Are you going to be staying up until dawn to watch the game? The Super Bowl is one of the biggest annual sporting events in the sporting calendar, with a growing fanbase stretching beyond America’s shores. It attracts over 100 million people worldwide every year, some who eschew the restrictions of silly things like timezones to tune in.
This year, The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams go head to head at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this Sunday. In the UK, you’ll have to tune in from around 10pm to catch the action. Before kick-off, check out NetBet for all the best odds ahead of the big game.
So what do we have in store on Sunday night? Aside from the half-time show from Maroon 5, nothing is certain.
Patriots
The Patriots are the favourites to win, and it’s not hard to see why. The best part of two decades, the Super Bowl and the AFC have been dominated by this one team and , arguably, by one quarterback. Tom Brady has helped the Patriots win five Super Bowls and will be running onto the pitch to play in his ninth Super Bowl appearance. When most quarterbacks would be thinking of winding down their careers, Brady seems set on going a little longer yet. He has said he will retire at forty-five and has committed himself to at least two more Super Bowls. For Super Bowl LIII, he might not have the numbers he had in previous seasons to back him up, but the game is still his for the winning.
Other than their star quarterback, there are plenty of other talented players cultivated by head coach, Bill Belichick. He saw the importance of both the draft and making clever decisions in trading players and has built one of the strongest sides in the NFL.
Rams
If you woke up in Monday morning to find that the Los Angeles Rams have lost, it won’t come as a big surprise. We have their odds to win pegged at 23/20 compared to the Patriots’ 5/7, which has them lagging quite a way behind them, but it’s not a gap they can’t close. They have a starting line up full of defensive players who will give Brady’s attempts at the endzone a few obstacles. While the Rams might not have the track record and experience that the Patriots do, there’s no denying that they have an explosive energy about them that could turn out to be their greatest strength on the field.
Their coach, Sean McVay is about to become the youngest coach in Super Bowl history at 33-years-old. He’s been making a big splash in the football coaching community, who have been seeking him for advice on offensive tactics. Quite an achievement for a someone going up against another coach twice his age.
The takeaway
Most signs seem to be pointing to the Patriots racking up yet another Super Bowl win, but the path to that victory might not be completely smooth.