The NFL has named 51 Super Bowl Champions since 1965. Sunday marks number 52 as the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles from US Bank Stadium in Minnesota. Its a dome, so weather is no factor and probably a good thing considering the frigid temperatures.
How They Got Here: The Patriots had home field in the playoffs and they decisively took care of the Titans in the divisional round followed by a highly contested matchup with the Jaguars. The Eagles also had home field in the playoffs. They squeaked by the Falcons before dominating the Vikings to advance to the Super Bowl. The Patriots Win If: Tom Brady has a Tom Brady game. Bill Belichick plays Billy Ball. You can't argue the fact Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback to win MVP. We may dislike him as fans but give credit where it is due. Tom Brady is a mastermind and controls his offense like a well oiled machine. Standing in the wings is Bill Belichick and all he does is devise game plans that cause headaches for opposing defenses. He creates schemes that teams can't prepare for because there are formations teams haven't seen at all during the season. Much less to say he pushes the rule book to its breaking point. A high scoring games suits the Patriots better and they will win if it turns into such a game. I see them winning if it does by a score of 37-30. The Eagles Win If: Pressure Brady and run the ball when it matters the most. Two weeks ago against New England, Jacksonville gave them fits by running early and pressuring Brady in the 1st half. Then for some reason it all changed. 2nd half came and the pressure wasn't there and run game was nonexistent. The Jags needed to shorten up the game by running more but couldn't and Tom Brady wasn't being knocked down as much. The Eagles I'm sure saw this and took notes. Any New England game I saw this year where Brady struggled had the opposing team knock Brady down or have him under constant pressure I.E. at Miami. Running the ball for the Eagles, besides the pressure on Brady, will take the stress off of Nick Foles allowing him to better manage the game. Not taking away from Foles' ability but the more you can run the ball and control the clock, the less number 12 will be out there for New England and the less you might have to score. Now I'm not saying Philadelphia can't win a high scoring game because they can, just look at what they put up on Minnesota alone but a game in the lower 20's suits them better against New England. The Eagles won a drag it out game against the Falcons 15-10 but you wont keep Tom to 10. If you can keep him in the lower 20's you might. If the Eagles win, they win a lower scoring game 24-23. That's it for now and hope you enjoyed this preview and enjoy Super Bowl 52. |
AuthorI'm the author of Hazing: Through A Victim's Eyes. Please use this blog as a way to communicate your experiences. Please don't abuse it, nothing inappropriate or irrelevant to the book. Archives
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