Today is the profane holiday in the United States. Super Bowl Sunday. A winter festival of consumption, commercialism and choreographed violence. People who are not football fans are roped in by the many parties -- one woman I work with is going to the casino for the casino's Super Bowl event; another woman with whom I used to work who I happened to run into on Friday said that she is going to a viewing party with friends from her gym -- and the new ads. I, as always, watch by myself.
I've mostly tuned out this Super Bowl, number 53. Most of the reporting in The New York Times has been devoted to the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots are perennial entrants, and, unless you live in New England, are widely loathed in the United States.
The one story that dominated the run up to Super Bowl Sunday was the blown interference call by the referees in the NFC Championship. New Orleans should be competing against New England. It's not even speculative. If the Rams had been flagged for an obvious pass interference or, alternately, for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Saints would've simply run the clock down on the goal line and kicked a short field goal. Game over. Onto the Super Bowl.
In fairness to Los Angeles, I thought the Rams outplayed the Saints much of the game, and, improbably, Jared Goff outperformed Drew Brees.
As for the AFC Championship, it closely resembled the Chiefs-Patriots shootout in Foxborough during the regular season. Kansas City started slowly and the Chiefs defense couldn't stop Tom Brady during crunch time.
Benjamin Hoffman of The Times was 1-1 in the championship round; I, true to my playoff record up to that point, 0-2.
Hoffman is going with the underdog Rams. I hope the Rams win. Jared Goff attended my alma mater. And one can foresee a scenario -- Donald and Suh collapse New England's offensive line and Brady turns the ball over -- where the Rams win. But Donald was a non-factor against the Saints, and Brady's release is just as quick as Brees's. Against New Orleans, the Rams had trouble covering Alvin Kamara coming out of the backfield. I think the Rams will have difficulty with the Patriots tandem of running backs, Michel and White. And who is going to cover Gronkowski and Edelman?
I'm surprised the betting line is only Patriots minus 2.5. When the Rams lost during the regular season -- Saints, Bears, Eagles -- they struggled from the opening whistle. So we should know quickly what kind of game is in store for us. I'm taking the Patriots.
No comments:
Post a Comment