With plenty of hype and buzz surrounding next Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Patriots and Eagles, there are plenty of storylines to look out for leading up to, as well as during the game. Whether it be the potential for Tom Brady and the Patriots to build upon their already impressive résumé or Nick Foles and the Eagles to play as the ultimate underdog, the implications for this year’s game, which happens to be a rematch of 2004’s Super Bowl, are bigger than any game in recent memory.
For the Patriots, Super Bowl rings are the only piece of hardware that matter, and with a win over the Eagles, Tom Brady could lead New England to a Super Bowl championship for the 6th time during his tenure at the helm of the team. After pulling off a historic comeback against Atlanta in the final minutes of last year’s Super Bowl, Brady has already cemented his legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time, and now, all he’s doing is tacking on extra accolades before he inevitably retires.
However, with Brady prioritizing longevity alongside his success, who knows how long he could remain in the league? In addition to Brady’s undeniable greatness, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is also looking to add to his already impressive résumé with his 6th Super Bowl win, all of which have come alongside Brady in New England.
Although New England experienced apparent rifts in the organization between coaches, players, and ownership, a Super Bowl victory would erase any doubts or dark clouds hovering over the Patriots organization.
In regards to the Eagles, a true Cinderella story is on the table in Super Bowl LII. After star QB Carson Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14 against the Rams, veteran backup Nick Foles took over as the signal caller for Philadelphia. And while many fans had suspected Foles and the Eagles to roll over and give up on a seemingly hopeless season, the team did the exact opposite, beating formidable opponents in Atlanta and Minnesota en route to the franchise’s third Super Bowl appearance.
The most striking part of the Eagles’ QB debacle is that Nick Foles could lead the team to their first Super Bowl championship in the team’s 85th-year history; and play as a backup next season, if he even plays at all. For Foles, this game is about rooting yourself in the history books forever and becoming a legend among the streets of Philadelphia.
Finally, it’s important to note that Philadelphia is five-point underdogs in this game, making the Super Bowl the third time this postseason that the Eagles have not been favored to win the game. Although Philly finished the regular season with the best record in the NFC, the loss of Wentz for the remainder of the year surrounded the team with plenty of questions going into the playoffs.
But now, after the Eagles have pulled off incredible upsets over the Falcons in the Vikings, anything is seemingly possible against a Patriots team that showed signs of weakness against a scrappy Jacksonville team in the AFC Championship Game. And now, with everything on the line, the road to a 6th title for Brady and the Patriots might be a lot more difficult than initially as expected; as Nick Foles is truly paving the way for America’s greatest Cinderella story.
