7 things to watch in Super Bowl LIII

1. The New England Patriots are back in the big game for the third year in a row. 

The Patriots are the third team to make three straight Super Bowls, and they are looking to tie the Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories (six).

New England can pass the Steelers for most postseason victories in league history (36).

The Pats are 5-5 all-time in the Super Bowl, including 5-3 since the turn of the century.

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2. The Los Angeles Rams are the challenger. 

The Patriots began the week as one-point underdogs, but the line has shifted to favoring them by three according to oddshark.com.

The Rams are in the Super Bowl for the fourth time. They lost to the Steelers 31-19 in January 1980 and beat the Titans 23-16 in January 2000. Two years later, they lost to the Patriots 20-17.

3. This is a rematch of one of the great upsets in Super Bowl history. 

The Rams were 14-point favorites in Super Bowl XXXVI, but Bill Belichick’s defense slowed down “The Greatest Show on Turf” enough to give Tom Brady the chance to engineer a game-winning drive in the final 90 seconds.

And Brady took advantage, moving the team into position for Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal as time expired, a walk-off win that launched the legends of both Brady and Belichick.

4. The coaching matchup is fascinating. 

The Rams are led by 33-year-old Sean McVay, a Dayton native who is the youngest head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who turns 67 in April, has a strong case for being the best coach in league history thanks to his record five Super Bowl wins. (He can tie George Halas and Curly Lambeau for most NFL championships with six.)

This is the ultimate old guard/new school matchup as McVay turned the Rams into one of the best offenses in the league nearly overnight, and Belichick remains one of the strongest defensive minds in the sport.

5. The quarterbacks make an interesting pair, too. 

A five-time Super Bowl winner who has gotten better with age, the 41-year-old Brady is already regarded by many as the best quarterback of all time.

The 24-year-old Goff actually put up slightly better numbers than Brady this season, however, and has a more talented group of skill players at his disposal.

Brady has more Super Bowl victories than any other starting quarterback, but a win would give him the record for any player. He enters the game tied with Charles Haley of the Cowboys and 49ers.

6. CBS will broadcast the game. 

That means TV viewers will hear the action described by Jim Nantz, the veteran broadcaster who will be doing his fifth Super Bowl, and Tony Romo, a second-year color analyst who has developed a reputation for accurately predicting plays before they happen.

WHIO Channel 7 will have all the action starting at 6:30 from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

7. Maroon 5 will be the halftime entertainment, and some of the usual suspects are back with commercials. 

If you are the type who watches more for the sideshow than the football, a pop band from California will be playing on the stage while the teams rest between halves.

Maroon 5 will be joined by rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi, who is an Atlanta native.

Advertisers will include Anheuser-Busch, Doritos, Pepsi and Toyota (among others).