Why the Patriots will win Super Bowl LIII

Illustrating why the New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl is similar to explaining how to breathe in oxygen. At this point, it should be pretty clear what the results will be. The reasons the Patriots will be raising their sixth Lombardi Trophy since 2001 are essentially the same as those from their first five victories: quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick  are going to outplay and outsmart all of their opponents.

Obviously, winning a Super Bowl is not that simple, so let’s take a look at some of the factors that greatly increase the Patriots’ chances of winning the big game.

First of all, the Patriots’ run game will be too much for the Los Angeles Rams. Although the Rams shut down the rushing attacks of their two previous playoff opponents, the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, they allowed 5.1 yards per carry during the regular season, dead last in the NFL.

Enter running backs Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead, who have come up big in key moments during the playoffs this year. Rookie Michel has a combined 242 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the Patriots’ two playoff games and veteran Burkhead had a number of key runs and the game-winning touchdown during the Patriots’ final offensive drive in the AFC Championship game.

In addition to a resurgent run game, Belichick’s mastery of an unpredictable game plan will be too much for the Rams’ coaches and players to handle.

The 66-year-old Belichick and his staff have repeatedly shown that they can adapt to the times and produce innovative schemes. During their first playoff game this year, the Patriots featured running back James White, their pass-catching specialist, in a dink-and-dunk short passing game. The next week, they switched to a power running game with Michel to chew up clock and keep opposing star Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes off the field — a huge factor in their overtime win.