New England Has Edge in Special Teams Against The Rams In Super Bowl
St. Louis Rams (15-3 SU, 9-7-2 ATS) vs New England Patriots (13-5 SU, 11-7 ATS)
Sunday, February 3, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
NFL Pick: Touchdown Scored On Kickoff Return: Yes
The Patriots could win the Super Bowl because of their special teams and that wouldn't be the first time. In fact, it wouldn't be the first time against the Rams. In the 2002 Super Bowl, then-Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal against the Rams. He repeated the feat in 2004 against the Panthers.
Both teams have reliable field goal kickers. New England's Stephen Gostkowksi has converted his last six field goal attempts, including three of three in the playoffs. He made a 47-yarder in Kansas City, which is no small feat in the cold. The Rams' Greg Zuerlein has nearly identical regular season stats. He went seven-for-eight in the playoffs, including a 48-yarder that extended the NFC Championship into overtime and a 57-yarder that sent the Rams to the Super Bowl.
History says that this game could come down to a field goal. New England has won three Super Bowls by three points and the other two by four and six points, respectively. Its largest margin of defeat was eight points, which came last year against the Eagles who they played without Malcolm Butler.
Because both kickers have been solid in the playoffs and clutch when the opportunity arrived, I expect both kickers to convert their opportunities. BetOnline offers "Over 3.5 Field Goals" at +105. Also, given the history of fourth-quarter field goals in New England Super Bowls, consider laying -185 that there will be a field goal kicked in the fourth quarter. In anticipation of a close game, you can get New England to win by 1-6 points at +325, the Rams by 1-6 at +350.
New England holds the edge in net opposing punt yardage. This edge is important because the Rams boast one of the NFL's better punt returners in JoJo Natson. In the regular season, Natson ranked seventh in yards per return. The Patriots will probably plan on punting out of bounds or high enough to induce a fair catch. In the regular season, Ryan Allen landed 21 punts inside the 20-yard line. This is a high number considering that New England punted only 64 times. Considering Allen's effectivity and the rarity of New England punts, I expect Natson to be a non-factor.
The Rams, too, boast a punter who likewise pins down opponents within the 20-yard line on a pretty consistent basis. Johnny Hekker's fourth down conversion on a fake punt was also a momentous occurrence in the NFC Championship. But Allen, too, is clutch. In New England's season opener, the Patriots were struggling to put away Houston. They had to give them the ball back with enough time for one final drive. Allen punted and pinned Houston to the one-yard line. As a result, the Texans never had a chance.
In terms of special teams coverage, both teams boast elite quality with the best and second-best graded special teams player, respectively. In Week 10, New England signed Albert McClellan. His impact nullifies the importance of New England's overall coverage statistics. He helped limit opposing returns and also made big plays that changed games. For example, in Week 14 against Miami, he blocked two punts. In the divisional round against the Chargers, he recovered a fumble that was muffed on a punt. L.A.'s Cory Littleton is the second-ranked special teams player. He has two blocked punts.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cordarrelle Patterson now has 6 career kickoff return TDs. No player has more than 2 such TDs since Patterson entered the league in 2013.<br><br>Patterson reached a max speed of 20.82 MPH on his return, the fastest speed of any Patriots ball carrier this season.</p>— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href=" ">21. Oktober 2018</a></blockquote>
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While both teams seem so far to be neck-and-neck in quality of special teams, there is one category in which either team is elite. Because the Patriots are superior in kickoff returns, they hold the edge in special teams. Cordarrelle Patterson proclaims himself to be the best returner and I believe him. In the regular season, he finished third in yards per kick return and achieved one touchdown. Throughout his career, he has consistently been an elite return threat. He has the second-best yards per return in NFL history. You can bet on either team to score on a kickoff return at +1800 with BetOnline. Even if he doesn't score, he will make scoring that much easier for the Patriots by giving them better starting field position.
St. Louis Rams (15-3 SU, 9-7-2 ATS) vs New England Patriots (13-5 SU, 11-7 ATS)
Sunday, February 3, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
NFL Pick: Touchdown Scored On Kickoff Return: Yes
The Patriots could win the Super Bowl because of their special teams and that wouldn't be the first time. In fact, it wouldn't be the first time against the Rams. In the 2002 Super Bowl, then-Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal against the Rams. He repeated the feat in 2004 against the Panthers.
Both teams have reliable field goal kickers. New England's Stephen Gostkowksi has converted his last six field goal attempts, including three of three in the playoffs. He made a 47-yarder in Kansas City, which is no small feat in the cold. The Rams' Greg Zuerlein has nearly identical regular season stats. He went seven-for-eight in the playoffs, including a 48-yarder that extended the NFC Championship into overtime and a 57-yarder that sent the Rams to the Super Bowl.
History says that this game could come down to a field goal. New England has won three Super Bowls by three points and the other two by four and six points, respectively. Its largest margin of defeat was eight points, which came last year against the Eagles who they played without Malcolm Butler.
Because both kickers have been solid in the playoffs and clutch when the opportunity arrived, I expect both kickers to convert their opportunities. BetOnline offers "Over 3.5 Field Goals" at +105. Also, given the history of fourth-quarter field goals in New England Super Bowls, consider laying -185 that there will be a field goal kicked in the fourth quarter. In anticipation of a close game, you can get New England to win by 1-6 points at +325, the Rams by 1-6 at +350.
New England holds the edge in net opposing punt yardage. This edge is important because the Rams boast one of the NFL's better punt returners in JoJo Natson. In the regular season, Natson ranked seventh in yards per return. The Patriots will probably plan on punting out of bounds or high enough to induce a fair catch. In the regular season, Ryan Allen landed 21 punts inside the 20-yard line. This is a high number considering that New England punted only 64 times. Considering Allen's effectivity and the rarity of New England punts, I expect Natson to be a non-factor.
The Rams, too, boast a punter who likewise pins down opponents within the 20-yard line on a pretty consistent basis. Johnny Hekker's fourth down conversion on a fake punt was also a momentous occurrence in the NFC Championship. But Allen, too, is clutch. In New England's season opener, the Patriots were struggling to put away Houston. They had to give them the ball back with enough time for one final drive. Allen punted and pinned Houston to the one-yard line. As a result, the Texans never had a chance.
In terms of special teams coverage, both teams boast elite quality with the best and second-best graded special teams player, respectively. In Week 10, New England signed Albert McClellan. His impact nullifies the importance of New England's overall coverage statistics. He helped limit opposing returns and also made big plays that changed games. For example, in Week 14 against Miami, he blocked two punts. In the divisional round against the Chargers, he recovered a fumble that was muffed on a punt. L.A.'s Cory Littleton is the second-ranked special teams player. He has two blocked punts.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cordarrelle Patterson now has 6 career kickoff return TDs. No player has more than 2 such TDs since Patterson entered the league in 2013.<br><br>Patterson reached a max speed of 20.82 MPH on his return, the fastest speed of any Patriots ball carrier this season.</p>— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href=" ">21. Oktober 2018</a></blockquote>
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While both teams seem so far to be neck-and-neck in quality of special teams, there is one category in which either team is elite. Because the Patriots are superior in kickoff returns, they hold the edge in special teams. Cordarrelle Patterson proclaims himself to be the best returner and I believe him. In the regular season, he finished third in yards per kick return and achieved one touchdown. Throughout his career, he has consistently been an elite return threat. He has the second-best yards per return in NFL history. You can bet on either team to score on a kickoff return at +1800 with BetOnline. Even if he doesn't score, he will make scoring that much easier for the Patriots by giving them better starting field position.
