Dogs vs Dynasty: How They Got Here Super Bowl Preview
The matchup is set for Super Bowl 52. The Philadelphia Eagles vs The New England Patriots. It should be a great matchup but before we get to that lets take a quick look at how both of these teams got here.
The Eagles finished their season last year 7-9 and missed the playoffs. The team made some good moves in the offseason adding Alshon Jeffrey (WR), Legarrette Blount (RB), Torrey Smith (WR), and Chris Long (DE), among others. Carson Wentz also took a big step in his second year as QB playing out of his mind. This Philly team looked great early on , but then in week 14 of the regular season while playing against the Rams, Wentz tore his ACL and was deemed out for the remainder of the season. Nick Foles stepped in as the QB and secured the #1 Seed for the Eagles in the NFC. They played a close game with the Falcons in the Divisional Round, and then blew out the Vikings in the NFC Championship game to book their trip to the Super Bowl.
The Patriots finished their season last year hoisting the Lombardi trophy after a historic comeback. The team signed Stephon Gilmore (CB), and traded for Brandin Cooks (WR) among other smaller moves. The season started rough for the Patriots, getting blown out at home to Kansas City. They also ended up losing to the Panthers giving them a 2-2 record, with nothing great to show. Once again many people wrote them off and said that this was the beginning of the end. That’s when the Patriots kicked it into high gear, going 11-1 in their final 12 games of the regular season, including a heart stopper in Pittsburgh, securing them the #1 seed in the AFC. They destroyed the Titans in the Divisional round, and then played from behind for another great comeback win against the Jaguars in the AFC Championship game to send themselves to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles have proved that they can play well with whoever is under center, and the Patriots have proved that their defense can step up when needed. There are many storyline’s going into this Super Bowl, one of them being Nick Foles, and which Foles will show up in the Super Bowl. Will it be the Foles who dominated the Vikings defense, or the Foles that cracks under pressure? Will Tom Brady’s hand be good to go in time for the game? Can the Patriots offensive line hold as well against the Eagles defensive front as they did against the Jaguars? I’ll look at all these storylines and more on Thursday!
Written By: John O’Connell
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