SUPER BOWL LII PREVIEW: Eagles, Patriots square off in Super Bowl

Conference championship weekend in the NFL went from interesting to really boring in a matter of hours. Watching New England come back to defeat a young Jacksonville Jaguars team, 24-20, was at least interesting yet reminiscent of what Brady and the Patriots did to the Atlanta Falcons in last year’s Super Bowl.

And you can bet, Falcons’ fans were watching the game and scratching their heads because they know all too well what a Patriots’ come-from-behind victory looks like. Regardless of the questionable calls in the game, the world will witness another Patriots’ team competing for a Super Bowl.

For Sacksonville fans, they will have to live with the idea of knowing that their Jaguars almost earned their shot at the Super Bowl. Instead, the Jaguars will remain one of the four franchises (Browns, Lions and Texans) to never reach the big game.

In the NFC Championship game, the first series looked very promising for the Minnesota Vikings. After that, however, the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the remainder of the game.

Of course, the chant “Fly Eagles Fly” and the “underdog mask” came out after the Eagles destroyed the Vikings, 38-7.

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Now, the Super Bowl is set. In less than two weeks, Brady will compete to earn his sixth Super Bowl. Bill Belichick and his Patriots will look to earn their sixth Super Bowl in 16-year span, dating back to 2002. Philadelphia has made only two Super Bowl appearances in franchise history, with one of them being against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004. In both cases, however, the Eagles lost.

The Eagles will look to win their first Super Bowl while the Patriots will look to tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins (6).

The Eagles and Patriots have played each other 13 times, which includes one postseason game. The Eagles lead the series 7-6.

In the last five meetings, however, the Patriots have won four of the last five over the Eagles, which includes Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 when New England defeated Philadelphia, 24-21.

Sept. 14, 2003 – New England defeated Philadelphia, 31-10, at Lincoln Financial Field.
 
Feb. 6, 2005 – New England defeated Philadelphia, 24-21, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. (Super Bowl XXXIX)

Nov. 25, 2007 – New England defeated Philadelphia, 31-28, at Gillette Stadium.

Nov. 27, 2011 – New England defeated Philadelphia, 38-20, at Lincoln Financial Field.

Dec. 6, 2015 – Philadelphia defeated New England, 35-28, at Gillette Stadium.

2015 Highlights/Results: In the most recent meeting, Philadelphia defeated New England on the road at Gillette Stadium, 35-28, in 2015. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 312 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and was sacked four times. At halftime, the two teams were tied at 14. The Eagles scored 21-straight points and took a commanding 35-14 lead to start the fourth quarter. Brady led the Patriots in a strong fourth quarter comeback, but the Eagles held on to earn the victory.

Sam Bradford led the Eagles to victory as he threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots outnumbered the Eagles in nearly every major statistical category (first downs, total yards, passing yards and time of possession). The Eagles’ defense and special teams made the difference in their victory.

Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles – Foles is 3-1 all-time in playoff games, with two of those wins coming in this year's playoffs. In two games, Foles has thrown for 598 yards and three touchdowns.

Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots – Brady is 27-9 all-time in playoff games. For his career, he has thrown for 9,721 yards, 68 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. In his last two games – against Tennessee and Jacksonville – the 13-time Pro Bowler and five-time Super Bowl champ has thrown for 627 yards and five touchdowns.

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