It’s not likely the Patriots flinched too much after quickly being made two-TD underdogs to the Rams leading up to Super Bowl XXXVI this Sunday.

The Patriots — a team on which the blue-collar players outweigh the blue-chip players by a wide margin — have defied the odds big-time all season.

After finishing 5-11 last season and losing QB Drew Bledsoe with a chest injury in Week Two this season, the Pats were expected to be just another also-ran in 2001.

But led by Tom Brady, Bledsoe’s little-used backup, the Patriots have kept cranking out victories, winning 10 of their last 11 games on the road to New Orleans.

The Pats’ only loss in that span was to St. Louis in Week 10 — a game they very easily could have won. The Patriots led 10-7 with the ball at the Rams’ four-yard line and 2:22 left in the first half. With New England on the verge of going up by two scores, Rams LB London Fletcher stripped RB Antowain Smith of the ball, with CB Aeneas Williams recovering the fumble.

St. Louis QB Kurt Warner needed only 1:41 to take the Rams downfield before hitting Marshall Faulk with a nine-yard TD pass. The Rams never looked back on their way to a 24-17 victory.

This New England team is very reminiscent of the Patriots’ other two Super Bowl teams (1986 and ’97), which weren’t supposed to go far.

In both of the Pats’ previous Super Bowl appearances, they lost in New Orleans. In the most recent loss, 35-21 to the Packers, Bledsoe was the quarterback.

And that could very well be the case this Sunday, with Brady’s status in doubt after he injured his left leg late in the first half of the AFC championship game last Sunday. While his performance was far from perfect, Bledsoe efficiently led the Patriots to a stunning 24-17 upset of the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

While New England had just one offensive TD vs. the Steelers, the Rams broke the Eagles’ backs with a balanced attack that produced three TDs, including a pair of short bursts by Faulk, who set a career playoff high with 159 yards rushing.

The Rams also got a big performance out of WR Isaac Bruce, who had eight receptions for 84 yards and a TD. In the Rams’ previous game vs. the Patriots this season, Bruce caught seven passes for 130 yards.

The Rams’ defense, meanwhile, continues to make its presence felt. It limited the Eagles to 256 total yards and consistently pressured QB Donovan McNabb, sacking him three times.

Expect Faulk and Williams to be especially fired up on Super Sunday, since both players are natives of New Orleans.

When the Rams have the ball:

With Warner, Faulk and Bruce leading the way, everybody knows how explosive the Rams can be. St. Louis gained more than 400 yards 10 times in the regular season. The team averaged 418.1 yards a game, producing 27 pass plays of at least 30 yards and 14 runs of at least 20 yards.

But when the need arises, as was the case last Sunday vs. the Eagles, the Rams are capable of grinding an opponent to death behind Faulk, who continues to make positive yardage on practically every play.

The Rams pummeled the Eagles in the third quarter, dominating the clock while running 22 of the 28 plays in the period. The Rams also were extremely balanced, running 33 times and attempting 34 passes.

Expect them to try to achieve that same kind of balance this Sunday against a Patriots defense that employs numerous defensive fronts and disguised blitzes choreographed by head coach Bill Belichick, who is considered one of the league’s foremost defensive tacticians.

Look for the Rams to establish Faulk as a runner and a safety-valve receiver to counter the Patriots’ blitzes.

To combat Faulk, the Pats will need a big game out of rookie NT Richard Seymour, who must keep the Rams’ blockers from getting to New England’s LB corps, led by Tedy Bruschi, the team’s best run defender as of late, and veteran Ted Johnson, who is coming off a strong effort vs. the Steelers.

A key matchup in the trenches pits Patriots DEs Anthony Pleasant and Willie McGinest vs. Rams massive Pro Bowl OLT Orlando Pace, who injured his right knee in the first quarter last Sunday but later returned to action.

Warner, who completed 30-of-42 passes for 401 yards and three TDs in his Week 10 outing against the Patriots, has been steady but unspectacular the last two games. But with his deadly accuracy and ability to throw deep, he can explode in a heartbeat.

However, the Rams’ deep and athletic WR corps will have its work cut out for it vs. a strong secondary for the second straight week.

While the Patriots ranked 24th in the league in passing yards allowed in the regular season, they gave up only 15 TDs through the air and returned five interceptions for scores — two each by CBs Ty Law and Otis Smith and once by Terrell Buckley, who also had one of the Pats’ three interceptions off Pittsburgh’s Kordell Stewart last Sunday.

Law and Smith could have a long day trying to keep up with Bruce and Torry Holt, who had 1,363 yards receiving in the regular season. Holt and Faulk each had seven receptions and a TD in the Rams’ Week 10 victory over the Patriots.

