After two incredible conference championship games that resulted in wins in overtime, we're left with Pro Football Focus' two highest-graded teams battling for the Lombardi trophy.
We ranked the top 53 players from the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams on both sides of the ball using PFF's play-by-play grading. While going strictly by the grades can work for positional rankings, certain positions impact the game more; as a result, you'll see those positions ranked a bit higher.
Sticking with the starters on either side of the ball got us to 44 total players, and we added rotational players to get to 53, in honor of it being Super Bowl LIII. Let's dive in.
1. Aaron Donald, DT, Rams
Grade: 95.2 | Position rank: 1
PFF's highest-graded player at any position was a no-brainer here, as Donald is truly the best player whenever he steps on the field. His 106 total QB pressures during the regular season paced all defenders by 11. He also was the league's third-highest-graded defensive player in run defense. He can do it all.
2. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
Grade: 91.2 | Pos. rank: 3
What else can be said about Brady as he makes his return to the Super Bowl? He breaks the mold for what quarterbacks of his age (41) are supposed to accomplish. Since 2016, he has the lowest percentage of turnover-worthy passes thrown in the league (1.7 percent), while still averaging the ninth-highest average depth of target (8.8 yards). He's no checkdown machine, just an elite quarterback who makes the correct reads more often than not and doesn't put the ball in harm's way.
3. Jared Goff, QB, Rams
Grade: 86.7 | Pos. rank: 8
Goff dominated the league's signal-callers on play-action this season, throwing for an incredible 1,971 yards off play fakes. He led the league with 13 play-action touchdown passes, and he also was able to manipulate coverage in Year 2 of leading coach Sean McVay's offense.
4. Stephon Gilmore, CB, Patriots
Grade: 90.9 | Pos. rank: 1
PFF's highest-graded cornerback from the regular season has been up to his usual tricks in the postseason, allowing just two receptions on his 10 targeted passes through two games. While he did allow a touchdown, he also has secured an interception and an additional pass breakup; and he is yielding one reception for every 44 snaps he spends in coverage, the best figure (by 10 snaps) among cornerbacks in the postseason.
5. Andrew Whitworth, LT, Rams
Grade: 86.1 | Pos. rank: 3
The model of consistency at the left tackle position, Whitworth is just a Super Bowl win away from cementing his legacy as one of the best to ever play his position. This was Whitworth's 10th season earning a "good" or "elite" grade in pass protection.
6. Trey Flowers, Edge, Patriots
Grade: 89.7 | Pos. rank: 6
While Flowers doesn't quite have the sack numbers to fit the billing of the traditional elite pass-rusher, he has done his fair share of disruption on the pass rush to warrant his spot as one. Through the regular season, Flowers dominated the line of scrimmage with 64 QB pressures on 462 attempts, and he put forth an above-average grade in run defense while missing just two of his 49 tackle attempts all season.
7. Robert Woods, WR, Rams
Grade: 86.8 | Pos. rank: 10
Woods is becoming the best all-around receiver in Los Angeles. His 2.3 percent drop rate tied Michael Thomas for eighth among the league's receivers who saw at least 85 targets.
8. Shaq Mason, RG, Patriots
Grade: 86.2 | Pos. rank: 1
Finishing the regular season with the NFL's highest grade at guard, Mason is on his way to being one of the elite on the interior offensive line. His dominance wasn't just limited to one facet, as he finished with the league's highest run-blocking grade and the 13th-highest pass-blocking grade.
9. John Johnson III, S, Rams
Grade: 84.2 | Pos. rank: 8
The second-year safety backed up an impressive rookie season with an even better season in Year 2, finishing with solid grades across the board. He made a total of 12 plays on the ball on 48 targets in coverage, while not allowing a pass of over 32 yards all season.
10. Rob Havenstein, RT, Rams
Grade: 83.7 | Pos. rank: 4
The second tackle off the board here, and the second tackle from the Rams, he was arguably the league's best run-blocking tackle in the regular season. His 84.5 run-blocking grade was 6.3 grade points higher than the next closest tackle, and he was impressive in pass protection, allowing just 27 pressures on 657 pass-blocking snaps.
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11. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Rams
Grade: 83.0 | Pos. rank: 21
Though it didn't happen right away, Suh rounded into form with his new team. While he chipped in with 48 pressures opposite of Donald on the interior, his run-defense grade of 85.0 ranked 20th at the position, and he was a sure tackler, missing just three of his 59 total attempts this season.
12. Devin McCourty, S, Patriots
Grade: 79.5 | Pos. rank: 19
The brothers McCourty clearly made a difference in their first season playing together, but it was longtime Patriot Devin who benefited the most. His play on the back end in coverage and against the run was solid all season, and he finished with his eighth career grade of 71.0 or higher.
13. Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots
Grade: 79.7 | Pos. rank: 24
"Playoff Edelman" has been in full force, leading the league's receivers in overall grade during the postseason. While he hasn't hauled in a touchdown from Brady, Edelman's effect on the Patriots' offense is simple: 14 of his 16 receptions have moved the chains for a first down.
14. Brandin Cooks, WR, Rams
Grade: 79.7 | Pos. rank: 24
While Cooks has as many drops during the postseason as he did during the regular season, that brings his total to just two. He has been sure-handed in his first year with the Rams after coming over from New England. Call it a revenge game if you must, but Cooks has the added motivation of going against his former team for the second game in a row after catching seven passes for 107 yards against New Orleans (the team who drafted him in 2016) last week.
15. Todd Gurley II, RB, Rams
Grade: 77.7 | Pos. rank: 18
With C.J. Anderson taking a healthy share of the load from the once-MVP candidate Gurley, the latter finds himself as just the 12th-highest graded running back this postseason, out of 15 qualified running backs with at least 10 attempts. Still, Gurley's prowess on the ground and in the short-area passing attack the Rams employ could be something of an X factor, if he brings his A game.
16. Aqib Talib, CB, Rams
Grade: 77.7 | Pos. rank: 19
Talib's return to the lineup as of Week 13 (after recovering from an ankle injury suffered in Week 3) has gone down like this: 32 targets, 21 receptions allowed, 106 yards after the catch, one touchdown allowed, one interception and an additional pass breakup. Perhaps the most important factor to Talib's brand of football is the fact that he hasn't missed a single tackle this season, for the first time in his career.
17. Jason McCourty, S, Patriots
Grade: 79.4 | Pos. rank: 15
In his first season in New England, Jason finished the 2018 regular season with the second-highest grade of his career, allowing just 59.4 percent of the targeted passes his way to be caught.
18. Nickell Robey-Coleman, CB, Rams
Grade: 82.1 | Pos. rank: 7
NRC's season has been dominant in coverage for the Rams. Playing the majority of his snaps from the slot, he has allowed just under 60.0 percent of targeted passes to be caught; and despite covering the shiftier brand of receivers, he has allowed just 7.8 yards per reception and has missed just four of 42 tackle attempts this season.
19. Lawrence Guy, DE, Patriots
Grade: 90.0 | Pos. rank: 10
Used nearly equally against the run and the pass, Guy has flashed brilliance in run defense in the 2018 campaign. During the regular season, he made 30 defensive stops, 29 of which came against the run, tying for third-most with Donald (who had 71 more snaps against the run than Guy did).
20. C.J. Anderson, RB, Rams
Grade: 77.6 | Pos. rank: 28
Anderson's renaissance has been spectacular. He has bowled his way to 102 yards after contact, gaining 2.62 yards after contact per attempt and forcing eight missed tackles (leading all postseason RBs).
21. Sony Michel, RB, Patriots
Grade: 75.7 | Pos. rank: 23
Michel already has five rushing touchdowns this postseason in just two games. As glorious as touchdowns are, he also has moved the ball seemingly at will and been a breakaway threat. On 53 postseason carries, Michel has nine first-down runs and eight runs of 10 or more yards, both of which lead the league.
22. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots
Grade: 75.5 | Pos. rank: 9
Gronk's career trajectory puts him on pace to have a career game in the Super Bowl. In his previous three Super Bowls, Gronkowski has improved his grade each time, going from a 55.2 overall grade in Super Bowl XLVI to 76.8 in Super Bowl XLIX to 85.6 in Super Bowl LII.
23. Gerald Everett, TE, Rams
Grade: 80.2 | Pos. rank: 4
Everett might not win the snap count against his own teammate in Tyler Higbee, but his impact on the game eclipses that of Higbee. Everett displayed sure hands this season, dropping just a single catchable pass thrown his way. His three touchdowns don't get him the attention, but he moved the chains on 14 other receptions, meaning he scored a touchdown or achieved a first down on over half of his receptions during the regular season.
24. Rodger Saffold, LG, Rams
Grade: 73.8 | Pos. rank: 7
Saffold checks in here after allowing just 25 QB pressures on his 648 snaps in pass protection. Fitting the bill of a typical Rams offensive lineman in 2018, he also put forth an impressive display of run blocking, finishing with the fourth-highest run-blocking grade at the position.
