Not many want to see Pats win again
Brady sporting title rings seems to be getting stale
Yawn!
That seems to be the reaction from everywhere except New England when The Associated Press asked folks about the prospect of the Patriots being in yet another Super Bowl.
They have become the team people love to hate: America’s Team they ain’t.
And they care not a bit about their popularity, or about what they’ve already achieved.
“I think it’s a mistake if you take anything we’ve ever done in the past and translate it to what we’re doing now,” left tackle Nate Solder says.
“I think it’s a different story. We’re writing our own story this year, so what we’re doing is preparing to see the Jacksonville team of this year and how we’re going to beat them and be as ready as we can to go play our best football.”
That might elicit more yawns, but it’s indicative of how things work in Foxborough.
But there’s a sneaking suspicion the Patriots (14-3) are well aware of what All-Pro safety Jalen Ramsey of the Jaguars (12-6) has been saying about Sunday’s AFC championship game, in which host New England is a nine-point choice. Ramsey guaranteed a Jacksonville victory.
“I think what I have learned for a long time is it’s how you play, it’s not what you say,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said during his weekly radio appearance in Boston.
This is a meeting of the No. 2 (Jags) and No. 5 (Pats) scoring defences in the league. It’s also a meeting of Brady against Blake Bortles.
Enough said.
Patriots, 31-16 Minnesota (minus 3) at Philadelphia
No shortage of attention here after both of these teams went down to the wire to advance.
This one should come down to defence: Minnesota allowed the fewest points in the NFL (252), while Philadelphia was fourth stingiest.
“We don’t want to steer away from nothing different than what we do,” the Eagles’ Brandon Graham says, “and we’re going to go out there and we’re going to wreak havoc. We’re going to go out there and give it everything because it’s the championship, baby.”
Philadelphia last made the Super Bowl in the 2004 season, losing to New England. The Vikings haven’t been in the big game since 1977, their fourth loss in as many tries.
“What matters is how we play on Sunday, how we execute today in practice, how we do those things,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “I feel like I have a pretty smart, level-headed football team. They understand the magnitude of things and they know what’s at stake, so let’s just go out, let’s continue to do what we’ve been doing all year long, let’s play good, let’s play together as a team, take care of the football. All of the things you talk about all year long, really.”
As they say in politics, this one is too close to call. So we’re going with the hosts.
Eagles, 21-20
Last week: Against spread, 3-1; straight up, 2-2
Season totals: Against spread, 122124-10; straight up, 165-97