It's officially championship weekend in the NFL with two phenomenal matchups in store on Sunday. On the AFC side, we get the star-studded Kansas City Chiefs against the undead New England Patriots. It seems like as long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are present it doesn't matter what the supporting cast is.
In the NFC, we get the Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay against Sean Payton's New Orleans Saints. It will definitely be the battle of the Seans come Sunday afternoon. These teams faced each other in Week 9 ,where the Saints came out on top 45-35.
Both teams are different this time around. The Rams had Cooper Kupp then, Aqib Talib was out, and they didn't possess a one-two punch of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson. For the Saints, they'll be without Sheldon Rankins, Andrus Peat is banged up, and Benjamin Watson is out. I expect the outcome to be different than it was back in November, with the Rams advancing to the Super Bowl.
Here are three reasons why the Rams will defeat the Saints in the Superdome.
3. The Absence of Sheldon Rankins
The Saints ended up defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round 20-14. They didn't come out of the game healthy though, as Sheldon Rankins suffered a torn Achilles. It's a huge loss for a defense that has started to get their footing and is one of the best run defenses in the NFL because of Rankins.
The Rams must exploit this come Sunday if they hope to take control of the game. Just last week, the Rams showed that their duo of Anderson and Gurley can be very lethal. Their offensive line is also one of the best in the league, allowing Gurley and Anderson to find alleys to cause damage.
Los Angeles took it to the Dallas Cowboys by rushing for 273 yards. Both running backs eclipsed 100 yards on the day. Gurley finished with 115 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown, while Anderson had 123 yards on 23 attempts and two touchdowns.
Without Rankins anchoring the middle of the Saints defensive line, they could be susceptible to the run. If the Rams are able to have their way on the ground, this game could be over rather quickly. Controlling the clock and time of possession is a good game-plan against a Drew Brees-led offense.
2. Aqib Talib Will Be Here This Time
When the Rams and the Saints met in Week 9, Aqib Talib was on injured reserve. Marcus Peters drew the assignment of Michael Thomas, who went off for 12 receptions, 211 yards, and a touchdown.
This time around, Talib will be active and will likely be the one who covers Thomas for the majority of the contest. Peters wants his revenge on Sean Payton and Thomas, but he'll have to wait patiently to receive his gumbo. Talib just simply matches up better against a physical receiver like Thomas.
The difference that Talib makes when he's on the field is remarkable. The defense just plays on a different level when number 21 is lined up at cornerback.
With Talib on the field, Peters can be a ball hawk on the other side of the field and improvise more. At 32 years old, Talib is still one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. If he can come in and limit Thomas, the Rams will be in the driver's seat on Sunday.
1. Aaron Donald Will Have His Way
The last time these teams played, Aaron Donald was unable to get his hands on Brees. This time will be different, especially with a banged up Andrus Peat getting the duty of trying to stop the freight train that is Aaron Donald.
Donald has been quiet the last couple of weeks, but that is due to him being double-teamed on just about every play. It helps when one of the guys who will be tasked to double-team you has a broken hand.
The emergence of Ndamukong Suh last week could also spell bad news for the Saints' offensive line. All year Rams fans have been waiting for someone to step up while teams focus on taking Donald out of the game. Last week, Suh had arguably his best game this season against Dallas.
It doesn't seem that way just by looking at the boxscore, but watching the game he was clearly locked in early and often. He only had three tackles, but they all came on plays that allowed 0 or negative yardage. The Rams' run defense stepped up in a huge way against the Cowboys.
Coming into the game everyone knew the Cowboys were going to try and get Ezekiel Elliott going. They were unable to do so due to the Rams' front seven. Donald and company held Elliott to just 66 yards on 22 touches. That's only three yards a touch for the NFL's leading rusher this season.
It's hard to rush Brees given how fast he gets rid of the ball, but we'll be in for at least one sack from Donald on Sunday. If the Rams' front seven plays as well as they did against the Cowboys, we'll likely see Los Angeles in the Super Bowl.
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