25. Lamarcus Joyner, S, Rams
Grade: 71.7 | Pos. rank: 35
Finding his stride at what seems to be his more natural position at safety, Joyner put forth the second-highest-graded season of his career after finishing 2017 with an elite grade. He was solid in run defense, but his tackling really stepped up in 2018, missing just five of his 88 total attempts through the playoffs.
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26. Joe Thuney, LG, Patriots
Grade: 73.3 | Pos. rank: 8
Thuney earns his spot here after an impressive display in pass protection this year. During the regular season, he did not allow a single sack and yielded only 23 total pressures on 629 pass-blocking snaps.
27. Trent Brown, LT, Patriots
Grade: 70.6 | Pos. rank: 35
While there might have been a slight drop-off from the days of Nate Solder protecting Brady's blindside, Brown was more than up to the challenge -- and he has stepped his game up in the postseason. In total, he has allowed just two hurries so far in the playoffs on 95 pass-blocking snaps.
28. David Andrews, C, Patriots
Grade: 73.3 | Pos. rank: 8
The highest-graded center of the playoffs so far, Andrews is leaps and bounds above his counterpart at center for the Rams. Andrews has allowed just two pressures in the playoffs, pushing his totals to just 18 allowed this season on his 723 snaps in pass protection, while also holding his own for the run.
29. Austin Blythe, RG, Rams
Grade: 72.4 | Pos. rank: 10
Blythe went the whole season without allowing a sack in pass protection, seeing 657 pass-blocking snaps and allowing just 31 total hits or hurries. He finished the regular season as the league's 12th-highest-graded guard.
30. James White, RB, Patriots
Grade: 72.2 | Pos. rank: 31
White's impressive performance in the postseason on the receiving end of Brady's passes is what secures his spot here. He has basically become a receiver out of the backfield, and he does it with impressive efficiency. His 2.81 yards per route run leads all qualified running backs through the postseason.
31. Marcus Cannon, RT, Patriots
Grade: 72.2 | Pos. rank: 27
Despite missing three games during the regular season, Cannon has logged over 1,000 snaps this season, including the postseason, and he has done so with success, if you take out his first five games. During those first five outings, Cannon didn't see a game grade above 66.8 while allowing 13 pressures. In his past 10 outings, he has given up just 14 pressures, and he had only two games with a game grade below 65.0.
32. Patrick Chung, S, Patriots
Grade: 71.4 | Pos. rank: 37
While he might have allowed quite a bit of yards in coverage (449), Chung was subjected to a ton of targeted passes his way in New England's defensive scheme. Still, he did a more than admirable job at keeping receivers in front of him on the 75 targeted passes his way and didn't allow a reception longer than 29 yards all season long.
33. Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams
Grade: 71.1 | Pos. rank: 13
Higbee was utilized more than Everett on a snap-count basis for the Rams this season, as he was used more so as an extra blocker in pass protection. He led the NFL with 150 pass-blocking snaps, 60 more than any other tight end, and allowed just eight pressures, finishing the season with a 72.3 pass-blocking grade.
34. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Patriots
Grade: 70.9 | Pos. rank: N/A
With the new rules set in place to limit the number of kickoff returns, Patterson's impact is lessened a bit. But in total, Patterson's 28.8 yards per return was good enough for third among returners, and he's a threat to take the ball to the house anytime he touches it.
35. Kyle Van Noy, LB, Patriots
Grade: 70.1 | Pos. rank: 30
Once cast away in a pick swap of a deal from the Detroit Lions, Van Noy has found a home in New England. He is currently the highest-graded linebacker of the postseason and has done so by playing an almost-elite brand of football in every facet. He has recorded six pressures on 31 blitzes and has allowed just 64.3 percent of passes thrown his way to be caught.
36. Adrian Clayborn, Edge, Patriots
Grade: 69.4 | Pos. rank: 44
Future sack totals are not predicted by current sack totals, but by total QB pressure numbers. That's the case with Clayborn, who hasn't quite lived up to the 10-sack campaign that he had with Atlanta last season.
37. Cory Littleton, LB, Rams
Grade: 67.2 | Pos. rank: 39
Littleton's ferocious brand of football forces him to miss tackles, especially in run defense, but he has shown the ability to create game-changing moments that influence his team's success. He recorded 14 pressures, including four sacks, during the regular season, and he added three interceptions and eight additional pass breakups when dropping back into coverage.
38. Dont'a Hightower, LB, Patriots
Grade: 61.9 | Pos. rank: 58
Hightower might have been victimized in coverage during the regular season, allowing 10.5 yards per reception, but he was something else when rushing the passer. His 30 QB pressures in the regular season were good enough to tie for third most at the position.
