The Super Bowl opponents are set and the 52nd edition of the big game will see the New England Patriots match up with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pats will be gunning for their sixth Super Bowl win and will be making their eighth appearance in 18 years at the playoff finale. New England opened as a 6-point favorite vs the Eagles.
The Patriots needed to summon another all-time performance from quarterback Tom Brady in the AFC championship game vs Jacksonville to overcome a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. New England also spared all of us from a dreaded quarterback matchup in the Super Bowl between Blake Bortles and Nick Foles.
The Eagles, on the other hand, are used to having the underdog label as they weren’t favored in either of their playoff games. This was due to Foles taking over for MVP candidate Carson Wentz after he went down with an ACL injury in Week 14. Foles and company have gone 5-1 SU since he took over as signal-caller and while he eviscerated the Vikings defense in the NFC championship game, it’s been the Eagles defense that has carried the load this season.
The Eagles were ranked second in points allowed per game this season (17.33) and have held teams to a combined 33 points in their last four games. And their backers will be thrilled to know that the underdog is 13-4 ATS in the last 17 Super Bowls and dogs have won outright in five of the last six Super Bowls.
But on the flip side, the Patriots have been one of the most solid bets in football when favored this season as they’re 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games and have covered in 13 straight games when favored by 7 points or less.
For nostalgia purposes, how can you forget when these two teams met in Super Bowl 39. Well, it’s understandable if you did as the only two holdovers from that game are Brady and Bill Belichick. But it’s worth noting the Patriots did not cover the spread in that game and eked out a victory by the margin of a field goal.
This will be the first time a Super Bowl is hosted in Minneapolis and will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium. Considering that the Eagles stomped the Vikings in the NFC championship game, they may be booed on principle if anyone from the Twin Cities is attending the big game.