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THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AND LOS ANGELES RAMS READY FOR SUPER BOWL LIII FEB. 3 ON CBS
<B>THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AND LOS ANGELES RAMS READY FOR SUPER BOWL LIII FEB. 3 ON CBS</b>
THE LOS ANGELES RAMS AND NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SQUARE OFF IN SUPER BOWL LIII FEB. 3 AT 3:30 P.M. (ET/PT) ON CBS.
By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
N2Entertainment.net

Sunday can?t get here fast enough for me. My Los Angeles Rams (13-3) are back in the big show, Super Bowl LIII (53).

I?m so proud and excited about what this team and their amazing coach Sean McVay have accomplished.

The Rams, led by super stud, Jared Goff will take on Tom Brady and the mighty New England Patriots (11-5) in Super Bowl LIII Feb. 3 at The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Kick-off is at 3:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on CBS.

Jim Nantz will provide the broadcast play-by-play alongside analyst Tony Romo. Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn will report from the sidelines.

On the entertainment front, seven-time Grammy Award winner and Atlanta native, Gladys Knight will perform the national anthem and Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi are tapped for the halftime show.

The Los Angeles Rams advanced to the Super Bowl after an exciting 26-23 overtime win against the New Orleans Saints. This is the franchise?s fourth trip to the Super Bowl and its first since 2001 when the team lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI.

The Patriots are making their third straight trip to the Super Bowl. This marks Brady's ninth Super Bowl appearance. The 41-year-old quarterback has taken The Patriots to five Super Bowl wins during his 19-year career in New England. Let that marinate in your head for a minute. That?s truly remarkable.

In past years, I?ve used this spot to profile former NFL stars and get their take about the Super Bowl. Last year, I featured two-time Super Bowl champion Mark Collins who is from my hometown of San Bernardino.

Collins played for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI (21) in 1987 and in Super Bowl XXV (25).

He was a second-round draft pick out of Cal State-Fullerton and played eight seasons as a cornerback with the Giants and later with the Kansas City Chiefs (1995-1996), the Green Bay Packers (1997) and the Seattle Seahawks (1998).

I?ve also featured former NFL legend turned actor, Fred ?The Hammer? Williamson. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I against the Green Bay Packers in 1967.

In addition, I?ve interviewed UC Davis QB, Ken O?Brien, who led the UC Davis Aggies to a 10-0 regular season mark and to the Division II championship game in 1982 under the guidance of the late coach, Jim Sochor. O?Brien went on to play for the New York Jets (1983?1992) and Philadelphia Eagles (1993).

However, this year is personal since I have skin in the game. I want to change things up a bit and spotlight the Rams? incredible run to Super Bowl LIII.

Fred Williamson, couldn?t resist giving me his very honest opinion who he thinks will win the game. I?ll circle back on him later.

As of this writing the Patriots are favored by three points to beat the Rams. You know me. I love the underdog and I also love my Rams. I have since the 1970s. So, win, lose or draw, I?m all in, but I sure would love to see this team hoist the Lombardi Trophy and bring it back to California.

It would be great for fans as well as Rams players past and present. Guys like Wendell Tyler, Preston Dennard, Deacon Jones, Fred Dryer, Kurt Warner, Jim Everett, Charlie ?The Tree? Young, Jim Youngblood, Jack Youngblood, Jack ?Hacksaw Reynolds,? Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Eric Dickerson, Jackie Slater, Lawrence McCutcheon, Roman Gabriel, Vince Ferragamo, Pat Haden, James Harris, Nolan Cromwell, Isiah Robertson, Henry Ellard, Norm Van Brocklin, Steven Jackson, Rosey Grier and so many others.

I?ve been asked who I think will win Super Bowl LIII. If Todd Gurley and Greg Zuerlein are 100 percent?both have to be--then I like our chances a lot. I feel more confident about the Rams going in to this game than I did when they played the Dallas Cowboys and even the New Orleans Saints. Although, I can?t lie that Saints game had me on the edge of my seat.

As obvious as it sounds, the Rams have to win the battle in the trenches both on offense and defense. I?m hoping Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh have monster games and are able to put pressure on Brady. Or, as my husband, Rickey--who played fullback for the UC Davis Aggies (1982-1984)--said, "the Rams" need to get Brady's jersey extremely dirty."

Now Back to Fred Williamson. "The Hammer" says the Rams have absolutely no chance of winning the game and adds, "the Patriots will make the Rams look like high school players playing against men. Patriots will win 28-13.

As for me, I'm hoping both teams lay it all out on the line. I want to see some hard--but legal--hits, trick plays, long passes and really just an overall exciting game from start to finish.

If the Rams lose I'll pop open a bottle of good champagne. If they win, I will break out my finest bottle of grape juice.

So, here's to a SUPER Super Bowl. I predict the Rams win this thing 31-24.

Enjoy!