39. Dante Fowler Jr., Edge, Rams
Grade: 68.2 | Pos. rank: 51
Missing six of your 20 total tackle attempts on the season isn't quite the way to impress your new team, but Fowler made up for what could be seen as a tackling deficiency by flashing at times, most notably in the playoffs. His highest-graded effort of the season for the Rams came in the NFC Championship Game, as he registered a sack, a hit and two additional QB hurries.
40. Elandon Roberts, LB, Patriots
Grade: 69.4 | Pos. rank: 32
Roberts played 429 snaps this season, and while he wasn't dominant in any facet, he certainly wasn't a liability, either. He recorded 29 defensive stops and missed just five tackle attempts.
41. Phillip Dorsett, WR, Patriots
Grade: 67.6 | Pos. rank: 64
In a contract year, Dorsett has played the best football of his career. While that's not saying much, he has flashed what made him a first-round pick in 2015, with notable performances of late, including when he hauled in all four of his receptions for first downs against the Chargers in the divisional round.
42. J.C. Jackson, CB, Patriots
Grade: 68.6 | Pos. rank: 52
The undrafted rookie from Maryland led the league by allowing a passer rating of just 42.0 on throws into his coverage, as he did his best to lock down the field opposite Gilmore. On 42 total targets this season, he allowed just 22 receptions, while bringing in three interceptions and adding three pass breakups.
43. Josh Reynolds, WR, Rams
Grade: 68.3 | Pos. rank: 57
Reynolds' brand of football isn't flashy, but it won't lose you the game, either. He didn't drop a single catchable pass thrown his way during the regular season.
44. Michael Brockers, DT, Rams
Grade: 66.6 | Pos. rank: 81
Playing a more rotational role behind two All-Pro-caliber guys in Donald and Suh, Brockers was kept in check for most of the season and compiled just 19 QB pressures on his 309 pass rushes.
45. Duron Harmon, S, Patriots
Grade: 66.2 | Pos. rank: 61
Harmon has been a sure tackler in his time with the Patriots. But he seemed to slip in his coverage prowess in 2018, as he allowed three touchdowns against his four interceptions and allowed a 105.2 passer rating when targeted.
46. Samson Ebukam, Edge, Rams
Grade: 65.6 | Pos. rank: 62
Ebukam's postseason moment is actually one to forget, when he dropped what would have been a surefire pick-six. Still, he recorded 32 pressures as the most successful edge defender for the Rams on 281 pass rushes.
47. Jonathan Jones, CB, Patriots
Grade: 65.2 | Pos. rank: 65
Jones had a much better season against the run than in coverage, allowing over 68 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught. His three interceptions during the regular season are all but forgotten when compared to the four touchdowns he allowed.
48. John Simon, Edge, Patriots
Grade: 68.9 | Pos. rank: 49
Playing 69 snaps so far this postseason, Simon has made the most of his efforts and brought down five pressures and three defensive stops in spot duty.
49. Adam Butler, DT, Patriots
Grade: 61.6 | Pos. rank: 114
While he hasn't gotten onto the stat sheet with a tackle or a sack this postseason, Butler has six QB pressures on his 67 pass rushes from the interior line.
50. Marcus Peters, CB, Rams
Grade: 60.1 | Pos. rank: 97
Peters has struggled in his brief tenure with the Rams, allowing the 12th-most yards in coverage among the league's cornerbacks in the regular season. The loss of Talib during the season didn't help, as Peters was given the hardest coverage task in his absence. Peters' usual ball-hawking abilities were less than apparent with Los Angeles, as he brought in just three interceptions and registered six pass breakups on 75 targets.
51. Chris Hogan, WR, Patriots
Grade: 56.7 | Pos. rank: 102
Hogan's clutch moments haven't occurred at a high frequency this season. But when he did come up big, it was really big. Still, Hogan's 15.2 yards per reception ranked him 21st during the regular season.
52. John Sullivan, C, Rams
Grade: 54.4 | Pos. rank: 30
The last offensive linemen on the list here had to eventually find a home, and Sullivan's 2018 regular season had its ups and downs. After all, when you have such a talented offensive line, pressure is undoubtedly going to get to the quarterback, so it has to come from somewhere, right? Sullivan was worst among NFL centers, allowing 37 QB pressures this season.
53. Mark Barron, LB, Rams
Grade: 50.8 | Pos. rank: 82
There could have been a couple of fringe players to add, but the last spot on this list goes to the starting linebacker for the Rams. The former safety has been exceptional against the run in the playoffs, but he has been a liability in coverage, basically mirroring his 2018 regular season, in which he struggled mightily to a career-low grade.