{"id":29219,"date":"2019-02-01T14:58:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T19:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.ngscsports.com\/?p=29219"},"modified":"2020-08-20T11:51:39","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T15:51:39","slug":"against-all-odds-super-bowl-liii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ngscsports.com\/2019\/02\/01\/against-all-odds-super-bowl-liii\/","title":{"rendered":"Against All Odds: Super Bowl LIII"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>15 Minute, 8 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

Welcome to Against All Odds: Super Bowl LIII! From the opening weekend of the NCAA football season through Super Bowl LIII, Mike Drakulich (PSN),\u00a0the man behind Pittsburgh SportsNation, takes on his father, Michael J. Drakulich (MJD), in picking NCAA and NFL games against the Vegas spread.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Mike Drakulich covers both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers during the season<\/em> for NGSCSports.com<\/a>!<\/p>\n

To appease the taste buds of\u00a0Pittsburgh\u2019s\u00a0local coverage area, Pitt, Penn State, and West Virginia, when they are playing, will always be on the\u00a0docket\u00a0among the NCAA\u00a0games chosen, as will the Pittsburgh Steelers for NFL games.<\/em><\/p>\n

Once Bowl Season arrives, we\u2019ll bring you\u00a0EVERY Bowl Game and then continue\u00a0throughout the conclusion of the NFL Playoffs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Itchy vs Scratchy. Black Spy vs White Spy. Cheers vs Gary\u2019s Old Towne Tavern. History is full of rivalries, but none are better than father vs son! Who will rise above the other this season and become the 2018-19 Against All Odds Champion?<\/em><\/p>\n

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All good things must end! It doesn’t seem that long ago we started the Against All Odds 2018-19 season, but yes, it’s true… August was five<\/em> months ago!<\/p>\n

It was an up and down season for myself, but I did register a perfect week of 10-0, and one 9-1 offering. As usual, the Bowl Season absolutely destroyed what could’ve been a very good year.<\/p>\n

Dad started off slow, but eventually chipped away until suddenly he couldn’t lose a game, especially during the Bowls… so for the 3rd time in four years, he is the Against All Odds Champion for the year. With one game left, he has a solid record of 96-85, good enough to whack me by eight games.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers not making the playoffs, despite the overwhelming amount of talent they possessed, I haven’t done a Game Preview in a month, and I have an itch that can’t be left unscratched until next August, thus, with this Odds Finale, I’m adding a Super Bowl LIII Preview to boot!<\/p>\n

Until next we meet, be sure to check out my up and coming weekly commentary columns! Thank you for joining us for the ride and your support, but most of all, congratulations to my dad, Michael J. Drakulich, the 2018-19 Against All Odds Champion!<\/p>\n

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Vegas Lines as of 2\/1\/2019<\/p>\n

Super Bowl LIII<\/h1>\n

New England Patriots (13-5) at Los Angeles Rams (15-3)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Venue:\u00a0<\/strong>Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA. | Field:<\/strong>\u00a0FieldTurf Revolution<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> CBS (locally KDKA-TV, channel 2) | Announcers: <\/strong>Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Tony Romo (analyst) | Tracy Wolfson (sideline)\u00a0Evan Washburn (sideline)<\/p>\n

National Radio: <\/strong>Westwood One | Announcers:\u00a0<\/strong>Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Kurt Warner (analyst) Mike Holmgren\u00a0(analyst) | Tony Boselli (sideline) Ed Werder (sideline)<\/p>\n

Kickoff:<\/strong>\u00a0Sunday, February 3rd at 6:30 p.m. (EST)<\/p>\n

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Vegas Line:<\/strong>\u00a0New England -2.5<\/p>\n

The Pick: PSN:\u00a0<\/strong>LA Rams | MJD:\u00a0<\/strong>LA Rams<\/p>\n

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Prediction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Just when you thought the Patriots were dead… like Michael Myers, New England appeared like they were headed for greener pastures, especially after they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 15 by a 17-10 score. The loss was their third in five games. Tom Brady seemed lost. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski looked finished.<\/p>\n

Like Michael Myers, they returned with a vengeance.<\/p>\n

Four wins later, the Patriots find themselves in their third straight Super Bowl, hopeful to win their 6th Title, and tie the Steelers for the most in NFL History.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Rams have looked like a championship contender all year. With a young, brash coach in Sean McVay, a high powered offense featuring star dual threat Todd Gurley, and an opportunistic defense, LA lived up to the hype and secured their third Super Bowl appearance in Rams history, albeit with tons of scrutiny, thanks to the NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints. Somehow, the refs in that game missed one of the most blatant pass interference calls in history, a call that would have 99.9% sent the Saints to Atlanta instead of the Rams.<\/p>\n

