Tejas Vadali In the wake some sensational Conference Championship games, chock full of jaw-dropping passes, clutch plays, and some particularly shoddy refereeing, the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams have advanced to the Super Bowl. The last time these two teams met in the postseason was in 2002 when a young Tom Brady, coached by a much younger Bill Belichick, defeated the Rams to win his first of five rings. It only seems appropriate to get professional opinions on these two teams from Latin’s in-house experts. *** Mr. Sanchez Honestly, I believe that the Rams were lucky to get through to the NFC championship. I’m not one to complain about a call. Even one as awful as that pass interference call, but it’s not like we could do anything about that. Even Aqib Talib himself said in a post-game interview that he didn’t know if it was or wasn’t pass interference, but the refs didn’t call it so he’s not going to argue with it. The state of California has dealt with upsets throughout playoff history.  Remember who Tom Brady had his famous “Tuck Rule” against. The Raiders. So I’m not going to complain or celebrate too much. As for the Rams chances, their defensive efficiency has dropped in the playoffs compared to the regular season. That defense doesn’t look as scary, and the only way to beat Tom Brady is to create pressure, which the Rams should match up well with. As any Rams fan should be, I’m worried. Everything is looking great for Tom Brady. They have Gronk healthy, Julian Edelman seems to be hitting his stride in the middle of the field, and they have 3 legit backs that are carrying the ball with efficiency. My Rams are in for a fight and this matchup really comes down to which defense will show up, and that is the only reason I am feeling confident in the Rams pulling an upset. Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald will win co-MVP and CJ Anderson will have some game-saving runs. 21-17 Rams!   Mr. Kendrick When thinking about the Patriots, the reason I believe they will win against the Rams boils down to the accuracy of Tom Brady. Watching Sunday’s game continued to solidify the belief that even at 41, he is still capable of keeping his calm and leading the charge to make remarkable plays. He can land a pass perfectly into a receiver’s route like none other. Additionally, with nearly two decades of experience under his belt, Brady will help give the Pats an edge over the Rams for the natural jitters that will come with a Super Bowl. Patriots 38 Rams 24.   Ms. Barker The Pats will win. Period.   Tejas Vadali Despite Mr. Sanchez’s compelling argument, he too recognizes that the Rams defense has not been up to par, at least, not up to the standards required of Super Bowl contenders. For this reason, Mr. Kendrick and Ms. Barker have a point. Tom Brady is a tenured Super Bowl regular, and come playoff time, he looks like a well-oiled machine that runs on incredible stress and its enemies’ tears. Brady has seemingly improved as he has aged, and even though the Patriots looked more vulnerable this season than any time in the past few years, they still have what it takes. Save for some magical trickery by a backup quarterback (albeit one of the best backups of all time), the Patriots could very well have been back-to-back Super Bowl champions. With a defense featuring Kyle Van Noy and Trey Flowers, an offense starring Julian Edelman’s dexterity, Sony Michel’s masterful run game, and Rob Gronkowski’s sheer strength, and the coaching prowess of one of the game’s greatest: Bill Belichick, the Patriots are primed to win this game. Couple these redeeming qualities with the offensive brilliance of Tom Brady and the Patriots will be nearly impossible to beat. Brady won his first ring by defeating the Rams; it would only seem right for him to win what could be, in his nineteenth season in the NFL, his last Super Bowl. Patriots 38 Rams 21.]]>