Tony Romo showed he could predict the future during his first season as an NFL broadcaster for CBS, but the New England Patriots probably hope his powers have gotten a bit rusty in the offseason.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback went on NFL Network and was asked to give his early prediction for Super Bowl LIII. Always the gambler, Romo chose not to put the Pats in their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons, opting instead to predict the Jacksonville Jaguars will face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“Oh, if I had to pick right now?” Romo said. “It’s pretty early. The thing about the NFL is things change pretty fast. Injuries happen. A lot of stuff happens. If I was picking right now, I’d probably go with … I’d probably go with Green Bay vs. Jacksonville. I think that would be just a tentative rough guess here in the summer months.”
Romo did go on to note that he was going out on a limb picking against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
“You can never count out New England as long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are breathing,” Romo said. “The easy pick is them, but, you know, Jacksonville had them on the ropes last year it was close.”
The Jags gave the Patriots their best shot in last year’s AFC Championship Game, leading by 14 in the second half before Brady led a furious fourth-quarter comeback to clinch a trip to Super Bowl LII.
Green Bay, on the other hand, had a promising season derailed by Rodgers’ broken collarbone. But the addition of Jimmy Graham will give the star quarterback a dominant weapon near the goal line, and if Rodgers stays healthy, there’s no reason to think the Packers can’t in the NFC.
A Jags-Packers Super Bowl certainly would be an entertaining bout, but the path to the Super Bowl still goes through Brady and Belichick in the AFC.
