Aug 28, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) stretches prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the New England Patriots will win the Super Bowl.
The Patriots are currently favored by 4.5 points over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis this Sunday. New England defeated Philadelphia 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX back in 2005, and I expect the same result come Sunday.
There will be plenty of offense on display as both teams rank among the top ten in total offense, but I trust Tom Brady more than Nick Foles. Everyone is ready to see the Patriots dynasty crumble, but here are three reasons the Patriots will hoist the Lombardi Trophy once again:
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
Honestly, do I need to say anything else?
Rumblings about the era of the holy trinity of Brady, Belichick and Robert Kraft coming to a close may be true, but they won’t let that get in the way of another Super Bowl. Brady and Belichick are 5-2 in Super Bowls — with the two losses coming to the New York Giants — and Eli Manning won’t be on the opposing sideline Sunday.
If that doesn’t persuade you, maybe this will: in his last ten playoff games, Brady has thrown 20 touchdowns. Belichick is the master of adjustments and giving him an extra week to prepare is a nightmare for opposing teams. The Eagles may have the No. 1 rush defense in the league, but Belichick will find a way to adjust.
High Powered Offense
The Patriots were No. 1 in total offense in the regular season for a reason. They still have an arsenal weapons, even if tight end Rob Gronkowski isn’t healthy enough to play.
If Gronk does play, Philadelphia will have to worry about covering Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and the random guy that Belichick will make invincible. Last year it was James White, this year my guess is Rex Burkhead.
Knowing that the Eagles have a strong run defense, Brady will come out firing against a Philly secondary that ranks 17th in passing defense. Teams cannot create a game plan for this New England offense because of Belichick’s ability to utilize so many different guys.
Experience
Foles and the rest of the Eagles have been phenomenal this postseason, but this is an entirely bigger stage.
They have proved capable of being able to dominate New England on both sides of the ball (numbers-wise), but the Patriots obviously have the experience advantage here. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Eagles jumped out to a quick lead, but as we’ve seen before (like in the AFC Title Game), big leads do not bother New England.
The Eagles do have guys who have Super Bowl experience, including Chris Long and LeGarrette Blount. However, they both won a Super Bowl with the Patriots last year.
