Why the Rams will win Super Bowl LIII

The Los Angeles Rams will stroll into Mercedes-Benz Stadium with much of the viewing public, including the entire state of Louisiana, believing them to be fraudulent champions of the NFC. While L.A. might have benefited from a badly missed pass interference call, it is a formidable outfit, and on a neutral field the Rams might truly be the best team in football.

Let’s have a look at some reasons why Sean McVay’s rapid rise as a head coach will culminate with his Rams winning Super Bowl LIII.

Aaron Donald Here is something to seriously consider about Donald. His ceiling as a player is literally, “greatest defensive player of all time.” That might seem like an absurd praise, but it really isn’t. If you prefer your praise tempered, “greatest defensive lineman of all time” is still very much on the table. Bill Belichick’s read on Donald? “He’s basically unblockable.”

Tom Brady, like any quarterback, is susceptible to pressure, but Brady is often able to handle edge rushers because he’s so adept at stepping up in the pocket. Pressure that comes up the gut, like the type that Donald applies, is much tougher for Brady due to his subpar lateral movement. According to Pro Football Focus, Donald has 67 hurries this year, tops among all defenders. That stat is arguably more important than sacks, as a hurry almost always results in a win for the defense. If Donald rules the day inside, things will be difficult for the Pats.

Sean McVay can match wits The assumption, more or less always correct, is that Bill Belichick provides the Patriots with a pronounced coaching advantage regardless of their opponent. Sean McVay stands as one of the few coaches in the league who figures to be able to match wits with Belichick. The Rams’ offensive strategies are motion-based, misdirection-heavy and great at generating favorable matchups. L.A. isn’t all about the explosive pass, either. Todd Gurley is great, and the sudden, stunning emergence of C.J. Anderson gives the Rams a true dual-threat running attack. McVay is detail-oriented enough to have a coach specifically dedicated to moving him out of the way when he’s about to collide with a referee, so one imagines that he’ll have a pretty good game plan cooked up for this one.

The game is indoors, on a fast track Top to bottom, the Rams are the faster, more talented team. That’s just a fact. Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and the rest of Los Angeles’ skill players are more explosive than what New England brings to the table. New England was routed in its only dome game of the year, Week 2 against Detroit. The Lions, if you are unaware, aren’t good. The impact of the Rams’ misdirection and motion should be exacerbated by the perfect conditions and footing. The Patriots probably wish this game was being played outside, in sloppy conditions, as it would benefit them.

The defense outside of Donald has some playmakers Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh and Dante Fowler are all big-time, pedigreed talents. Donald rightfully gets most of the press, as well as an overwhelming amount of attention from opposing offenses, but if the rest of the Rams’ front generates pressure, it can make life miserable from all angles. Los Angeles’ defense is mediocre in terms of yards and points surrendered but is good at taking the ball away. That’s easier said than done when Brady is on the other side, but lest anyone forget, New Orleans got the ball first in overtime in the NFC championship game, but the Rams’ John Johnson picked off Drew Brees to give L.A. the ball. Whose pressure caused the bad throw? Fowler.

No one thinks they deserve to be here The “no one believes in us,” shtick can get old fast, and when a team like New England deploys it before the AFC championship game, it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Still, no one thinks the Rams deserve to be here. If pass interference was a reviewable play, they wouldn’t be here. But they’re an excellent football team, and most people are assuming that the New England juggernaut can’t be stopped. Say, weren’t the Rams the invincible team when these two franchises met way back in Super Bowl XXXVI? Turnabout is fair play, after all.