This is an OZY Special Briefing, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead. WHAT TO KNOW What’s happening? Are you living under a rock? Super Bowl LIII, which kicks off Sunday at 6:30 pm and will air on CBS, has taken over the airwaves this week, a clash between the much-decorated New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams were the league’s hottest team early in the season but stumbled a bit down the stretch, while the Patriots — as they always seem to do — are peaking at the right time. Why does it matter? This year’s Big Game is best understood as a generational clash. Pats head coach Bill Belichick (66, baby boomer) and quarterback Tom Brady (41, Generation X) are seeking their sixth Super Bowl title together — which would make Brady the player with the most rings ever and give Belichick a tie for the most as a coach. Here in Atlanta to teach them about Instagram and avocado toast are the millennials seeking their first titles: Rams head coach Sean McVay (33) and quarterback Jared Goff (24). Both teams arrived by the skin of their teeth: The Rams benefited from a botched pass interference call against New Orleans late in the NFC championship, while the Patriots topped Kansas City in overtime thanks in large part to winning the coin toss and getting the ball first. On Sunday, watch the ground game: Since 2001, the Patriots are 11-0 in the postseason (51-1 in the regular season) when a player rushes for more than 100 yards. So the key to the game isn’t Brady, it’s rookie running back Sony Michel. |