A sixth Lombardi Trophy would further cement the legacy of the New England Patriots, and specifically Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, when they face the upstart Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
The Patriots are 5-3 in the Super Bowl, riding their historic coach-quarterback pairing to unmatched success.
"I think because of that experience, when those guys are so great at what they do and then they have that inventory that they have to draw on is so broad because of that experience," admitted Rams head coach Sean McVay.
"Tom's got such a great feel for understanding how to manipulate, move coverage, handle certain situations where he might have to redirect a protection or throw quick-element throws if he is hot.
"Then, the same thing with coach Belichick. I can't imagine that there's really a scheme that he hasn't seen or hasn't had to defend."
Brady, who at 41 is eight years older than McVay, has a 29-10 record in the post-season.
But McVay has the No. 1 scoring offence in the NFL since he took over a 4-12 Rams team in 2016.
The Rams feature a 4,000-yard passer, Jared Goff, two 1,200-yard receivers (Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods) and running back Todd Gurley, who eclipsed 1,800 yards from scrimmage and scored 21 total touchdowns in 2018.
The Rams, who won their only Super Bowl in 1999 when based in St Louis, were third in the NFL in rushing yards -- 143.4 yards per game -- in 2018.
Belichick said this week the Patriots always want to take away the run first, which prompted a Gurley smile and sharp retort.
"Nobody can take away both, you have to pick and choose what to stop."
Belichick expects the game to be a shootout, the aspect of the Rams' offence that stood out to him in film study was how they turn mistakes into touchdowns.
The Rams scored 527 points, including five touchdowns on returns, and run their offence at a fast break pace. McVay's troops snapped the ball within three seconds of breaking the huddle on 123 snaps this season.
"Screw up one play, it will end up in the end zone," Belichick said.
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