Why Rams Will be Super Bowl LIII Champions

Many football pundits believe the outcome of Super Bowl LIII is a foregone conclusion. Conventional wisdom says the Patriots name is already engraved on the Vince Lombardi Trophy next to Super Bowl LIII.

However, there are valid reasons to believe that the Rams will win on Sunday and become Super Bowl LIII champions.

The Patriots have superior Super Bowl experience with Bill Belichick on the sidelines and Tom Brady at the helm. However, Sean McVay has become well respected as a head coach. As well as that, quarterback Jared Goff is one of the league’s best young signal callers.

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However, the Rams success has not been all about offense, as the defense has the best pass rusher in the NFL in Aaron Donald. The Patriots have been extra careful in protecting veteran quarterback Brady and gave up the third-fewest sacks in the NFL at 21, but will be facing the likes of Donald, who had 20.5 sacks to lead the league during the regular season.

Donald is not the only Rams defensive player that will give Brady fits. Ndamukong Suh is another top pass rusher for the Rams. And remember it is not all about quarterback sacks. Quarterback hits often disrupt the quarterback’s concentration and follow through and that affects the pass. Donald led the NFL not only in quarterback sacks but in QB hits with 41, while teammate Suh has 19 QB hits.

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The pressure the Rams apply to the quarterback helped the team created 30 turnovers, which were third most in the NFL. John Johnson and Cory Littleton combined to intercept seven passes for the Rams, while Donald and linebacker Samson Ebukam combined to force seven fumbles.

During the postseason, the Patriots have converted 61% of their third-down plays but over that same period, the Rams defense has limited their opponents to just 29% on third-down conversions. The Rams defense has also allowed the third fewest first downs and second fewest yards per game in the postseason.

All valid reasons while the Rams will raise the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday as Super Bowl Champions.