Super Bowl 53: Niner Noise staff picks for Patriots & Rams

It’s Super Bowl 53 week as we prepare for the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams to play the big game. Which team does the Niner Noise staff think is going to win?

It’s that time of the year again — the week of Super Bowl 53. Thirty teams have been eliminated and only two remain: the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, who will duke it out for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

Which team does the Niner Noise staff think is going to win?

Here are our predictions for the big game.

Peter Panacy

Rams quarterback Jared Goff’s abilities are so contingent on successful play action. And when Los Angeles’ offense has struggled, it’s usually been because other teams aren’t biting on the play fake. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a knack for taking away an opponent’s No. 1 weapon. In this case, it’s not a player but a scheme.

Look for the Pats to shut down the run game early, taking away the Rams’ ability to use play action. Meanwhile, that Rams defense hasn’t been quite as dominant as many thought it would be this season. That short-area passing from quarterback Tom Brady would go a long way to negate the interior Rams pass rush.

Prediction: Patriots 28 Rams 21

Aaron Tan

The Patriots are the favorite to win, and I know that you can never discount Tom Brady from a game, but the fact of the matter is that this Patriots roster is probably the worst that New England has put out in a Super Bowl. The team was wildly inconsistent throughout the regular season, clearly possessing more weaknesses than we have ever before from a Bill Belichick-coached Patriots team. However, they started to look like the classic powerhouse Patriots team in the playoffs as they really started to gel together and gain momentum. Whichever version of this team we will see in the Super Bowl 53 should play a huge factor in determining the outcome of this game.

Meanwhile, the Rams are an absolute powerhouse this year. They have done everything in their power to create a superteam, and they have, with stars at every position. If there’s any team that can end this Patriots dynasty, it’s these Rams. And although I will be rooting for Brady this Sunday, I have a bad feeling that the Rams will come out victorious in a close and hard-fought game.

Prediction: Rams 31 Patriots 28

Akshaj Dwivedula

I think that the Rams offense can easily be stopped if a defense stays disciplined and locks up with man, just like the Patriots do. I worry about the Rams stopping the Pats run game. Despite what Gurley says, he hasn’t been 100 percent and without him, their offense is less dynamic. Brady and the Patriots will manage to score just enough to pull this one out.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Rams 17

Jeremy Wohlfart

The Patriots don’t fear a team with a young quarterback, and this is no exception. Tom Brady is a veteran of more Super Bowls than anyone else, while Jared Goff only recorded his first playoff win less than a month ago.

The Rams are talented, and Sean McVay is one of the better coaches in the NFL, but they’re going to struggle to keep up against arguably the best dynasty of the Super Bowl era with their star running back Todd Gurley struggling.

Prediction: Patriots 31 Rams 17

Chris Wilson

Over the course of their current dynasty, the New England Patriots have consistently played to the level of their opponent once they reach the Super Bowl. In recent years, the Patriots dominated teams during the regular season, only to lose or barely squeeze out a victory over an inferior foe in the final game of the playoffs. In Super Bowl 53, New England faces off against a superior squad — at least on paper.

Sunday’s game gives the Patriots a rare opportunity to play up to the level of their opponent in the team’s quest to leave Atlanta with the final Lombardi Trophy of the “evil empire” era.

Prediction: Patriots 24 Rams 23

Tim Miller

After Tom Brady gets a case of food poisoning from a bad batch of avocado ice cream, the Patriots are forced to start backup QB, and 49ers fan favorite Brian Hoyer, who is completely ineffective. Meanwhile, the Rams are licking their lips until every offensive lineman comes down with a nasty case of pink eye from dirty pillowcases at the team hotel. Jared Goff and Todd Gurley can’t advance the ball past the line of scrimmage, more often than not, losing yardage. After subjecting the viewing audience to 60 minutes and overtime of this dreck, commissioner Roger Goodell takes the field to announce this year’s Super Bowl 53 championship will remain vacant.

Next year’s winner will receive two Lombardis. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Prediction: Patriots 0 Rams 0

Conclusion

The consensus over here at Niner Noise seems to be that the Patriots will win another Super Bowl, with four out of five writers picking New England.