Super Bowl LIII guide for anyone who hasn't watched the NFL this season
The biggest day in the NFL calendar is finally here - on Sunday the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots will go head to head in Super Bowl LIII (that's 53 for all you non-Romans) at the beautifully funky Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
For devoted fans of the sport this is the night everyone's been waiting for, but the Super Bowl is also a chance for those who aren't sat in front of their TVs for seven-plus hours every Sunday evening to get involved. It's an excuse to gorge on wings, chug a few beers and embrace your inner American.
So for all of you who haven't religiously kept up with the NFL this year, here's your crash course on how we got here, everything you should be looking out for, and even a few fun facts and figures to impress your mates with at your Super Bowl party.
How did they make it this far?
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams came into the season as one of the Super Bowl favourites thanks to their hot young coach and the wealth of talent they've been able to cram onto their roster in the past couple of years. Until winning the NFC West last season they'd gone 14 years without posting a winning record and were one of the most reliably snooze-inducing teams in the league, not so anymore. These Rams mean business.
Los Angeles won their first eight games of the season on their way to a 13-3 record in the regular season - the joint best in the NFL. Their only defeats came to the New Orleans Saints in week nine, and the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles back-to-back in weeks 14 and 15. Their standout win was an incredible 54-51 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs in week 11, the third highest-scoring game in NFL history and the match which defined a season that has been dominated by high powered offenses.
They finished as second seeds in the NFC thanks to the Saints also going 13-3, and New Orleans holding the tie-breaker after that week nine win. This meant the Rams faced the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round, and looked comfortable as they ran out 30-22 winners.
Next up was a rematch with the Saints for the NFC Championship and a place in Sunday's showpiece. After falling behind 13-0 LA managed to haul themselves back into the contest, with the defense shutting down New Orleans' most dangerous weapons and quarterback Jared Goff producing a couple of beautiful passes to help his team tie the game up 23-23 at the end of the fourth quarter. The game was mired in controversy after the refs missed a blatant pass interference call on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman which would have given the Saints a chance to seal the game. Instead, John Johnson intercepted Saints quarterback Drew Brees in overtime, allowing kicker Greg Zuerlein to hammer home a 57-yard field goal and send the Rams to their first Super Bowl since the 2001 season.
New England Patriots
We know all about the Patriots' unfathomable success over the past two decades. Their first ever Super Bowl win was actually in 2001 - over the Rams - and they've never looked back. This is their ninth appearance at the big game in 17 years, and their third straight. They've won it five times, and are looking for a sixth to tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most of all time.
This year's Patriots are actually more more fallible than they have in years. People love writing off New England simply because they're so damn bored of seeing them succeed year-in, year-out, but this season it happened even more than usual. They lost to shoddy teams like the Jaguars, Lions, Titans and Dolphins, but still finished 11-5, good enough for the second seed in the AFC.
This set up a divisional round clash with the Los Angeles Chargers which many thought could be the end of the road for Tom Brady and co. The Chargers had one of the strongest rosters in the league, and looked dangerous all season long. Instead, the Pats utterly crushed them, running out to a 35-7 half-time lead and cruising to a 41-28 victory. It was a masterclass in how to play football in the postseason, reminding everyone that January and February is when New England truly come alive.
The prize was a trip to Arrowhead to face the number one-seed Chiefs for in the AFC title game. The Patriots had already beaten the Chiefs 43-40 way back in week four, but that was in New England. They went into the game as underdogs for the first time in four years, so got to do what they do best: prove everyone wrong. Again. The Pats shut the Chiefs out in the first half and led 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, when the game exploded. Kansas City outscored New England 24-14 in a blistering final period, sending the game to overtime. The Patriots won the toss, meaning they would get the ball first, and Tom Brady marched them flawlessly down the field, repeatedly connecting with Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski before Rex Burkhead rushed in the touchdown that would send them to Atlanta.
Meet the coaches
Sean McVay (Rams)
McVay is the NFL's shiny new thing, and his immense success in his two years as the Rams' head coach has led to the rest of the league scrabbling to hire anyone even vaguely linked to the man who is credited with almost single-handedly turning around the fortunes of one of football's most maligned franchises.
One of the sport's brightest offensive minds, the Rams hired him in 2017 after he'd spent six years with the Washington Redskins, first as the tight ends coach, then the offensive coordinator. He was just 30 when he took the Los Angeles job, making him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. Now 33, it also means he is half the age of his opposite number on Sunday, and eight years younger than Brady, the opposing quarterback. He is also the youngest head coach to ever coach in the Super Bowl.
