Anleitungen » Matchups for the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles

When the Eagles (15-3) have the ball

The Patriots must be wary of a balanced offense that tore apart Minnesota Will Grier Jersey , which has a better overall defense than does New England. Forget about Nick Foles (9) being a backup quarterback; his postseason performances, particularly in the NFC title game, have been strong.

Foles will try to get TE Zach Ertz (86) involved early; he was unstoppable against the Vikings. Indeed, the Eagles have three tight ends they are comfortable going to, including Brent Celek (87) and Trey Burton (88). That places an onus on safeties Devin McCourty (32), as reliable as any player at that position in the league, and Patrick Chung (23).

Philadelphia’s wideouts supposedly were a weakness heading into the season. Not quite. Alshon Jeffery (17) is a clear No. 1 target with excellent hands and the ability to get open all over the field. That frees up vastly improved Nelson Agholor (13) and veteran Torrey Smith (82). They will challenge the Patriots’ solid cornerbacks, Malcolm Butler (21) and Stephon Gilmore (24).

New England’s defensive backs will need a bolstered pass rush, something the Patriots manufacture with a variety of players, from Trey Flowers (98) to Geneo Grissom (96) to Lawrence Guy (93) to rookie Adam Butler (70) to the rejuvenated LB James Harrison (92). Philly is most staunch at center with Jason Kelce (62) and right tackle with Lane Johnson (65), both All-Pros.

One thing the Eagles are sure to try to keep New England’s offense on the sideline is getting Jay Ajayi (36) Christian Miller Jersey , former Patriot LeGarrette Blount (29) and rookie Corey Clement (30) some open space for runs. New England LB Kyle Van Noy (53) figures to have a busy day unless Philly falls behind.

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When the Patriots (15-3) have the ball

Tom Brady (12) has won five Super Bowls, four times as game MVP. Never mind that he is 40, he’s playing as if he’s in his prime – hey, he might be – and will test Philadelphia’s versatile defense from the outset.

Oddly, while Brady led the NFL with 4,577 passing yards, no QB who paced the NFL in that category has won the Super Bowl in that season, going 0-5. Brady couldn’t do it, and the others were Peyton Manning, Rich Gannon, Kurt Warner and Dan Marino.

It’s essential that the Eagles get in Brady’s face throughout. That means DLs Fletcher Cox (91) Jordan Scarlett Jersey , the best defensive player in this postseason, Brandon Graham (55), rookie Derek Barnett (96) and former Patriot Chris Long (56) must apply pressure. That’s doable but not easy against an offensive line without any stars, but with plenty of skill. LT Nate Solder (77) and C David Andrews (60) are the key guys up front.

Philly must be alert not only for all of Brady’s targets – WRs Brandon Cooks (14), Danny Amendola (80), Chris Hogan (15), RBs James White (28) and Dion Lewis (33) – but for Lewis and White in the running game. Both are shifty and flexible and have Brady’s trust.

The Eagles’ secondary, often criticized for its inconsistency, has gotten very stingy in the playoffs. Of course, CBs Ronald Darby (41), Jalen Mills (31) and Patrick Robinson (21) haven’t faced this kind of offense.

Perhaps most critical among all matchups is whether All-Pro TE Rob Gronkowski (87) has recovered from a concussion. His confrontations with veteran S Malcolm Jenkins (27) could be telling.

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Special Teams

Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski (3) rebounded from a rough 2016 to have a strong season. He made 37 out of 40 field goals in the regular season David Montgomery Jersey , going 4 for 4 on kicks of 50 or more yards. He is one of the league’s most clutch kickers and is third in career postseason points in NFL history.

Lewis is the only player in this game to have returned a kickoff for a touchdown this season. He ranked fourth in the NFL with 24.8 yards per return.

Amendola is also a threat on punt returns. He averaged 8.6 yards per return during the regular season, including a long of 40 yards, and had a big one against Jacksonville in the AFC title game.

Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott (4) set a postseason club record with a 53-yard field goal and has longer range than Gostkowski. But he is less reliable on extra points, having missed four.

P Donnie Jones (8) ranked 17th in net average and Kenjon Barner (38) filled in nicely after Darren Sproles was injured. Barner’s best punt return went for 76 yards.

Coverage units are solid despite losing special-teams captain Chris Maragos.

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Coaching

Philly was in attack mode from the outset against Minnesota, and that’s a good reflection on Doug Pederson and his staff. Pederson knows he can’t back off against New England, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is known for being aggressive.

Not much has to be said about a New England staff that is 5-2 in Super Bowls. A twist, not unprecedented but interesting, has both coordinators, Matt Patricia on defense and Josh McDaniels on offense, bound for head coaching spots elsewhere. Don’t look for it to have any effect on this game.

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Intangibles

The Eagles have never won a Super Bowl; their previous NFL title was in 1960. They have that extra edge that perennial underdogs – even in home playoff games as the No. 1 seed – would carry. Their confidence is soaring after they tore apart the stingiest scoring defense in the league for the conference championship.

New England probably doesn’t need anything in this category. But the Patriots always seem to find some extr Though nobody was shocked to see the New England Patriots reach the big game for a billionth time last year (sorry, eighth under Tom Brady) Riley Ridley Jersey , none of us could have predicted at the start that Nick Foles would step in for Carson Wentz and lead the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Super Bowl.Heck, who thought the Atlanta Falcons would reach Super Bowl LI? Or that the Carolina Panthers would get to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara? See where we're going with this? There tends to be at least one surprise team in the Super Bowl, but will 2018 be different?This season won't be a year where it's exclusively between the Patriots, Steelers, Packers and Seahawks again. You have the Eagles, Jaguars, Texas, Saints, Vikings and Rams all contending for the Super Bowl now. The game has changed. There is more parity than ever before.There at least a dozen teams with a very realistic shot at winning the Super Bowl, and at least 20 teams have a very good chance at fighting for a playoff spot. Heck, the Cleveland Browns probably won't go winless for a second consecutive season.With pre-season under way Greedy Williams Jersey , it's now a good time to forecast next season and start thinking about how the postseason will play out. And yeah, the Patriots, Steelers and Eagles are shoe-ins to make it.But which surprise teams could squeak in, and which clubs are bound to bounce back and re-enter the race? And most importantly, who's taking home Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta's fancy new stadium?Here is how the 2018 NFL postseason will play out, according to my calculations.