5 Super Bowl LIII X-Factors for the Patriots and Rams

Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett

It's been said ad nauseum over the years, but Bill Belichick is widely known to devise a defensive gameplan that forces an opponent to play left-handed by assigning double coverage to a team's star.

So, looking further down the Rams depth chart, beyond Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, and Robert Woods, one of the Rams' tight ends may pop up for a big game. Thus far, Higbee led the duo in snaps in the divisional round, playing 70.89% of the team's offensive plays against the Dallas Cowboys, but it was Everett who led the way in the NFC Championship game, seeing the field on 68.12% of the plays.

Overall, Higbee has drawn 8 targets in the playoffs, posting 6 receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. Everett, on the other hand, has 2 catches for 50 yards on 6 targets in the playoffs.

The Patriots just slowed down Travis Kelce, holding him to 23 yards and a touchdown on 5 catches in the AFC Championship game, but both Virgil Green and Antonio Gates found the end zone against the Patriots in the divisional round -- even if it was deep in garbage time. The Chargers' tight ends combined for 6 receptions and 42 yards in that game.

The Patriots defense was a middling matchup for tight ends in the regular season. They allowed the 15th-most yards (832) to the position and gave up 8 touchdowns to opposing tight ends, which was the fifth-most league wide. So, if the Rams fail to get their offense going through Gurley, Cooks, and Woods, Higbee or Everett could be an X-factor in Super Bowl LIII.