New England Patriots (13-5)
Season Review:
The New England Patriots started the season with low expectations and started to live up to them, beginning the year 0-2. However, in that second loss of the year, Pats longtime quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, injured himself and control of the Patriots offense shifted to a second-year pro from Michigan, Tom Brady. Not much was expected from Brady, but he exceeded even the wildest hopes of Patriot fans, going 11-3 in New England’s remaining games, winning the AFC East, throwing 18 touchdown passes and earning a trip to the Pro Bowl.
The Patriots’ season also saw the resurrection of many other players whose careers were thought to have been dead. Buffalo Bills castoff Antowain Smith had a tremendous season, racking up over 1100 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Roman Phifer and defensive linemen Bobby Hamilton and Anthony Pleasant combined for 187 tackles and 15 sacks, huge totals for players whose best days were supposedly behind them.
In the playoffs, the Patriots won their first game at home by beating the Oakland Raiders in the snow. The hero of that game was kicker Adam Vinatieri who hit a 45-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in regulation, set up by a controversial non-fumble call against Brady. Vinatieri later hit a 23-yarder in overtime to win the game.
Last week, the Patriots upset the Steelers in Pittsburgh on the strength of their special teams. Wide receiver/punt returner Troy Brown returned a punt for a touchdown and also lateraled a blocked field goal attempt to Antwan Harris for another touchdown. In this game, Brady injured his ankle and was replaced by Bledsoe who had a fantastic game, sparking a quarterback controversy for the Super Bowl.
Players To Watch:
? Quarterback [No. 12] Tom Brady: Brady has many questions surrounding him in the biggest game of his short career: How will his ankle hold up? Will he falter under the Super Bowl pressure? Is he a fluke? Brady has to continue doing what he has been all year; he is able to run a ball-control offense that keeps the football out of the hands of the Rams dangerous offensive weapons.
? Cornerback [No. 35] Otis Smith: Less-heralded than his cornerback partner Ty Law, Smith’s job in the game will be to cover either wide receiver Issac Bruce or Tory Holt, a tough task for the aging corner. How well Smith contains the receiver he is covering will determine how effective the Rams receiving corps will be in the game.
? Tight end [No. 85] Jermaine Wiggins: Towards the end of the regular season, Wiggins became one of Brady’s favorite receivers. In the playoff game against Oakland, Wiggins caught 10 passes and established himself as a player to count on in tough situations. His presence will be a wild card for the Patriots; if they can get him the ball over the middle the Rams will have to adjust their defense, which should open up the sidelines for receivers Troy Brown and David Patten.
Keys To Victory:
? Control the ball: The Patriots cannot afford to get in a shoot-out with the Rams because their offense can’t keep up. The best way to stop the Rams from scoring is to keep the ball out of their hands. The Patriots need long, methodical drives to win the game.
? Dominate the Rams’ smaller defensive ends: Rams defensive end Leonard Little is having a career year with 14.5 sacks, but is undersized at 257 pounds. On the other side, DE Grant Wistrom is not quite as small, but is still not the prototypical defensive end. The Patriots young, but bigger offensive tackles, have to keep these two from getting to Brady.
? Get it to the kicker: New England has the hottest kicker in the game now in Adam Vinatieri. If the game comes down to field goals, the Patriots have the decided edge. Vinatieri will win the game for New England if given the chance.
St. Louis Rams (16-2)
Season Review:
The St. Louis Rams already knew that they had the most offensive firepower in the league, so they spent the off-season beefing up their defense. Their plan worked as the Rams went 14-2 in the regular season, earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Once again, their skill-position players dominated. Quarterback and Offensive MVP Kurt Warner threw for over 4800 yards and 36 touchdowns. Running back Marshall Faulk, despite sitting out games due to injury, had almost 1400 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns, while still leading the team in receiving touchdowns with nine more. Wide receivers Torry Holt and Issac Bruce totaled 2469 yards and 13 touchdowns combined.
Defensively, the Rams ranked first in the NFC in yards per game mainly on the strength of linebacker London Fletcher, underrated defensive ends Grant Wistrom and Leonard Little and cornerback Aeneas Williams. Wistrom and Little combined for 23.5 sacks and Fletcher had 119 tackles. Williams led a cornerback crew that had 14 interceptions and returned four of them for touchdowns.
The Rams first playoff game at home against the Packers showcased St. Louis’ defensive improvements. The Rams picked off arguably the best quarterback in the league, Green Bay’s Brett Favor, six times and returned three of them for scores in a 45-17 blowout win.
Last week, the Rams fought through a tough game from the Philadelphia Eagles, winning 29-24. The Rams were down 17-13 at the half, but held the Eagles to three straight three-and-outs to begin the third quarter and get back in the game. Faulk was the hero in this one, rushing for 159 yards and two scores.
Players To Watch:
? Quarterback [No. 13] Kurt Warner: Warner, the league’s offensive MVP, runs the Rams offensive juggernaut with deadly efficiency and continues to rack up some of the best passing numbers in NFL history. Warner will lead the Rams to points, although his only weakness is that he sometimes takes too many risks and winds up throwing interceptions. If he limits the number of interceptions he throws, he is impossible to stop.
? Running back [No. 28] Marshall Faulk: Some analysts say that Faulk is the most complete and dangerous player in the league and wonder how he could have been denied the Offensive MVP award. Simply put, Faulk is the best rushing running back in the league and the best pass-catching running back in the league. Look for him to try to control the game from start to finish.
? Cornerback [No. 35] Aeneas Williams: Williams, a former Arizona Cardinal, has excelled in his first year as a Ram, especially in the playoffs. He has picked off three passes in the last two games, returned two of them for touchdowns against Green Bay and sealed the Rams victory over the Eagles with one in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. His job in the game will be to contain Brown, who had over 100 catches this year.
Keys To Victory:
? Give it to Faulk: Last week against Philadelphia to begin the second half, the Rams handed to ball to Marshall Faulk six straight times; they know he is the money player in this league. The Rams have to get him the ball any way they can, but judging from experience that shouldn’t be too difficult.
? Stop the short pass: The Patriots, with Troy Brown and Tom Brady, are the masters of the short, possession-style offense. The Rams have to take away the short pass and make the Patriots go long where they only have one reliable target in David Patten.
? Don’t be overconfident: Even though they are 14.5 point favorites, the Rams cannot be too cocky. The Patriots have won 13 of their last 16 games for a reason and beat the Raiders and Steelers in the playoffs because they capitalized on those teams’ mistakes.
Prediction:
It doesn’t matter who is at quarterback for the Patriots because the Rams simply have too much firepower on offense and a revamped defense designed to keep the lead. If the game becomes a shoot-out, which is very likely to occur, the Pats have no chance. Marshall Faulk said that the only team that can beat the Rams is the Rams, and he’s right; the game is the Rams to lose. Final Score: Rams 42 Patriots 13.
