NFL: 10 Questions About Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LII is just over a day away, and we have all of the answers ready to prepare you for arguably the biggest sporting event of the year. The Super Bowl is always a little different compared to other title games, and this year is no exception. Our NFL Staff is here to preview and predict what will happen on the field on Sunday night. The No. 1 seed from NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, 2-0) will face off against the gold standard of the league, the No. 1 seed from the AFC, the New England Patriots (13-3, 2-0). We should be in store for a great one as the game kicks off at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET in Minneapolis, at U.S. Bank Stadium. We couldn't have asked for a better matchup!
READ: Wild Card Predictions.
T-1. Blake Stoll (5-5)
T-1. Caleb Henderson (5-5)
T-1. Charles Post (5-5)
T-1. Max Heningburg (5-5)
T-1. Tyler Taylor (5-5)
1. What happened when these two met in Super Bowl XXXIX? It's been 13 years since these two teams faced off in the Super Bowl, but for one team, not a ton has changed. The New England Patriots are still relying on arguably the greatest football player ever, QB Tom Brady, and at 40-years-old, he's still getting it done at an efficient and productive level. All this time later, and he's still one of the most dynamic players in the league. As for the Philadelphia Eagles, almost every aspect of their organization has changed since then. QB Donovan McNabb and WR Terrell Owens were the most well known players on the team, and neither of them have been in the league at least 2012. In this matchup, the Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second quarter behind a McNabb touchdown, but prior to halftime, Brady leveled the score. Both quarterbacks had a lost fumble in the first 30 minutes. In the second half, WR Deion Branch was the star. On the opening drive, he caught four passes for 71 yards and allowed the Pats to take a 14-7 lead. But McNabb answered back with a TD pass to RB Brian Westbrook, and for the first time in Super Bowl history, the game was even heading to the fourth quarter. However, New England would go on to score 10 consecutive points, and with less than five minutes to play, it looked like a secure lead. McNabb and the Eagles forced a quick punt and went on to score on the ensuing drive, but they didn't go into hurry-up mode, and HC Andy Reid was highly criticized for doing so. Although it ended in a touchdown, making the score 24-21, the Eagles had very little time. After forcing another three-and-out for the Patriots, Philly got the ball back with less than a minute to go, at their four-yard line. On third town, McNabb dropped back and was picked off by DB Rodney Harrison. Brady took a knee, running out the rest of the clock, and clinched his third world title.
2. What changed for the Eagles last year to this? Looking back at last year, the Eagles are a completely new team from what we saw a year ago. Just looking at QB Carson Wentz's numbers from last year, it’s like looking at two different quarterbacks. Last year, Wentz threw for 16 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, nine fumbles, and a mediocre 49.4 QBR. This year, Wentz has thrown for 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a solid 74.4 QBR. The development has been a direct impact from the improvement on all parts of the offense. The offense last year were ranked 22nd in total offense, 24th in passing offense, and 11th in rushing offense. This year, the Eagles produced a 7th ranked offense, 3rd rushing offense, and 13th ranked passing offense. This can be credited to solid additions of RB Jay Ajayi, RB LeGarrette Blount, and WR Alshon Jeffery. The defense has enhanced its performance from last year as well. The biggest development has been the Eagle’s ability to stop the running game. HC Doug Pederson’s team went from 15th in rush defense to No. 1 this year. The front seven including DL Brandon Graham, DT Fletcher Cox, and LB Mychal Kendricks have been key standouts in the new and improved Eagles' defense.
3. What's the difference between the two defenses? Both of these teams come into the game with two different defenses. On one end, you have the Eagles who have one of the best defenses in the league. On the other end, you have the Patriots, who have one of the worst defenses in the league. The Patriots have struggled all season on the defensive side, especially against the pass. They finished the regular season ranked 29th total defense and 30th in passing defense. Despite its struggles on defense, the Patriots have held most opponents this season to under 20 points. DB Devin McCourty leads the Patriots defense in tackles, and has been a leading role on DC Matt Patricia’s defense. Watch out for other players to step up in this game, including LB Kyle Van Noy and DE Trey Flowers, who leads his team in sacks. The Eagles main strength this season has been their stellar defense. Led by their powerful front seven, the Eagles have wreaked much havoc the whole regular season and into the postseason. One question mark heading into the playoffs was their secondary. Pederson’s secondary has controlled opposing quarterbacks and receivers this postseason, thanks from the play of CB Ronald Darby, DB Malcolm Jenkins, and the rest of the Eagles' secondary. When it most counts defense is always what makes champions, and the Eagles have a huge advantage in that category
4. Which running back finishes with the most yards? The running game hasn’t been a big part of either offenses this postseason. No running back for each team has ran over 100 yards in a game so far. The Patriots have had a solid season with RB Dion Lewis. Lewis finished with 896 rushing yards on five yards a carry and six touchdowns, in the regular season. When you have Brady leading the offense, the running game is not one HC Bill Belichick’s main concerns going up against the No. 1 rushing defense in the league. I don’t expect Lewis to get many yards, but look for him to get some touches next Sunday. The Eagles feature a two-headed monster in Ajayi and Blount. Ajayi has seen most of the carries this postseason and has played well in each game, rushing for over 50 yards in each game. Blount has gotten the ball in short-yardage situations this postseason. I expect to see Ajayi get involved in the running game and get 15-20 carries against the Patriots defense and to finish with the most yards during Super Bowl LII, having a key impact on the game.
