NFL Super Bowl LII Preview
Philidelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots (-4.5)
The Super Bowl matchup this season pits perhaps the greatest dynasty the league has ever seen in the New England Patriots up against a team whose production finally caught up to its talent in the Philidelphia Eagles. The Patriots are seen as the overlord of the league who despite having (in my opinion very overblown) bouts with the league office have sustained a level of excellence almost unprecedented in American professional sports. They are not a team without faults however. 1While their defense has greatly improved since the start of the season, they still finished 26th in yards allowed per play. However, their offense has continued to be an unstoppable force, scoring below twenty points in a game only once this season. They do face a stiff test coming up in the Philadelphia Eagles, who have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this season. Perhaps the most astonishing development for their team has been their pass defense. 2Pro Football Focus ranked their secondary as the worst in the league prior to the season starting, however they have allowed only 6.0 yards per pass attempt good for third in the league behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings. However, they are without their star quarterback Carson Wentz who was an MVP candidate before being injured in a Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Backup Quarterback Nick Foles has been admirable in replacing Wentz, but he still leaves something to be desired in a starting quarterback for a Super Bowl team. Despite their experience in the Super Bowl, the largest margin of victory for the Brady-Belichick-Kraft Patriots was six points in their overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in last year’s Super Bowl. The Eagles also possess the one strength that has always been the Patriots kryptonite: Being able to sustain an effective pass rush with only four players. However, I think the Eagles secondary gets exposed against the Patriots precision offense and their defense is able to contain Nick Foles to lead to a narrow Patriots victory
Final Score Prediction: Patriots 24 — Eagles 21
