NFL Super Bowl LII Preview: New England Patriots Take on the Philadelphia Eagles for the Title
The season started with 32 teams fighting for playoff position, and the list was narrowed down to 12 at the start of the playoffs. Now, two teams remain and the New England Patriots will battle the Philadelphia Eagles for the title when Super Bowl LII kicks off at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Feb. 4.
As noted by four-time Super Bowl most valuable player Tom Brady, the Patriots did just enough to get past the Jacksonville Jaguars in the American Football Conference (AFC) championship game, and they will head to Minnesota as the heavy favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
"It's pretty crazy. It's pretty amazing. To be on a team that wins these kids of games is a great accomplishment," Brady said, via the New York Times.
After a relatively slow start to the season in which they went 2–2 in the first four games, the Patriots managed to string together several consecutive wins and they ended the season with a 13–3 record.
With Brady leading the way, the team is just one win away from capturing their sixth Super Bowl title.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles are confident of their chances of unseating the Patriots after their one-sided 38–7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football Conference (NFC).
After losing second-team All-Pro quarterback Carson Wentz, three-time first-team All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters, three-time Pro Bowl running back Darren Sproles and linebacker Jordan Hicks to injuries this season, a lot of observers thought the Eagles wouldn't make it this far.
But they silenced all their doubters and they are looking forward to the opportunity to take on the defending champions.
"Greatest quarterback of all time, but that doesn't mean that he's unbeatable," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said of Brady, via Yahoo Sports. "We've got a destination that we're geared to. No matter who's in front of us, we've got somewhere to go," he continued.