Bill Belichick (Patriots)
Belichick is the gold standard for NFL coaches. His five Super Bowl wins are the most ever by a head coach, as are his 30 playoff victories. He's been the Patriots' main man since 2000, and essentially acts as their general manager as well as the coach, so totally ingrained is he to owner Robert Kraft's organisation.
Famously grumpy with the press for the majority of the year, Belichick tends to come alive a little during Super Bowl week. To him, getting to the big game is all that matters. He's led the Pats to at least the AFC Championship game the last eight years in a row and along with Brady, who was drafted the year Belichick joined the team, is the entire identity of American football's most successful ever dynasty.
Players to watch
Jared Goff (QB, Rams)
The Rams picked Goff first overall in the 2016 NFL draft, and after a really tough first year he's showing signs of becoming one of the league's best quarterbacks. He played brilliantly for the first two-thirds of the season and was in the MVP conversation before faltering a little down the stretch, but has sorted himself out again and outplayed the legendary Drew Brees in the NFC title game. He finds a lot of his success from play action and run-pass options in Sean McVay's offense, and can throw an absolutely beautiful ball.
Todd Gurley (RB, Rams)
Gurley is LA's star on offense. With Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott he's in the top two running backs in the NFL, and led the league in touchdowns this season with 17. He's as dangerous as a pass catcher out of the backfield as he is a pure runner, and his dual-threat ability has been one of the keys to the Rams' success all season. Gurley's been struggling with a knee injury over the last couple of months, and there have been concerns about him coming into the Super Bowl after he recorded the worst game of his career against the Saints two weeks ago, but he's a top class player. Expect him to bounce back.
Aaron Donald (DE, Rams)
Donald is the best defensive player in the game right now. If the Rams are to win on Sunday, they're going to need to put pressure on Tom Brady, and Donald is the man to do that. His pass rushing ability from the interior is second to none - his 20.5 sacks this season are evidence of that. He's the sort of guy you can rely on to make big, game-changing plays. Keep an eye on big number 99.
Tom Brady (QB, Patriots)
They don't call him the GOAT for nothing. I don't need to tell you why Brady is the greatest to ever do it, but what is worth noting is that he wasn't quiiiite as brilliant this season as he has been in the past. He was less accurate on deep balls this year, and played more like a top 10 quarterback than a top one. I know, hardly a crisis, especially for a guy who's now 41 and showing no signs of imminent retirement. Brady has been lethal in the postseason, firing the ball out of his hands quickly and murdering the opposition with long, brutal drives. Who'd bet against him lifting his sixth Lombardi come Sunday night?
Sony Michel (RB, Patriots)
New England's rookie running back enjoyed a great first season, rushing for 931 at an average of 4.5 per carry, but he's been phenomenal in the postseason. Michel ran for 129 yards and three first half touchdowns against the Chargers, and followed that up with 113 yards and two more against the Chiefs. He's been a huge part of the Patriots' game plan in the playoffs, don't expect that to change in Atlanta.
Julian Edelman (WR, Patriots)
Edelman was banned for four games at the start of the season for failing a drugs test, and has also struggled with injury, but like Michel he's brought his A game for the playoffs. His 247 yards are the most for a receiver this postseason, and he was clutch as you like against the Chiefs two weeks ago, making a number of huge catches over the middle on New England's game-winning overtime drive. He matches up well with Los Angeles' secondary, Brady will look to him in the key moments once again.
Lines to impress your friends at the party
In the first quarter of their eight previous Super Bowl appearances, the Patriots have scored a total of just three points.
Bill Belichick was head coach of the New York Jets for just one day before ditching the team to take the Patriots job in 2000.
This is Tom Brady's ninth Super Bowl appearance - that's not just more than any other player, it's more than any other franchise in NFL history.
Aaron Donald's 20.5 sacks this year are the most ever by an interior defensive lineman in a single season.
However, the Patriots have allowed just three sacks to interior defensive linemen all year. Two of those came in week one against the Texans.
In the last 10 days the Rams have sold around $3.5 million in merchandise - around the same as they sold through the entire 2016 season.
Rams punter Johnny Hekker and Patriots punter Ryan Allen competed for a single scholarship spot at Oregon State university back in 2008. Hekker came out on top.
Sony Michel's five touchdowns in the playoffs put him 30th all-time in postseason touchdowns. He's played just two playoff games.
