If Super Bowl experience matters, then the New England Patriots will annihilate the Los Angeles Rams in 12 days.
But just a reminder: It didn’t make a difference last year when the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII.
Players on the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII 53-man roster have collectively played in 86 Super Bowls, while Rams players have collectively played in five. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady obviously leads the Patriots with eight Super Bowl appearances. The Patriots have 15 players who haven’t played in a Super Bowl, meaning 38 have at least some experience. Only four Rams players have played in a Super Bowl.
PATRIOTS
EIGHT (1)
QB Tom Brady – XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIV, XLII, XLVI, XLIX, LI, LII
FIVE (1)
K Stephen Gostkowski – XLII, XLIVI, XLIX, LI, LII
FOUR (3)
WR Matthew Slater – XLVI, XLIX, LI, LII
S Patrick Chung – XLVI, XLIX, LI, LII
FS Devin McCourty – XLVI, XLIX, LI, LII
THREE (6)
FB James Develin –Â XLIX, LI, LII
WR Julian Edelman –Â XLVI, XLIX, LI (on injured reserve for LII)
TE Rob Gronkowski – XLVI, XLIX, LII (on injured reserve for LI)
RT Marcus Cannon – XLVI, XLIX, LI (on injured reserve for LII)
S Duron Harmon – XLIX, LI, LII
P Ryan Allen – XLIX, LI, LII
TWO (16)
QB Brian Hoyer – XLII, LII
RB James White – LI, LII (inactive in XLIX)
WR Chris Hogan – LI, LII
C David Andrews – LI, LII
OL Ted Karras – LI, LII
RG Shaq Mason – LI, LII
LG Joe Thuney – LI, LII
DT Malcom Brown – LI, LII
DE Trey Flowers – LI, LII
LB Dont’a Hightower – XLIX, LI (on injured reserve for LII)
LB Brandon King – LI, LII
LB Elandon Roberts – LI, LII
LB Kyle Van Noy – LI, LII
S Nate Ebner – XLIX, LI (on injured reserve for LII)
CB Jonathan Jones – LI, LII
LS Joe Cardona – LI, LII
ONE (11)
RB Rex Burkhead – LII
WR Phillip Dorsett – LII
TE Dwayne Allen – LII
OL James Ferentz – 50 (on practice squad for LII)
OT LaAdrian Waddle – LII (inactive in LI)
DT Adam Butler – LII
DT Lawrence Guy – LII
DE Deatrich Wise Jr. – LII
LB Ramon Humber – XLIV
LB Albert McClellan – XLVII
CB Stephon Gilmore – LII
NONE (15)
RB Sony Michel
WR Cordarrelle Patterson
TE Stephen Anderson
LT Trent Brown
DE Adrian Clayborn
DE Keionta Davis (on non-football injury list for LII)
DE Ufomba Kamalu
DE Derek Rivers (on injured reserve for LII)
DT Danny Shelton
DE John Simon
CB Keion Crossen
CB Duke Dawson
CB JC Jackson
CB Jason McCourty
S Obi Melifonwu
— Only three Patriots players have been in a Super Bowl as members of a different organization — Ferentz, McClellan and Humber.
— Karras, Thuney, Roberts, Butler and Wise know nothing other than in their NFL lives than finishing the season with the Super Bowl.
— Only eight players have played in the Patriots’ last three Super Bowls — Brady, Gostkowski, Slater, Chung, McCourty, Develin, Harmon and Allen.
— Nine players predate Super Bowl XLIX
— Multiple veteran players are back healthy after missing last year’s Super Bowl — Edelman, Cannon, Ebner, Hightower and Rivers, who will make his Super Bowl debut if active.
RAMS
TWO (1)
RB C.J. Anderson – XLVIII, 50
ONE (3)
WR Brandin Cooks – LII
CB Sam Shields – XLV
CB Aqib Talib – 50
— Cooks played in Super Bowl LII with the Patriots last season.
— Talib played on the Patriots in 2012 and 2013, but he played in his Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
— This is Rams head coach Sean McVay’s first Super Bowl. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be coaching in his 12th Super Bowl.
