By Sean Rodriguez, Contributing Writer
Super Bowl LII will kick off this Sunday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. where the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX.
Philadelphia is representing the NFC, and rode the MVPcaliber arm of Carson Wentz until he tore his ACL in week 14 of this season. Nick Foles, the once-pro bowl quarterback turned NFL journeyman stepped in and is now starting in the biggest game of his career.
Foles, at one point, was one of the top quarterbacks in the league after he posted the best touchdown to interception ratio in NFL history during the 2013 NFL season (27-2). Nearly five years later, he looks bound to resurrect his career with a strong performance this Sunday after jumping around the NFL for five years, never finding his form.
Foles’ strong play in the postseason was coupled with Philadelphia’s stellar defensive play. The Eagles might have the best defensive line in the NFL right now with pro-bowlers Chris Long, Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox barreling down on opposing quarterbacks. Those three bricks on top of a strong linebacker core propelled the Eagles to the best rush defense in the NFL this season.
On the other end, the AFC is represented by the New England Patriots, who have basically become a shoe-in for a Super Bowl appearance. They are led by the greatest quarterback and coaching duo in NFL history: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Brady is coming off an MVPcaliber season as he tossed 32 touchdowns with a 102.8 quarterback rating (QBR).
Brady has shown weakness in the Super Bowl before, especially when a team has a strong defensive line, such as the Giants in years prior. This year is no different, as he will face Philly’s strong line, which is the key to victory for the Eagles in this game.
However, even if there are notable weaknesses in the Patriots game such as their weak run game and average defense, they still have the x-factor of having the greatest quarterback of all-time. Brady pulled out the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history last year against the Atlanta Falcons, after being down 28-3. No lead is safe for the Eagles in this game.
If Philly can put pressure on Brady, like the Giants did in their Super Bowl wins against the Patriots, then they have a shot to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy. If they cannot do that, then this game might be a wash. Brady has too many weapons and they can easily pull away at any moment.
My prediction is 31–24 New England. The game will be close but Brady and New England will no doubt clutch up like they have time and time again to win their sixth Super Bowl title.