Youth will be served with Rams, Chiefs advancing to the Super Bowl
Youth will be served this Sunday, and it will be served cold. (And at room temperature. Let’s do room temperature first.)
The Rams will beat the Saints in the Superdome 27-20. Both teams, despite the ability to put up big scores via the pass, are going to seek to control the game via the run. This has been the Saints MO all year; if they can win by running and defense, they will do so. And they will have decent success with that plan this week.
Only issue? The Rams are going to have the same plan. As evidenced by C.J. Anderson doing his best Undertaker impression the last few weeks, it’s clear as day the Rams rushing offense is not player dependent. It’s scheme, baby, all the way, and Anderson and Gurley should continue to find success against the Saints.
To be clear: I don’t expect either offense to have much of a problem moving the ball, so it’s entirely possible the coaches decide to attack via the air. If that happens, you can bump the score up to 47-40. But I think they’ll both try to win with the ground game, thereby keeping the clock ticking, thereby keeping the score down.
And while Drew Brees is better than Jared Goff, Goff has the better weapons and a few well-timed pass plays is going to be the difference in who wins and who loses.
Give me the better offense, then, and the Rams have the better offense.
Next up, Pat Mahomes vs. Tom Brady in Kansas City, where temps are forecast to be in the single digits. Going to be brrrrr.
Won’t matter, though. The Patriots always game plan to take away the opposing team’s greatest weapon. Problem? The Patriots have three, maybe four great weapons. Can’t neutralize Mahomes, so maybe they neutralize Travis Kelce? That would leave Tyreek Hill in man coverage and lanes for Damien Williams. Neutralize the running game, and Mahomes will zing it all over the field. Neutralize Hill, Kelce will live in the middle of the field. In short: There’s no stopping the Chiefs offense. So can Brady keep up? No. No he can’t. He’s old, and it’s cold.
Chiefs win big. 35-14.
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@ trentonian.com, facebook. com/jeffreyedelstein and @ jeffedelstein on Twitter.