The first real decision of Super Bowl LIII may be the biggest decision of Super Bowl LIII.
We already know that the Patriots will call heads or tails in the coin toss. We already know that Patriots special-teams captain Matthew Slater will call heads. Once the coin lands, the Rams or Patriots will have to decide whether to receive the opening kickoff or defer the decision to the second half.
So what will they do? Will the Rams, if the toss comes up tails, take the ball and try to set the tone offensively? A three and out for L.A. could grease the skids toward early doom, and the Patriots would preserve the ability to pull off the coveted end-of-first-half-start-of-second double dip.
Keeping the ball and scoring a touchdown, however, would be a huge way to start the game, especially since the Patriots have scored only three total points in the first quarter of eight prior Belichick-Brady Super Bowls. A score and a stop and a score would put the Pats on the ropes early. (Then again, 28-3.)
Deferring would preserve the double-dip opportunity for the Rams, and it would put Aaron Donald and company on the field, with a chance to establish quickly the kind of heat on Tom Brady that always is a key ingredient in beating the Patriots. Either Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Dante Fowler, Jr., and Michael Brockers will be able to pull it off or they won’t; why not find out right away?
The Patriots typically defer when they win the opening coin toss, but they didn’t in the divisional round against the Chargers, opting for the football and opening the floodgates that essentially ended the game by halftime. If the Patriots do it again, it means that they know they need to do all they can to deliver an early knockout to the other team from L.A.
