Andie Carroll, Media Editor
@acarrollCourant
Super Bowl week is underway as both teams have officially arrived in Minnesota, the home of Super Bowl 52. As both the Eagles and the Patriots prepare for this epic battle, a simple yet exciting question looms in our minds: who will win the 2018 Super Bowl?
Now for me, I know it was hard to choose either team to root for, however, my strong distaste for the Patriot regime and my natural instincts to root for the underdog have led me to cheer for Philly all the way. But how realistic is this hope of another NFC Team other than the Giants taking down the infamous Tom Brady in the Super Bowl? With the line having the Patriots at -4, many people are convinced that this Super Bowl can be won by this year’s Eagles team. Now lets see if the stats line up with the hopes of the people.
This Season Stats:
- After Championship Sunday the Eagles had the highest graded offense and defense
- Eagles starting quarterback is the backup
- With Carson Wentz’s recent injury, the Eagles are relying on their backup Nick Foles. With not a ton of games under his belt, no one knows how he will handle the pressure
- Gronk was injured last week so will he be playing on Sunday
- Patriots rank 1st in yards gained and Eagles are ranked 7th
- Pats superstar offense
- Eagles are ranked 4th in yards allowed and the Patriots are ranked 29th
- Eagles unstoppable defense
Past Stats:
- Eagles have never won a Super Bowl before
- The Patriots have won 5 Super Bowls all under Tom Brady, recently rated as the best Super Bowl Quarterback of all time
- You can never count the Pats out
- Displayed in their last Super Bowl comeback against the Falcons from 28-3
- Also in this year’s conference championship against the Jaguars
- The Giants beat the Patriots in two superbowls even when they looked like the underdogs
- Can another NFC East team achieve this feat?
- Pats beat the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, 24-21
- This will be Tom Brady’s eighth Super Bowl appearance
Superstitions(if you believe in that kind of stuff):
- 12 of the last 13 teams that won the Super Bowl were wearing white jerseys which the PATS have chosen this year.
- Madden simulation that usually accurately picks the winner of games chose the Patriots to be victorious with a score of 24-20 in overtime
- Quarterbacks who led the league in passing yards have gone 0-5 in Super Bowls
- The leader is Tom Brady this season
- Only two quarterbacks have started fewer games than Foles before playing in the Super Bowl, which is 3. Both of the quarterbacks won those years.
As Bill Belichick once famously said, “stats are for losers”. These facts might get you a look at the past, but what happens on the field on Sunday depends fully on the passion of the players and their passion for the game. Both teams have advantages over the other and it’s nearly impossible to predict the outcome. However, although you cannot deny the history and the experience of the Patriot team coming into the SuperBowl this year, the Eagles explosive end to the season and intense drive for victory could push them to a win next Sunday. Eagles all the way baby!
