ESPN Projects Patriots Super Bowl Matchup With Familiar Opponent

The New England Patriots are one win away from a playoff berth, and an opportunity beckons to make their first Super Bowl in six years.

ESPN simulated the rest of the season using its Football Power Index, and it spit out a championship matchup Patriots fans will view fondly. New England is projected to win the AFC and face the Los Angeles Rams for the third time this century.

Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl against the then St. Louis Rams to end the 2001 season, and the Patriots won a 13-3 defensive stalemate over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII to conclude the 2018 campaign. Unfortunately, the simulation projected a different outcome for this February’s hypothetical encounter.

“Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua put together a career-defining performance to win Super Bowl MVP, catching eight passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote. “Los Angeles held a 30-24 lead over New England in the final minutes, giving Maye time for one last drive. But it wasn’t meant to be, as a fourth-down sack by edge rusher Jared Verse ended the drive short of the end zone. Coach Sean McVay and the Rams were champions once again.”

If this simulation holds, fans must wait another week to celebrate a postseason bid. The exercise has the Patriots falling 19-17 to the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday night before handily winning their final two AFC East games over the New York Jets (31-3) and Miami Dolphins (31-18).

Mike Vrabel then takes a 13-4 squad into the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 2 seed behind the Denver Broncos. ESPN simulated a 20-7 first-round win over the Los Angeles Chargers before avenging a Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 39-30 victory in the AFC Divisional Round.

The Patriots then squeaked out a 10-7 win over the Broncos for the AFC title, setting up a Super Bowl LX matchup with the NFC’s top-seeded Rams.

Fans can scout the potential Super Bowl opponent when the Rams face the Seattle Seahawks in a colossal NFC West showdown on Thursday night.