On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. The game is a rematch of the 2004 Super Bowl in which the Patriots beat the Eagles on a field goal.
There may not be any players on the Eagles who played in that game, but the entire city of Philadelphia remembers that day. Before the game, optimism flowed through Broad Street as the fans thought they would finally capture that elusive Super Bowl, and heartbreak ensued when the clock read all zeros with the score 24-21 in favor of the Patriots.
The Eagles welcomed the underdog role this playoff season, the three-point underdogs to the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings. Heading into the game against the Falcons, experts said that Matt Ryan and Julio Jones would be too much for a defense which had been hit or miss throughout the season.
The Falcons only scored 10 points, all of which came off of turnovers. The Eagles defense stopped four plays inside the 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter to secure a place in the NFC Championship.
The next week Doug Petersen, the Eagles’ head coach, had to game plan for the number one ranked defense in the league. He did it flawlessly, abandoning the simple run-pass options quarterback Nick Foles threw the previous week in favor of the deep ball. No one expected that type of performance from Foles, as he beat Tom Brady in every passing category last week.
Super Bowl Sunday will be Doug Petersen’s and Nick Foles’ greatest test against Bill Belichick, one of the best head coaches at in-game adjustments.
The Eagles will be the largest underdogs in the Super Bowl since 2009, with the line currently at 5.5 points in favor of the Patriots. But this team has shown that no matter who is favored, the Eagles will find a way to win.
The defensive line and linebackers for the Eagles are the best in the league, so they figure to take away the Patriots run game altogether. When Brady goes back to throw, he will have pressure in his face almost immediately.
The Eagles have shown they can throw the ball or run the ball and win. The Patriots’ lax defense won’t be able to stop the Eagles wide receivers and running backs. The Eagles have so many different types of players, they are a matchup nightmare.
For these reasons, the Eagles will dethrone the “G.O.A.T” and bring the city of Philadelphia its first, and much deserved, Lombardi Trophy.
Fly, Eagles, Fly.