SUPER BOWL SUNDAY KICKS OFF IN ATLANTA

Graphic by Angeles Ramirez / the Advocate

Super Bowl LIII is set to kick off this Sunday in Atlanta. The New England Patriots come back to the big stage again, after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33, in Minneapolis at last year’s Super Bowl.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head Coach Bill Belichick are headed to their ninth Super Bowl together, winning five of them in 18 years, while the Los Angeles Rams are trying to win their first championship since 2000.

The two teams met back in 2002 in Super Bowl XXXVI, where the Patriots beat the then-St. Louis Rams, 20-17, on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri. On Sunday, Brady & Co. will try once again for ring No. 6, against the team that sent them on their journey to become the greatest dynasty in football history.

According to the SportsLine’s No. 1 NFL handicapper, New England is favored by 2.5 points in the matchup, after both teams rallied their way to thrilling overtime wins in their Jan. 20 conference title games.

The NFC Championship was probably the most controversial game heading to the Super Bowl. After the New Orleans Saints scored 13 points in the opening quarter, and the Rams scored 10 points in the second, you knew it would be a close game, and it was.

Both teams ended up with 23 points in four quarters, then the Rams won after Greg Zurklein’s 57-yard field goal in overtime. The 26-23 victory might have not been possible without a missed pass interference call by the officials in the last minute of regulation, which really hurt New Orleans.

Later that day, the AFC Championship was the most watched conference title game in five years. New England hit the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, who a lot of fans expected to win it all this season. The Patriots jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead before the Chiefs rallied to send the game into overtime – where Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does. New England won the game, 37-31.

Now it’s time to see how this Super Bowl will go. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Check it out on CBS (KOIN-TV 6 in Portland), or its streaming apps.

Advocate Staff