Patriots force foes into uncommon calls

Opponents tend to freak out against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick just when they’re about to conquer the New England Patriots’ dynastic duo. The Philadelphia Eagles swear they won’t fall into that trap if they have the chance in Super Bowl 52.

The pair have built such a reputation of coming through in the clutch that foes often outthink themselves with conservative, uncommon or unconventional calls against the five-time champs.

Think Seattle in Super Bowl 49 and Atlanta in Super Bowl 51.

The Patriots have built an extreme confidence through five Super Bowlwinning seasons under Brady and Belichick and are disciplined when other teams get discombobulated, like last month when they sniffed out Ben Roethlisberger’s fake spike and intercepted him in the end zone, reshaping the AFC playoff picture.

“You’re basically talking about experience and knowing that no matter what the score is, it’s not insurmountable,” said ex-NFL quarterback Joe Theismann.

He pointed to Brady’s habit of making a few plays every game that swing momentum and Belichick’s knack for coaxing his counterparts into beating themselves — like the Indianapolis Colts did with their fake punt fiasco in 2015.

“The New England Patriots find a way to make a play when no one else seems to be able to do that,” Theismann said. “Teams that haven’t been in that situation don’t really understand the ability of New England teams to be able to overcome darn near anything.”

Like the 25-point secondhalf deficit Brady rallied the Patriots from in last year’s Super Bowl or the 10-point fourth-quarter hole he dug them out of against Jacksonville in the AFC championship last week.

“You’ve got to play a damn near perfect game against them,” lamented Jaguars safety Jarrod Wilson. Therein lies the trap. The Jaguars were on the verge of knocking off New England when a flurry of follies in Foxborough aided Brady’s two-TD rally that sent the seemingly impervious Patriots back to another Super Bowl.

“You can never have a safe lead with (No.) 12 at the helm,” Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson said. “... That’s Tom Brady, the greatest to ever lace up the cleats at the quarterback position.”

And Belichick, arguably the best to ever roam the sideline.

The Eagles swear they’re not going to give the Patriots any help next Sunday in Minneapolis.

“You know what? If I make this all about them, we’re in trouble,” coach Doug Pederson said. “Honestly. We’re in trouble. Everything’s going to be written about it, has been written about it, talked about it, discussed, debated and it’s about us. And I’ll keep saying that. It’s about what we do and how well we execute and I can’t worry about that.”

The Eagles (15-3), who statistically can make the case for being the best opponent Brady and Belichick have ever faced in the Super Bowl, don’t see themselves getting out of their comfort zone against New England (15-3).