5 reasons New England Patriots will win Super Bowl 53

2. Take advantage of the Rams’ linebackers

In last in the NFC title game at New Orleans, Saints’ running back Alvin Kamara had a field day catching passes against the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive unit. It was evident early on that Drew Brees and company were looking to exploit this weakness at linebacker. On the team’s first series, the second-year pro and 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was target four times and caught all four throws. By afternoon’s end, Kamara was targeted a game-high 13 times and caught 11 passes for 96 yards.

Rams’ linebackers Cory Littleton (12) and Mark Barron (9) combined for 21 tackles in their team’s overtime wins. The former led the club with 125 stops during the regular season, adding four tackles, three interceptions and a team-high 13 passes defensed. Barron totaled 60 tackles, one sack and knocked down one pass.

When it comes to Littleton, he gets high grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) for his pass-coverage skills but is below average when it comes to stopping the run. Meanwhile, Barron has hard the critics and understandably so. The one-time safety/turned linebacker didn’t rank high in either area courtesy of PFF.

New England Patriots’ running backs Sony Michel and James White make one for a very potent versatile punch. And it’s worth noting that the latter led the team in ’18 in receptions (87) and touchdown catches (7). As for Michel, there also figures to be plenty of work for the team’s leading rusher on Super Sunday, hence…

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