Super Bowl LIII matchup set: Patriots, Rams will meet in Atlanta
Sunday was the first time in NFL history that both conference championship games went to overtime, and at the end of a thrilling day we had our matchup for Super Bowl LIII.
Super Bowl LIII: Patriots vs. Rams, Sunday Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams will play at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in two weeks. Both were the road team in their respective games, and both upset the No. 1 seed in their conference.
The Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 26-23, on a 57-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, while New England beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 37-31, on a 75-yard touchdown drive.
This year is the NFC’s year to be the home team, so the Rams will be in the home locker room and dictate small details like uniform choice (Los Angeles already announced they’ll be wearing their beloved throwback uniforms).
Super Bowl XXXVI rematch
You’ll hear a lot over the coming two weeks about the fact that the game is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, which pitted the underdog Patriots against the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams, who were favored by two touchdowns.
The Patriots won on a last-second field goal in regulation, with Brady writing the first chapter in his now-legendary career. Drafted 199th overall a season before and given the opportunity to start after a brutal injury to Drew Bledsoe, Brady got the ball at the New England 17 with no timeouts and 81 seconds to play, driving the Patriots in field goal range.
While New England has returned to the Super Bowl eight times since, winning four more, this is the first time the Rams have been back since that night.
Super Bowl LIII will take place 17 years to the day after Super Bowl XXXVI.
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