We match up well... but everyone thought we were going to walk over the patriots in two different super bowls and got beat.
The first time, yeah.
I hated that matchup in 2018. Belichick feasted on young QBs and had done so for 30 years. And Brady and Belichick were playing in their ninth SB. That experience gap was enormous. Aside from the media's obsession over how the New Orleans game ended, McVay had to keep fending off questions about how bad Gurley's knee was. It was a distraction.
Gurley was at 50% and we were missing Cooper Kupp. We were weaker than we were in the first half of the season.
It's just not the same thing now. Matt Stafford is playing at a higher level in the postseason than any Rams QB since Kurt. I'd venture even higher than that. All he's got to do is play like he has in the last three games. He's not going to be baffled like Jared was.
I don't believe Cincinnati o-line can block AD99 and Von Miller for 60 minutes. Burrow can move in the pocket but he's not a magician. He holds the ball too long and takes too many sacks.
Not only have we been through the glitz and glamour of SB week before, we don't have to travel.
It's just different than three years ago. We have it going on, on offense, defense and special teams. Yeah, we can't underestimate Cincinnati because they're a resilient bunch. They can take the opponent's best punch and get up off the mat. But play within ourselves, don't make silly mistakes and this is a game we should win.