Super Bowl 53 will be a matchup of the most hated team in the NFL and the upstart Rams on Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

For anyone who lives in the area, this is the one Super Bowl matchup fans were not looking forward to – the New England Patriots third straight Super Bowl appearance.

For the average southern Illinoisan, it may be hard to root for the Rams after the team left St. Louis after the 2015 season at the urging of owner Stan Kroenke. Any fan who followed the Rams before their tenure in Los Angeles might remember the greatest show in turf era from 1999-2001, more commonly known as the Kurt Warner years.

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Fans of the Patriots have had long tenured success under Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick with their first Super Bowl appearance in 2001 which marked the first ring for Brady and was the last time the Rams made an appearance on the big stage.

Every year the NFL comes up with “storylines” to promote the Super Bowl and this year, of course, it’s talk of the Super Bowl 36 rematch. One which marked the end of a dynasty for the St.Louis Rams and the beginning of a dynasty for the Patriots.

To go along with Super Bowl rematch hype, several people turn to the coaches to make their predictions. Anyone who knows anything about professional football knows the names Sean McVay and Bill Belichick.

The matchup between the 33-year-old offensive guru and the grisly, experience-laden Belichick will have fans on the edge of their seats. Aside from the coaching, the fans will be watching the quarterback matchup and for the Patriots,’ Tom Brady will be headlining.

However, for the casual fan who tunes in for the Super Bowl and makes their pick based off the team’s colors or which team has the cuter coach or players, they probably don’t know Jared Goff.

This year marked the third year in the NFL for Goff – one where he threw 4,688 yards on a 64.9 percent completion percentage to go along with 12 interceptions.

In the NFC championship game against the New Orleans Saints, Goff had 25 completions on 40 attempts for 297 yards.

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Looking at the stats, the coaching matchups and the quarterbacks who do I think will walk away with the Lombardi Trophy and be crowned Super Bowl 53 champions?

Well, throughout the whole postseason, I’ve doubted both of these team’s chances. I thought the Ravens and the Chiefs would take down the Patriots and bring an end to their postseason dominance. As for the Saints, I thought Drew Brees and company would bring enough offensive firepower to overcome the Rams.

If there is one thing I’ve learned this postseason it’s to not count either of these teams out. While my heart wants to be with the Rams and root for the end of the Patriots, logic tells me otherwise. I believe the Patriots will once again walk away victorious for the their second time in three seasons and Tom Brady will retire with another ring.

Sports editor Adam Warfel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @warfel_adam.

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