Eagles look to add blemish in Patriots' Super Bowl dynasty

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Super Bowl Sunday is not just any regular Sunday during the year. It is not your typical one filled with the regular slate of afternoon and evening football games. The Super Bowl has higher stakes, and as it rightfully should, is an experience for both the players from the respective teams playing in the game.

It is a game that 32 teams compete for starting in August with preseason, followed by 17 weeks of regular season football and a month of intense postseason football played with a win or go home mentality.

Only two teams – one from the NFC and one from the AFC – earn a shot in the biggest game for a chance to win the most prized possession in football: the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy.

Months of dedicated offseason workouts, exhausting practices, free agent and draft moves come down to one goal and 60 of the most unforgettable minutes of a player’s life. For some players and teams, it will be their only chance to compete and play on the biggest stage.

And for others such as the New England Patriots – a franchise that will make its 10th Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and eighth under coaching mastermind Bill Belichick – playing for championship every season is like second nature.

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On Sunday, the Tom Brady-Belichick dynasty will be tested as New England (15-3) looks to win its sixth Super Bowl since 2001. The Patriots, which came from behind to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game, will face a Philadelphia Eagles team that has proven that it is battle tested and is not intimidated by the Patriots’ legacy of winning and competing for championships.

Eagles All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson told The Associated Press that he and his teammates do not fear the Brady-Belichick dynasty.

"I definitely respect him and all that he's done in this league," Johnson said. "I'm not going to go into the Super Bowl worshipping this man and make him more than what he is. No disrespect.”

While Eagles’ players have respect for the Patriots, it is has been made clear that they are on a mission -- one that requires dethroning the Patriots and preventing them from winning their third Super Bowl in four years and their second-straight championship.

Philadelphia (15-3) has made two Super Bowl appearances – 1980 and 2004 seasons – but lost both times on the big stage. Now, the Eagles are back and they have the chance to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson found a way to keep his team together after losing starting quarterback Carson Wentz late in the season. Thankfully, a healthy quarterback in Nick Foles has stepped up and led the Eagles in clutch performances from the end of the season and throughout the playoffs. In two games this postseason, Foles has thrown for 598 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite Philadelphia’s success, the Eagles – who have been underdogs in both of their playoff games – enter Sunday’s game as underdogs again as the Patriots are 4 1/2-point favorites.

Playing as the “underdog’ has served the Eagles well, defeating last year’s NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons 15-10 in the NFC Divisional round and destroying the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship game, shutting down the Vikings’ wish of being the first team to host and play in the Super Bowl.

When Philadelphia takes the field at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the Eagles must play with the same mentality and intensity they have played with throughout the postseason. In the playoffs, Philadelphia ranks third in total offense (averaging 395 yards of offense) and fifth in passing yards (nearly 318) and fourth in rushing yards (103).

As such, the Eagles will need to rely on a balanced dose of Foles and the team's two-horse, lethal rushing attack of LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi. Foles has completed 79 percent of his passes to go along with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the postseason. Meanwhile, Blount led the team in rushing in regular season with 766 yards and Ajayi leading the team in rushing in the postseason with 127 yards.

With the Patriots giving up 251 passing yards and nearly 115 rushing yards to their opponents throughout the regular season, the Eagles should not have a problem with moving the ball through the air and on the ground.

However, in the playoffs, the Patriots rank third in rush defense, allowing their opponents only 83 yards on the ground. New England held Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette to 76 yards on 24 carries.

Balance will be key for the Eagles’ success in the game. If Philadelphia establishes its balance and shows it ability to move the ball, the Eagles will need to take advantage of scoring opportunities. Throughout the season, Philadelphia ranked third in third-down conversions and second in red zone scoring, two areas they must own against the Patriots. They have all of weapons –wide receivers Alshon Jeffrey, Nelson Agholar, Torrey Smith and tight end Zach Ertz – to defeat  the Patriots.

The Patriots enter Sunday’s game averaging 395 yards of total offense, ranked third best this postseason. Brady has thrown for 627 yards and five touchdowns as the Patriots rank third in passing yards in the playoffs.

Brady, who is still dealing with a right-hand injury, will look to get the offense going early. If Brady can, he will have help from his favorite target, Ron Gronkowski, who cleared concussion protocol Thursday afternoon.

The Eagles will be given the task of slowing down Gronk and his other targets in Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. In the AFC Championship game, despite his injury, the 13-time Pro Bowler torched the Jaguars’ defense for 290 yards, two touchdowns and recorded a 108.4 passer rating.

Philadelphia’s defense will be tested. The Eagles must be ready to make stops. Every play matters. They must prevent Brady from leading the Patriots in long drives on offense that more times than not end up as scores for New England in the red zone. New England ranks ninth in third-down conversions and third in red zone scoring.

Up until this point, the Eagles have shown they can make the plays defensively to get their opposition off the field. Philadelphia ranks third in third-down defense and 11th in red zone defense.

Another huge upside for the Eagles on defense has been their success in getting after opposing quarterbacks. The Eagles defensive line features Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Chris Long and Derek Barnett. Their ability to get after quarterbacks will be a challenge for Brady and the Patriots' offensive line.

The game will ultimately come down to Philly’s defense stepping up to limit Brady’s offensive dominance and whether Foles can lead the Eagles in another game that happens to be the most important one of the season.

For Brady to become the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, the Patriots will need to start early in getting after the Eagles offensively. However, the Patriots have not scored in the first quarter of a Super Bowl under Belichick.

Hopefully, for the Patriots, this might be the one time they should break this trend.

The Patriots will wear white uniforms. They are 3-0 in the Super Bowl when wearing white under Belichick.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Evan Kaplan, 12 of the last 13 Super Bowl winners have been dressed in white.

The Eagles will wear their green uniforms. They went 10-1 in green uniforms this season.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.

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