5. How will Wentz have an impact on this game? While Wentz won’t be playing in Super Bowl LII, his presence will definitely be felt on the Eagles sideline. Wentz has been extremely helpful to Foles ever since he tore his ACL in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, and after guaranteeing the Eagles make the Super Bowl last season you can bet he’ll be doing everything he can to continue to help Foles and rally his troops in possibly the biggest game in Eagles history.
6. How do the two quarterbacks, Brady and Foles, compare to one another? The two quarterbacks for this game couldn’t be any more far apart on the career spectrum. On one hand, for the Eagles, there’s Foles. He had a great season for the Eagles in 2013, broke his collarbone in 2014, traded to the Rams and subsequently benched in 2015, signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as a back-up in 2016, and then this season signed by the Eagles as a back-up. His career has come full circle it seems in a matter of three seasons, and now he has the Eagles 60 minutes away from possibly winning the ultimate prize. Meanwhile, the Patriots of course have arguably the greatest QB of all-time in Brady. He has more Super Bowl wins (five) than Foles even has playoff starts (three) and has been there, done that, many of times when it comes to the biggest games in the sports world. There’s no question who has the better resume between these two, but who will play better next Sunday? That’s what will count in the end.
7. What can Philadelphia learn from what the Jacksonville Jaguars did? How did the Jaguars blow a 14-3 lead to the Patriots in the AFC championship game? You could say they played conservatively or failed to make adjustments unlike the Patriots, but why? The answer is two words: Blake Bortles. When you look at Bortles’ stats from that game, you’d be deceived into thinking he played well. And while he wasn’t terrible, the Jaguars’ unwillingness to put the ball in his hands and let him win the game showed in the second half as the Patriots shut down Leonard Fournette and the Jags offense from there. For the Eagles, they cannot try to hide Foles in this game. If their run game gets shut down, they must let Foles try to win them the game instead of hiding him. They have to leave it all out there.
8. How will U.S. Bank Stadium affect the game? WR Stefon Diggs’ 61-yard miracle walk-off touchdown against the New Orleans Saints was the last down played here, will we see another instant classic? Both teams are coming in at 13-3 on the year and have high caliber offenses. Foles, starting for Wentz who is on the season-ending injured reserve, is highly capable of making this a fun game. Yes, the Eagles have fought their way to this point, but they’re going up against the Patriots, who are never an easy opponent. Brady will have had another two weeks for the cut on his throwing hand and is hungry to keep the dynasty going. We could see some fourth-quarter magic this year, and with U.S. Bank Stadium in the mix, anything is up for grabs. Minneapolis could be in store for another classic game.
9. Would Brady become the best athlete ever with a sixth title? Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Serena Williams, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, and Brady. These athletes all dominate(d) their respected sports and will be remembered forever. Brady, in many eyes, is already the greatest quarterback of all-time and if the Patriots win yet another ring on the back of TB12 there will be no question. Brady is 40-years-old and is about to play in the Super Bowl following one of his best seasons. Let’s not overlook the age. This man is 40-years-old! Tim Duncan retired from the NBA at 40 after 18 seasons (would be after this season for Brady) and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Peyton Manning retired after winning a Super Bowl at 38-years-old and will be a first-ballot HOF as well. The only difference in these aged, great athletes is that Brady can still play, and might for a couple more years. He is forth on the all-time passing list and is 5-2 in the Super Bowl, most appearances of any QB. Brady would be the Greatest of All-Time win another triumph.
10. Will the two teams cover the over/under and score more than 48 points? Statistically speaking, yes these teams should combine for 48+ points. Both average approximately 28.5 points per game coming into the Super Bowl and in a game like this, everyone will be looking to perform. Brady will go 325 yards and three touchdowns, while Foles adds a pair of scores for himself. That's 35 points right there. Between the defenses, running games, and special teams, the Eagles and Patriots should muster up a total of at least 48 points. The total is 9.5-points less than last years Super Bowl, in which the Falcons and Patriots covered by totaling 62 points in an overtime thriller. The year prior, the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos came into the game with an over/under of 43 points and only combined for 34 points. In the last fives Super Bowls, four have seen the two teams go over the expected score, so expect this one to keep that trend going.
Blake Stoll: Patriots (31-20)
Caleb Henderson: Patriots (31-21)
Charles Post: Eagles (29-25)
Max Heningburg: Eagles (27-17)
Tyler Taylor: Patriots (28-17)
Chase Zayac: Patriots (28-14)
Chinedum Wejinya: Eagles (29-24)
Greg Schwochow: Patriots (32-28)
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
