Super Bowl mental scars

– Tom Brady (above) says he is still nursing the sting of New England’s 2018 Super Bowl defeat as the Patriots prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles today in the first meeting of the teams since their classic shoot-out last year.

Brady delivered one of the greatest post-season performances of his glittering career in the NFL showpiece in 2018, throwing for 505 yards and three touchdowns and finishing with a 115.3 passer rating.

But Brady’s gaudy stats were ultimately a footnote as the Eagles met fire-with-fire to win 41-33 and claim the team’s first Super Bowl victory.

Adding insult to injury, Brady also coughed up a fumble after being sacked with just over two minutes remaining as the Patriots chased a go-ahead touchdown.

Although the Patriots bounced back ruthlessly, with Brady leading the team to a gritty Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams earlier this year, the New England quarterback admitted this week the loss to the Eagles still rankled.

“You assume I’m over it? Come on now,” Brady told a Boston radio station this week when asked how he had dealt with the loss. “That’s a lot of mental scar tissue from that year. That was a tough game.

“In a lot of ways we learned from that year and we came back stronger the next year,” Brady said. “I think everything is a matter of perspective and when you play in that game and you play great teams, you’re not going to win them all.

“This is not the Harlem Globetrotters vs the Washington Generals. This is all about tough competition against the best teams. They deserved it that year, and now a couple years later, we get a chance to play the organisation again.

“We’ve had a lot of changes, they’ve had a lot of changes.

“It’s totally different circumstances. Huge game for us. Big game for them. The better team is going to win.”

Both teams head into the fixture at a critical juncture in their respective seasons. The Patriots will be looking to get back in the winning groove after suffering their first defeat of the season, a comprehensive 37-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago.

The Eagles meanwhile head into the game on the back of two straight wins, and like the Patriots, are well rested after a bye week.

A win for the Eagles would also leave them well-placed to control their own playoff destiny. – AFP