There will be feelings of déjà vu at Super Bowl 53 as the Patriots and Rams prepare to battle for the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in 17 years.
The last time these teams met in the championship game was Super Bowl 36 in 2002, when the Rams resided in St. Louis, Tom Brady was just a second-year quarterback and Jared Goff was a mere eight years old.
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Since the 2001-02 season, there has been significantly more stability and success for the Patriots than the Rams. The Rams are returning to the championship game for the first time since that game, while the Patriots return for the eighth time in that span.
On the other hand, four Rams players from Super Bowl 36 have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame (Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Kurt Warner and Aeneas Williams). As of yet, no Patriots players have.
Yet, Brady cemented himself as the starter going forward in the Patriots' victory over the Rams, which was also the start of coach Bill Belichick's legacy at the helm in New England. The Patriots have won five Super Bowl rings and eight AFC titles but are hungry for more as they enter their NFL-record 11th Super Bowl and ninth under the QB/coach duo.
Here, we look back at the statistics from the fateful matchup which set the Brady-Belichick era into motion and how the two teams have fared in the 2018-19 season entering the big game.
Super Bowl 36 stats
| Team | Total Yards | Leading Passer | Leading Rusher | Leading Receiver | Leading Tackler |
| New England Patriots | 267 | Tom Brady (16-27-145 1-0) | Antowain Smith (18-92 0) | Troy Brown (6-89 0) | Ty Law (7) |
| St. Louis Rams | 427 | Kurt Warner (28-44 365 1-2) | Marshall Faulk (17-76 0) | Az-Zahir Hakeem (5-90 0) | Tommy Polley (11) |
Super Bowl 36 scoring summary
| Quarter | Time | Team | Detail |
| 1 | 3:10 | Rams | Jeff Wilkins 50-yd FG (3-0) |
| 2 | 8:49 | Patriots | Ty Law 47-yd Int return (3-7) |
| 2 | 0:31 | Patriots | David Patten 8-yd rec Td (Brady) (3-14) |
| 3 | 1:18 | Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 37-yd FG (3-17) |
| 4 | 9:31 | Rams | Kurt Warner 2-yd rush (10-17) |
| 4 | 1:30 | Rams | Ricky Proehl 26-yd rec (Kurt Warner) (17-17) |
| 4 | 0:00 | Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 48-yd FG (17-20) |
How they stack up entering Super Bowl 53
| 2002-2018 | New England Patriots | St. Louis/ LA Rams |
| Wins | 209 | 111 |
| Losses | 63 | 160 |
| Playoff Appearances | 15 | 4 |
| Division Championships | 15 | 3 |
| Conference Championships | 8 | 1 |
| Super Bowl Wins | 4 | 0 |
| Head Coaches | 1 | 8* |
| Quarterbacks (Min. 100 PA) | 2’ | 14^ |
* Mike Martz, Joe Vitt, Scott Linehan, Jim Haslett, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Fisher, Jim Fassel, Sean McVay
‘Tom Brady, Matt Cassel
^Marc Bulger, Sam Bradford, Jared Goff, Case Keenum, Jamie Martin, Nick Foles, Kellen Clemens, Kurt Warner, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Kyle Boller, Gus Frerotte, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Keith Null
Brady vs. Goff's first three seasons
| Quarterback | Seasons | Comp./G | Att./G | Yards/G | TD/G | Int./G |
| Tom Brady | 2000-2002 | 19.9 | 31.8 | 206.7 | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| Jared Goff | 2016-2018 | 20.3 | 32.7 | 252.1 | 1.7 | 0.7 |
The Patriots and Rams square off in the championship Feb. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.