What's next for Tom Brady? Elsa/Getty Images
1. The Rams win the toss and take the ball
Most teams defer to the second half but the boy genius will take the ball and try to steal early momentum. Their offense is their best unit and if they lose the toss they will be on the field first and my guess is McVay pulls a fast one and has the offense ready to get after it. The Rams didn't take the ball once this season when they won the toss. That changes Sunday.
2. The first commercial after kickoff will be a car commercial
We just won't know it until halfway through. Car commercials are often too basic or try too hard. This year feels like a try too hard moment for car companies. Funny from car companies is safe, too. Can't be too risque in 2019 as a car company.
3. Todd Gurley is dominant on the first drive
The Rams star back hasn't been anywhere near himself recently. He claims he is healthy but what we see doesn't show it. They have to prove he is going to be a threat so feeding Gurley is the only option. A couple of passes and slamming the rock with Gurley will set a tone for the Rams that Gurley is healthy. I don't know if he can hold up the whole game but making the Patriots account for him is a must.
4. James White has a better first half than second half
The same theory about Gurley applies to White. He is one of the most important players on the Patriots and he will have to be good in shaking loose fast. Aaron Donald is the most prolific pass rusher up the middle in all of football. White has to be the quick outlet. If Brady is getting hit the Patriots are going to lose. The safety valve is White and after the Patriots wear the Rams down they turn to their hammer back Sony Michel.
5. Brandin Cooks has one of the worst games of his season
If the Rams are going to beat the Patriots they will have to find other playmakers outside of their deep threat pass catcher. Cooks was very good during the regular season. He did a lot of the heavy lifting for the offense but not a lot of the scoring. Taking him away will force the rest of the Rams to show up. He's a former Patriots player going against the best unit on the opposing defense. He's in for a long day.
6. Maroon 5 will put on the worst Super Bowl halftime show since 2011
The pressure is getting to them. They canceled their media availability this week. They couldn't get in front of the microphone and answer questions? While I am thrilled for Travis Scott to be on this show Maroon 5 doesn't do it for anyone right now. Their songs are annoyingly repetitive and they don't have any surefire bangers. Short of Outkast showing up they are doomed and could be the worst halftime show in years.
7. Aaron Donald gets his lone sack in the first drive of the second half
Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is a wizard. He and his linemen somehow held the best defense in the league for sacking the quarterback to zero sacks in the AFC championship game. In fact, the last time Brady was sacked more than once was early December against the Dolphins. I'm not foolish enough to believe they can keep Donald off Brady but I am confident they can keep Brady standing.
8. The refs let them play
The NFL will really be under the microscope if the officials aren't calling this one good. They can't miss any big calls and one of the ways to make sure they don't miss a big one is to not call soft penalties. Don't get me wrong, if Nickell Robey-Coleman blows someone else up there will be laundry. Small stuff would lead to a big play being marred by a penalty so it is best to let the game be physical.
9. The best and worst commercial will both be beer
If Bud Light is sticking with the knight and the medieval theme they could take last place. Budweiser is always good for a commercial that pulls at the heart strings. There are plenty of other beers trying to sneak into contention this year and they could easily fall flat compared to the market powerhouse of Bud. It is dangerous to try to pry the beer commercial crown away so it could end up awesome or terrible for another company.
10. A non-quarterback wins the MVP award
Obviously Tom Brady and Jared Goff are the huge favorites. But lets say the Patriots have a two score lead late in the second half, it could be Sony Michel time. If you believe the Rams are going to win you would think Todd Gurley would have a big day or maybe even C.J. Anderson. Von Miller had two forced fumbles and two and half sacks when he won. It doesn't seem crazy Donald could compile that if the Rams are having a great day. What if Stephon Gilmore made a huge play early and deflected a couple more passes? It is hard but it is doable.
11. Tom Brady nor Rob Gronkowski retire after the game
I am totally positive about Brady. Despite his skills diminishing a bit he still plays a high level and the team is still good. They might take a couple of weird losses in the regular season but in the postseason they're still a really tough out. Brady is getting a first round offensive lineman back (Isaiah Wynn was lost to injury in August), they have six picks in the top three rounds, and no really significant free agents outside of Trey Flowers. Gronk is beat down but with just one year left on his contract and some management of his snaps in the regular season it isn't too hard to see him grinding out just one more year.
Heading into Wednesday's Grapefruit League game, reports indicate that Astros first baseman Christian Walker has been scratched with left oblique soreness.
Worth noting that Christian Walker had a left oblique injury last season that kept him on the IL for more than a month https://t.co/13IZ7P6Dtd
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 5, 2025
As Chandler Rome mentions in the post above, Walker missed the entire month of August in 2024 with a left oblique injury. He only hit .231 for the remainder of the season after recovering from the injury.
Walker was off to a hot start this spring, hitting .500 with 3 doubles in 8 at-bats. Hopefully this is just a precautionary move, and he'll be back in the lineup shortly.
However, these are the types of risks owner Jim Crane likes to take. Only willing to commit big money on short-term deals to aging players. Walker will be 34 years old at the end of March. He signed a 3-year, $60 million contract with Houston this offseason.
The reality is, sometimes these moves work, and sometimes they don't. Older players are more likely to have their production falloff and deal with injuries. Michael Brantley is a prime example of getting good value from an older player on a short contract. His 2-year deal for $32 million with the Astros for the 2019 and 2020 seasons turned out to be a solid move. He played the 2019 and 2020 seasons at 32 and 33 years old, respectively. His contracts with the 'Stros following that original deal did not work out nearly as well, with injuries keeping him out of the lineup regularly.
Justin Verlander is another example of Crane's willingness to roll the dice on aging players. Verlander joined the Astros during his age 34 season. Houston saw a wide range of results with Verlander. He won two Cy Young awards and two championships with the club, but also missed significant time due to injury, and struggled to get batter outs when healthy in 2024. Verlander was left off the postseason roster in his final year in Houston.
And we can't help but mention the Jose Abreu contract as a cautionary tale. Especially since the terms of his deal and his age are similar to Walker's.
But clearly, Crane was more comfortable making the cheaper 3-year deal with Walker over extending Kyle Tucker or paying Alex Bregman market value. Had the Astros kept one of those two players, they likely would have felt better about keeping Jon Singleton at first base and passing on Walker.
Only time will tell if the Astros made the right decisions. The trade haul for Kyle Tucker looks terrific so far, but we all know it's not wise to put too much stock in spring training games.
It's also worth noting, both Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez missed time in 2023 dealing with oblique injuries.