Patriots Win Super Bowl Against Rams With Ease in Madden 19 Simulation
L.A. Rams (15-3 SU, 9-8-1 ATS) vs New England Patriots (13-5 SU, 11-7 ATS)
Sunday, February 3, 6:30 p.m. ET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
NFL Picks: Patriots ATS & Over
The Patriots lead this one from start to finish. The defense shut out L.A. in the first quarter. The offense did its part by sustaining long drives in order to keep the defense rested. Stephen Gostkowski opened up the scoring with a 31-yard field goal to put New England up 3-0. The last score of the first quarter was a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to running back James White.
After being down 10-0, the Rams found an answer in the second quarter. Jared Goff threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in order to cut L.A.'s deficit to three points. But that is all that New England's defense would allow that quarter. On offense, the Patriots mustered another short field goal from Gostkowksi, this time from 25 yards. Wide receiver Chris Hogan resumed his recent surge in performance and caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brady. The Patriots established a 20-7 lead at half-time. Still, one can give credit to L.A.'s defense for holding New England to two field goals in the red zone instead of allowing the Pats to score two more touchdowns, which would make the score 28-7 at half-time.
The third quarter was rather uneventful. Greg Zuerlein converted on a 33-yard field goal attempt to give the Rams three more points. But the Patriots were able to sustain another "long" (by Madden standards) drive, which concluded with a two-yard touchdown run from James White. That was White's second touchdown of the day. The Patriots led 27-10 after three quarters.
Similar to the AFC Championship, the game looked like it would go "under" the posted total. After three quarters, "under" bettors were counting their money. But the fourth quarter saw an explosion of scoring that brought this game "over" the total--granted, by the thinnest of margins.
New England was not going to allow Brandin Cooks or another prolific Ram to enter the end zone. So Tyler Higbee, who caught a touchdown pass in the NFC Championship and two in the regular season, stepped up and used his combination of size and athleticism to make himself available in the red zone. To start the fourth quarter, he caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Goff and then a 10-yard one. His efforts helped cut the score to 24-27. Now only up by three, it was up to Brady to turn another low-profile player into a hero. He threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett, thereby finally converting a red-zone opportunity. This score put New England up 34-24, which would be the final score.
Both quarterbacks produced solid numbers, but Brady was better. Goff went 29-for-44 for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Brady was 31-for-42, 333 yards, three touchowns, and an interception. His passer rating was 110.5 to Goff's 99.2. In terms of YPC, Todd Gurley was the best running back. The problem is that, because the Rams were behind the whole time, he hardly got any carries. He ran 12 times for 73 yards. James White led all running backs with 90 yards on 25 carries and the one rushing touchdown (plus the one receiving). Gronk led all receivers in both receptions (10) and yards (101). Hogan was right behind him with eight receptions and 100 yards. Julian Edelman was not much of a factor, catching five for 66 yards. For the Rams, Tyler Higbee led all pass-catchers with nine receptions. Robert Woods caught seven for 97 yards. On defense, the top performer was arguably Tyler Flowers, who achieved 2.5 sacks. Lamarcus Joyner for the Rams and Dont'a Hightower for New England both caught an interception.
I was not able to glean from the game who the official MVP was. But judging by the stats and game flow, it seems obvious that Brady carried the award. You can bet on Brady to win Super Bowl MVP at BetOnline at +125 odds.
L.A. Rams (15-3 SU, 9-8-1 ATS) vs New England Patriots (13-5 SU, 11-7 ATS)
Sunday, February 3, 6:30 p.m. ET
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
NFL Picks: Patriots ATS & Over
The Patriots lead this one from start to finish. The defense shut out L.A. in the first quarter. The offense did its part by sustaining long drives in order to keep the defense rested. Stephen Gostkowski opened up the scoring with a 31-yard field goal to put New England up 3-0. The last score of the first quarter was a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to running back James White.
After being down 10-0, the Rams found an answer in the second quarter. Jared Goff threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in order to cut L.A.'s deficit to three points. But that is all that New England's defense would allow that quarter. On offense, the Patriots mustered another short field goal from Gostkowksi, this time from 25 yards. Wide receiver Chris Hogan resumed his recent surge in performance and caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brady. The Patriots established a 20-7 lead at half-time. Still, one can give credit to L.A.'s defense for holding New England to two field goals in the red zone instead of allowing the Pats to score two more touchdowns, which would make the score 28-7 at half-time.
The third quarter was rather uneventful. Greg Zuerlein converted on a 33-yard field goal attempt to give the Rams three more points. But the Patriots were able to sustain another "long" (by Madden standards) drive, which concluded with a two-yard touchdown run from James White. That was White's second touchdown of the day. The Patriots led 27-10 after three quarters.
Similar to the AFC Championship, the game looked like it would go "under" the posted total. After three quarters, "under" bettors were counting their money. But the fourth quarter saw an explosion of scoring that brought this game "over" the total--granted, by the thinnest of margins.
New England was not going to allow Brandin Cooks or another prolific Ram to enter the end zone. So Tyler Higbee, who caught a touchdown pass in the NFC Championship and two in the regular season, stepped up and used his combination of size and athleticism to make himself available in the red zone. To start the fourth quarter, he caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Goff and then a 10-yard one. His efforts helped cut the score to 24-27. Now only up by three, it was up to Brady to turn another low-profile player into a hero. He threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett, thereby finally converting a red-zone opportunity. This score put New England up 34-24, which would be the final score.
Both quarterbacks produced solid numbers, but Brady was better. Goff went 29-for-44 for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Brady was 31-for-42, 333 yards, three touchowns, and an interception. His passer rating was 110.5 to Goff's 99.2. In terms of YPC, Todd Gurley was the best running back. The problem is that, because the Rams were behind the whole time, he hardly got any carries. He ran 12 times for 73 yards. James White led all running backs with 90 yards on 25 carries and the one rushing touchdown (plus the one receiving). Gronk led all receivers in both receptions (10) and yards (101). Hogan was right behind him with eight receptions and 100 yards. Julian Edelman was not much of a factor, catching five for 66 yards. For the Rams, Tyler Higbee led all pass-catchers with nine receptions. Robert Woods caught seven for 97 yards. On defense, the top performer was arguably Tyler Flowers, who achieved 2.5 sacks. Lamarcus Joyner for the Rams and Dont'a Hightower for New England both caught an interception.
I was not able to glean from the game who the official MVP was. But judging by the stats and game flow, it seems obvious that Brady carried the award. You can bet on Brady to win Super Bowl MVP at BetOnline at +125 odds.
