The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams have spent the last 24 weeks preparing for what they hoped would be a trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the 2019 Super Bowl. And after impressive wins as road underdogs on Championship Sunday, both teams will make that a reality on Sunday, Feb. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and you can only catch the action on CBS. The Patriots are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Super Bowl odds. That line has swung dramatically after the Rams were briefly one-point favorites at several books in the moments after lines were announced last Sunday. The total has also been on the move, and it’s down to 56.5 after opening at 59 in some markets. Before you make your 2019 Super Bowl picks, check out the latest Patriots vs. Rams predictions from SportsLine’s No. 1 NFL handicapper, R.J. White.

White again emerged as the top pro football handicapper on SportsLine this season, hitting an astounding 62 percent of his spread selections and netting $100 bettors a profit of nearly $2,000. The stats guru also cashed big last season in the world’s most prestigious sports handicapping tournament, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, where he has driven deep two of the past four years. 

White is on a rock-solid 56-36 run on NFL picks against the spread. What’s more, White has a strong record of success in handicapping these teams, the Rams in particular. He boasts an impressive 20-6 spread mark in games involving the Rams over the past two seasons.

Two weeks ago, White advised SportsLine members that Los Angeles (-7) would have success running the ball against Dallas, which would be the difference-maker. The Rams piled up 273 ground yards in their eight-point victory. Anyone who followed White’s advice booked another win. 

Now, White has analyzed Rams vs. Patriots for Super Bowl LIII (stream live on fuboTV) from every angle and released a confident point-spread pick that is available at SportsLine. 

White knows New England’s skill positions are loaded with playmakers who can line up all over the field to create mismatches for quarterback Tom Brady. Even with five-time Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski having a down season and the rise and fall of wide receiver Josh Gordon as a go-to target, the Patriots have been an offense that can attack in a variety of ways. 

Hybrid running backs/wide receivers like James White and Cordarrelle Patterson have been a major part of that offensive versatility. White led the Patriots in targets, receptions, receiving touchdowns, and yards from scrimmage this season, while Patterson’s explosive playmaking ability has allowed him to hit pay dirt rushing, receiving, and in the return game. 

In the NFC Championship Game, the Rams had serious issues covering Saints running back Alvin Kamara out of the backfield, and he wound up with 11 catches for 96 yards. Expect the Patriots to isolate White, Patterson and Rex Burkhead against linebackers out of the backfield to make things difficult on the Rams in Super Bowl 53.

But just because New England features an explosive offense doesn’t mean it will cover the Patriots vs. Rams spread.

While knows the Rams’ front seven has found their groove during the 2019 NFL Playoffs. Against two top-10 rushing offenses, the Rams have limited opponents to just 98 yards on the ground the last two weeks combined and forced plenty of third-and-longs that play to their strengths as an aggressive defense. In fact, the Cowboys were an abysmal 1-of-10 on third down against the Rams, while the Saints were 6-of-14.

On the other side of the ball, we saw that the Rams’ C.J. Anderson and Todd Gurley can form a devastating one-two punch. The pair combined for 239 rushing yards and three touchdowns against a top-five run defense in their divisional round win over Dallas. If the Rams can control the line of scrimmage like they did in that game, it will break New England’s rhythm on both sides of the ball.

We can tell you White is leaning toward the over, but his much stronger play is on the side. He has scoured this matchup and unearthed the critical factor that makes one side a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins Rams vs. Patriots? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Super Bowl LIII spread you should jump on, all from the top NFL expert who’s hitting 77 percent of his NFL picks on Rams games, and find out.