10 STORYLINES SURROUNDING SUPER BOWL LII
Patriots are chasing history while Eagles are seeking their first Super Bowl title
With apologies to all the Pro Bowl lovers, the two-week break between real NFL games is now officially past the halfway point.
The Eagles have landed, the Patriots will arrive in the Twin Cities on Monday. Soon the players from both teams will be subjected to thousands of mind-numbing questions from the media. And not soon enough, they will square off for the biggest and — because of what’s on the table — the best game of the season.
Here’s a look at 10 storylines for Super Bowl LII.
Shooting for history: Driving the Patriots will be the opportunity of a sixth Super Bowl ring, which would tie them with the Steelers for most of any franchise. Their previous conquests were in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014 and 2016, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick being the common denominator in each of them. The Eagles have been to two and lost both, with the most recent disappointment at the hands of the Patriots, a 24-21 loss in Super Bowl XXXIX on Feb. 6, 2005. Brady is the only player from that game still with either team.
Coaching matchup: With 278 career wins, Bill Belichick still ranks behind Don Shula (347) and George Halas (324) on the all-time list, but he is the only coach to win five Super Bowls, and isn’t that what it’s all about? Give Belichick and his defensive mind two weeks to prepare for an opponent, and he generally has all the angles covered. His counterpart with the Eagles, Doug Pederson, has done a remarkable job in bringing the Eagles to this point after only two years, and his game plan was good enough for a backup quarterback to beat the Falcons and Vikings. But now he’s got to cook up a scheme to fool Belichick. Pulling that off would be quite a feat.
Can Foles pull off back-to-back gems?: Even though he threw seven TD passes in a game against the Cowboys four years ago, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles played the game of his life in the NFC championship win over the Vikings. He beat the Falcons in the divisional round by sticking to a conservative script, but prior to that when he took over from injured Carson Wentz in Week 14 of the regular season, his play was spotty at best. “I feel really good right now,” Foles told ESPN on Sunday. “I’m really going into uncharted waters. I’ve never even been to a Super Bowl game, so to be playing in it, I’m really excited.”
No hometown favourite: The atmosphere at U.S. Bank Stadium is phenomenal when the Vikings are playing, with the “Skol!” chants of celebration giving them a lift and the eardrum-vibrating roars playing a huge factor against an opponent’s ability to communicate on offence. So who will be the fan favourite on Sunday? A headline in the New York Post declared this the worst Super Bowl ever only because New Yorkers are mortal enemies with teams from Boston and Philadelphia. No similar hatred exists for either team here in Minnesota. While fans will be flocking from all over, there will be a healthy local contingent and we can’t imagine they’re yet over the fact the Eagles spoiled the chance of another Minneapolis Miracle.
The state of Gronk: Not only do we expect Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski to play Sunday, but we expect him to be at his best. Back surgery to repair a ruptured disc kept him out of last season’s Super Bowl game against the Atlanta Falcons, and he has made it known how difficult it was to watch. A determined Gronk trying to make up for lost opportunity could be the difference maker. In 12 career post-season games, he’s got 59 catches for 856 yards and, perhaps most impressively, 10 touchdowns.
Laying it on the line: Are the Eagles going to be able to pressure Tom Brady? Safety Malcolm Jenkins says no one is capable of blocking Fletcher Cox, the team’s big and quick defensive tackle. “He causes a lot of disruption that might not show up on a stat sheet,” said Patriots centre David Andrews. “Just hurries, things like that. Just disruption. That whole front has done that all year, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
Eagles fly, but also must run: In each of the Eagles’ two post-season games, Jay Ajayi had more touches than he did in seven regular season games with the team. And against the Vikings, he was a definite factor, with 18 carries for 73 yards. Ajayi was limited in practices earlier this week because of a troublesome ankle, but he’s expected to be good to go Sunday. Former Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount is a beast in short-yardage situations, but the Eagles will need Ajayi to move the chains.
Something special: Former Eagle — OK, former practice squad Eagle — Danny Amendola was the Pats’ top receiver in the AFC championship win over Jacksonville, but he also had a very big 20-yard punt return in the come-from-behind victory over the Jaguars, the longest punt return of the NFL playoffs so far. Somehow, it’s easy to imagine Amendola being a factor again on Sunday. The Eagles have only two punt returns in the playoffs and neither was longer than 10 yards.
Magnitude of the moment: Jake Elliott, the Eagles’ 23-yearold rookie, has been perfect in converting all four field goals he’s attempted in the playoffs, including a 53-yarder, but he has missed a point after attempt. How will Elliott handle the pressure of his first Super Bowl? It’s old hat for Stephen Gostkowski, the Pats’ 34-year-old ball booter who has held the job since 2006. His post-season numbers include connecting on 32 of 35 field goals and 75 of 78 point after attempts.
Beware of the unsung hero: When these two teams met in Super Bowl XXXIX, the game was tied 7-7 at the half and 14-14 after three quarters before the Patriots jumped ahead to stay with 10 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes. Brady completed 23 of 33 passes for 236 years and two touchdowns, but the MVP award that year went to receiver Deion Branch, who caught 11 balls for 133 yards. Branch had just 454 yards receiving during the season leading up to the Super Bowl and not once in his 11-year career did he reach the 1,000-yard plateau.