But, as they say, it is what it is. The call wasn’t made, and the Rams were able to force the Saints to kick a field goal with 1:41 left. The Rams, with time running out, drove downfield and tied it with 15 seconds left. In OT, Drew Brees threw an interception which the Rams turned into a 57 yard FG to send them to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

It was a crushing defeat for the Saints, especially with the no-call, but then again, so were the two horrible drive continuing calls against the Steelers in week 16, both of which led to touchdowns after the Steelers appeared to stop them on 4th down. Those calls likely kept Pittsburgh out of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Enough about the “what ifs”… let’s talk Super Bowl LIII.<\/p>\n

Aaron Donald, the all-world defensive lineman from Pitt, knows what the recipe for success is against the Patriots.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we got to stop the run first, I feel like they\u2019ve been running the ball great,\u201d Donald said. \u201cGetting a lot of opportunities to get the pass going with Brady, so we stop the run, get after the quarterback \u2014 I know he gets the ball out quick \u2014 but I trust our secondary, our guys on the back end to do their job and lock things down.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And what if it’s Tom Brady time, late in the game where the Rams need a big stop?<\/p>\n

\u201cAaron Donald,\u201d Rams RB Todd Gurley said. \u201cPlayoff Suh,\u201d<\/p>\n

Gurely knows how much Donald turns it his game-play late in games, as evident by recording 9.5 fourth-quarter sacks in 2018.<\/p>\n

The Rams have a balanced attack, and plenty of weapons in the passing game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s huge because one guy can\u2019t be targeted, so many guys get the ball, even our tight ends and our running backs,\u201d WR Brandin Cooks said, explaining the possible advantage. “I think it makes us special and keeps us on our edge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Super Bowls are won with big plays, plays that become immortal as time passes. Every player dreams of being the one who made the play that lead his team to a Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n

Said Los Angeles WR Robert Woods,\u00a0\u201cJust visualizing making a play, been watching the Larry Fitzgerald play against the Steelers taking it down the middle \u2014 just watching receivers make plays \u2014 Santonio Holmes in the corner of the endzone, plays like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always visualize making a big play like that,\u201d Donald said. \u201cA game-changing play \u2014 that\u2019s what you\u2019re here for. What better stage to do it than now?\u201d<\/p>\n

41 year old Tom Brady hopes to make a few more of those plays, too.<\/p>\n

“I’ve just been a part of so many great teams that have had the opportunity to play in this game,” Brady said. “It is once in a lifetime, this experience, but we’ve just been fortunate to play good enough in the playoffs to advance and then get to play in this game. It’s hard to believe that this is the ninth time doing this.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s going to be a fun game to watch between the Patriots and Rams, very likely a high scoring affair, like we witnessed in both Conference Championship games.<\/p>\n

The key for the Rams is pressure on Brady and being aggressive in the secondary.<\/p>\n

The Patriots will be balanced with their attack, trying to establish Sony Michel early, and using the Rams aggressiveness against them with passes to James White out of the backfield, and short, crisp passes to Julian Edelman,\u00a0Chris Hogan,\u00a0Phillip Dorsett, and\u00a0Cordarrelle Patterson. Don’t sleep on Rob Gronkowski, either. He may not be what he was years ago, but he may conjure up one final performance to remember before calling it a career.<\/p>\n

The Rams will feature Todd Gurley as much as they can, with C.J. Anderson being available if Gurley’s injuries start nagging him.<\/p>\n

Jared Goff has a bevy of weapons to play with in the passing game, including a pair of 1,000 yard receivers in\u00a0Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks.\u00a0Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds will wreak havoc all over the field if not properly covered.\u00a0Gerald Everett and\u00a0Tyler Higbee give Goff two big targets at tight end.<\/p>\n

That said, you know Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick will have some type of game-plan set to disrupt the Rams offense. Question is, how long will it work and what adjustments will the Rams and McVay make to counter it?<\/p>\n

I like this one to go back and forth, especially late in the game. I think the Rams are the better team, top to bottom. The biggest question will be how well Goff handles the pressure of playing in the biggest game of his life, on the NFL’s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

Rams payback the Patriots and avenge their 2004 defeat…<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Rams 31 Patriots 27<\/strong><\/h3>\n

______________________________________________________________________________<\/h2>\n

New England Patriots-LA\/STL Rams<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>History<\/strong><\/h2>\n