sean McVay from Washington to L.A., and the 33-year-old has started 31 of 32 games since joining the Rams. David Andrews is a Georgia alum in his fourth season with the Patriots. He started all 16 games this season.

Mason is in his fourth year starting at guard for the Pats and played 14 games this season. Austin Blythe is in his first year as a full-time starter for the Rams and in his third NFL season.

The 6-foot-8 Rob Havenstein is an outstanding pass blocker and a four-year starter with the Rams after being drafted in the second round in 2015. Cannon is now in his eighth season with New England and his third year as the full-time starter at right tackle.

Flowers is New England's top pass rusher, finishing the regular season with 7.5 sacks and 21 sacks over the last three seasons. Michael Brockers is in his seventh season with the Rams. He had 54 tackles and one sack during the regular season, serving as a run stuffer alongside Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.

The likely Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, Donald led the league with 20.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss. He was an All-Pro for the fourth consecutive season. Lawrence Guy is in his second year with the Pats and has been a solid run stuffer, with 59 tackles on the year.

At one time considered one of the elite defensive tackles in the game, Suh now takes on double teams at nose tackle for the Rams. He had 4.5 sacks and 59 tackles in his first season with L.A. after coming over from the Dolphins. Malcom Brown is a wide load on the interior for New England and had 39 tackles in 15 games during the regular season.

Wise has 9.5 sacks in two seasons with the Patriots. He's been absent from both playoff games so far with an ankle injury. Acquired from the Jaguars at midseason, Dante Fowler is a former first-round pick and pass-rushing specialist. He had four sacks during the regular season, two with the Rams. He also has 1.5 sacks during the playoffs.

A former Pro Bowler and productive run stopper earlier in his career, Hightower had 48 tackles and one sack during the regular season. Samson Ebukam is developing into a formidable pass rusher with three sacks and six quarterback hits during the regular season for the Rams.

Littleton was highly productive in his first season as a starter, finishing the regular season with 125 tackles and four sacks. He also had three interceptions, playing a key role covering backs and tight ends. Elandon Roberts had 65 tackles and one sack during the regular season for the Patriots at middle linebacker.

Van Noy has been excellent since being acquired from Detroit in 2016. This season he had 92 tackles and 3.5 sacks during the regular season, adding two sacks against the Chiefs in the AFC championship. A converted safety, Mark Barron had 60 tackles and one sack in 12 games during the regular season for the Rams.

An All-Pro for the first time this season, Gilmore had an outstanding year as New England's top corner. He finished the season with 45 tackles and two interceptions. Marcus Peters struggled at times during his first year with the Rams while fighting through a nagging calf injury. He had 43 tackles and three picks during the regular season, disappointing production after he had a total of 19 interceptions during his first three seasons with the Chiefs.

Talib is nearing the end of his career, going on age 33, but he remains an outstanding man-coverage cornerback. He had 23 tackles and one interception in eight games during the regular season, but his streak of five straight Pro Bowls ended. Jason McCourty joined his twin brother in New England this season and had 70 tackles and one interception in 16 games.

Now in his second season with the Rams, Johnson had 119 tackles and four interceptions as a highly productive strong safety. Patrick Chung is in his 10th NFL season and ninth with the Patriots. He had 84 tackles and one pick during the regular season.

Now in his ninth season in New England, McCourty has made two Pro Bowls during his career. He had 82 tackles, four forced fumbles and one interception during the regular season. Lamarcus Joyner is in his fifth season with the Rams and his second as a starting safety. He had 78 tackles and one interception during the regular season.

A first-round pick in 2013 by the Vikings, Patterson has been considered one of the top kick returners in the league since he was drafted. He averaged 28.8 yards per return with one touchdown this season. Jojo Natson had only six kick returns during the regular season, averaging 18.0 yards per return.

The sure-handed Edelman had 20 punt returns in 12 games, averaging 7.7 yards per this season. Jojo Natson had 26 returns in 13 games, averaging 10.8 yards per return.

Gostkowski gets the nod as the superior kicker by the slimmest of margins due to his experience as a two-time Super Bowl champ. He made 27 of 32 field-goal attempts during the regular season and has made more than 87 percent of his attempts for his career. The Rams wouldn't be in the Super Bowl without Greg Zuerlein, who made the game-tying and winning field goals in the NFC championship. Known as "Greg the Leg" because of his great leg strength, Zuerlein made 27 of 31 field-goal attempts during the regular season and has made 83.5 percent of attempts during his seven-year career.

Hekker has one of the strongest legs of any punter in the NFL, averaging 47.0 yards per punt during his NFL career. He's been an All-Pro four times in seven seasons. Ryan Allen has won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, averaging 45.1 yards per punt in six seasons.