Don’t expect Belichick to come at the Rams with the same kind of defensive game plan he used in Week 10. He invents new schemes on a weekly basis, making it hard to detect tendencies.

Another difficulty the Rams face is that while there are no stars on the New England defense aside from Law and Pro Bowl SS Lawyer Milloy, there are no weak links and plenty of experience.

Smith, Pleasant, DE Bobby Hamilton and LB Roman Phifer all played for Belichick on other teams and have his system down pat.

The Rams would love to find the endzone early against a defense that has excelled inside the red zone all season and jump out to a commanding lead that will make it hard for New England’s inferior offense to mount a comeback.

This season the Rams outscored opponents 140-51 in the first quarter, 165-85 in the second.

Milloy must pay close attention to TE Ernie Conwell, a sturdy receiver capable of running over defenders after the catch

When the Patriots have the ball:

Nothing like a QB controversy to make Super Bowl week all the more thrilling.

While it’s doubtful there is a serious controversy in the mind of Belichick, he had instructed his signalcallers to remain mum on the subject of Brady’s leg injury following the team’s upset of the Steelers last week.

If Brady is healthy enough to start, he likely will get the nod over Bledsoe, who performed admirably as a reliever vs. the Steelers. Brady is one of the season’s biggest success stories, guiding the Patriots to their unexpected run to the Super Bowl. He won 13 of 16 total starts this season, just his second in the NFL.

Brady has shown incredible poise since being thrust into the starting lineup after Bledsoe went down with a chest injury in Week Two. Brady’s 63.9 completion percentage in the regular season was second only to Oakland’s Rich Gannon in the AFC. Even in the face of blitzing defenders, Brady has stood his ground and shown confidence.

The Patriots probably won’t see a ton of blitzing from the Rams, who have generally relied on their front four to generate pressure on the quarterback. What the Patriots will see, though, is an explosive St. Louis defense that deserves as many accolades as the team’s high-flying offense. In the past two games, the Rams have forced 10 turnovers and not allowed a passing play of more than 27 yards.

Much like their offensive teammates, the Rams’ defenders are known for speed. However, don’t suggest to head coach Mike Martz that his defense plays a "finesse" style of football. Some NFL analysts have suggested that the Rams can be exploited if you play them in a tough, physical manner. While the Rams did wind up the season ranked No. 3 in rushing defense, the Eagles averaged a very solid five yards per carry last week.

Look for the Patriots to rely on Antowain Smith a great deal. After being signed as a reasonably priced free agent, Smith proved to be the workhorse-type running back the Patriots were lacking. He rushed for 1,157 yards in the regular season, averaging four yards per carry. In two playoff games, though, Smith totalled 112 rushing yards for an average of just 3.2 yards.

While the Rams will need to be mindful of Smith, they also will want be on the watch for RB J.R. Redmond, who has proved to be a valuable pass catcher.

The Rams’ speedy linebackers will be left with the responsibility of slowing down Smith and the Patriots’ short-passing game. Rams rookie Tommy Polley is an outstanding young playmaker who has come on like gangbusters late in the season.

Troy Brown and David Patten may not constitute the NFL’s top WR duo, but they have emerged as valuable weapons this season. Brown set a team record with 101 catches in the regular season. The speedy Patten caught about half that total but came through in some clutch situations. They will have to be wary of a secondary that is led by savvy veteran Aeneas Williams, whose interception sealed the Rams’ win last week.

While the Patriots run a fairly conservative offense, they aren’t afraid to take some chances. You’ll recall the Week Six regular-season game in which Patten passed for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and caught two TD passes.

Rod Rutledge starts at tight end, but he is primarily a blocker. TE Jermaine Wiggins has become much more productive in the postseason. After catching only 14 passes in the regular season, he caught 10 vs. the Raiders and then two vs. the Steelers.

A key matchup in the trenches will feature Rams DRE Grant Wistrom (nine sacks overall) against rookie OLT Matt Light, who has done a fine job of helping solidify the left side of the Patriots’ offensive line.

Special teams:

This could be one area in which the Patriots have a sizable edge. Strong special-teams play was the key factor in New England’s upset of the Steelers.

Troy Brown, who returned two punts for TDs in the Patriots’ last four regular-season games, scored on a 55-yard punt return against Pittsburgh last Sunday and was the middle man on a 60-yard return of a blocked field goal that put New England ahead 21-3 early in the third quarter.

The Rams, meanwhile, have performed unevenly on special teams all season, with KR Yo Murphy and PR Dre’ Bly taking over for Trung Canidate and the fumble-prone Az-Zahir Hakim, respectively, down the stretch.