Super Bowl Analysis And Prediction
It’s Super Bowl LII tonight, with the dynasty of the New England Patriots facing off against the Eagles from Philadelphia, that long-suffering city populated by major sport franchises specializing in futility for the last few decades.
As long as the Patriots have Belichick and Brady, they will probably be expected to be here, but, in many ways, this has been a decidedly different year for the Patriots. The team has been decimated by injuries all year long, especially at wide receiver, and Brady has had to work with a group of new and perhaps less talented receivers than he has in the past because of that. Whether because of that or not, Brady’s accuracy has actually been subpar at times this season, only meaning that he was probably just above average this year. But it also meant that the team relied even more heavily on Brady than it probably has in the past and he has responded by leading the team to yet another Super Bowl. The Pats defense is the ultimate in bend-but-not-break, giving up boatloads of yards on occasion but limiting the opposition’s actual scoring.
The Eagles have been the most consistent team in the entire league this season, if you exclude the consistent badness of the 0-16 Cleveland Browns. A balanced offense and a potent defense, especially its front four, have allowed the Eagles to reach the final game of the season. Quarterback Carson Wentz was superb but unfortunately went down with a knee injury late in the season, throwing the perpetual doomsday Eagles fans into severe depression. But backup Nick Foles has come in and done the job, with an especially outstanding game against the Vikings two weeks ago.
Both offenses are probably better than the defenses they will face, meaning that this could be a fairly high scoring affair. One piece of good news for the Patriots is that Brady’s favorite target, tight end Rob Gronkowski, has been cleared to play after a concussion. So, for the Pats, Brady will be Brady and will be able to get points on the board. The question is whether their defense can hold back the Eagles who might have the running game to slowly move the ball downfield and keep Brady and the Pats offense off the field. For the Eagles, the keys will be getting a decent pass rush from their front four. If they can’t Brady, will pick them apart or force them to commit five, putting even more pressure on the Eagles pass defense and opportunities for Brady, especially on crossing routes. On offense, Foles will have to be able to convert on third down and be able to score touchdowns in the red zone and not settle for field goals.
Prediction: Eagles win 31-24.
