This Sunday, Feb. 4, the New England Patriots will attempt to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the first time in the NFL since 2003 and 2004, when, who else, but they themselves did so.
In 2004, when they completed the difficult task, they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, and now, once again, that’s who they’ll be defending their title against. There are many peculiar similarities like that between this Super Bowl, in 2018 (LII), and the one in 2004 (XXXIX). One being that Justin Timberlake was chosen to perform at both halftime shows. In reality, all of these off-the-field coincidences aren’t going to factor into the game on Sunday. It’s really going to come down to the match-ups and game plans.
The Patriots have two clear advantages at two imperative spots: quarterback and coaching. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are so far ahead of Nick Foles and Doug Pederson that it’s not even remotely close. This will be Brady’s and Belichick’s eight Super Bowl appearance since 2001, while Foles has been a backup quarterback and Pederson is in his second year as a head coach. Experience matters as much as anything when on the biggest stage, so it’s going to be hard for Philadelphia to be as prepared as New England. Not to mention, the one guy who may have beaten Brady for MVP this year was the Eagles’ starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who suffered a torn ACL in week 14 and missed the rest of the season. Had he been healthy, this game would look a whole lot different on paper.
Looking at the defense for both teams, it’s close, but the edge might have to go to the Eagles. They allowed 295 points this year while the Patriots allowed 296. Although it’s virtually the same, Philadelphia has more explosive players. Without Dont’a Hightower, New England’s linebacker core would have struggled all year long. That could be exposed in this game if Pederson tries to exploit it. With Fletcher Cox at the helm of the Eagles defense, he could potentially be the difference in the game. He’s simply a playmaker and is as versatile as anyone else on the field. He can blitz up the middle, which is something Brady struggles with, but he can also can drop back and defend the pass just as easily.
As far as the receivers go on both sides, it’s pretty much a toss-up. Philadelphia has something New England really doesn’t: a true deep threat in Alshon Jeffrey. It could be problematic if he gets through the secondary.
The Pats always preach “bend, but don’t break.” New England is fine with giving up small chunks of yards but always want to avoid big plays. Coming off of one of the biggest games of his career, Danny Amendola should be ready once again for the ball to come his way early and often. Brady trusts him as much as anyone, and his confidence has to be at an all-time high entering Sunday.
Perhaps the biggest question as we get closer to the Super Bowl is the health of the most dangerous weapon in the NFL: Rob Gronkowski. As long as he’s on the field, which really shouldn’t even be in doubt, he will make a huge difference. He’s almost impossible to defend double-teamed, never mind one-on-one, so as long as they can get him out there, he will occupy the defense. If he’s anywhere close to 100%, and early reports claim he will clear Concussion Protocol by Sunday, it really might just be too much for the Eagles to handle.
It’s a “pick your poison” game when the Patriots offense is firing on all cylinders like it was the fourth quarter against Jacksonville. This highly anticipated game is soon to come to fruition, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top this time around.