The New England Patriots will appear in the Super Bowl for a league-best tenth time when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night in Minneapolis. The Patriots are looking for their sixth title; Philadelphia is making their third appearance in the Super Bowl and are still looking for their first Lombardi Trophy. The Eagles last won an NFL championship in 1960, before the Super Bowl era began. Can backup quarterback Nick Foles complete a storybook run in the postseason and take down the mighty Patriots? Or will Tom Brady lead New England to another dominant performance? Check out our Super Bowl LII betting preview for the game’s biggest spectacle.
Super Bowl LII Final Betting Preview & Score Prediction
When: Sunday, February 4, 2018, 6:30pm ETWhere: U.S. Bank Stadium, MinneapolisTV: NBCRadio: Westwood OneLive Stream: NFL LiveSuper Bowl LII Betting Odds: New England -5.5, O/U 48
Why should you put your money on the Eagles?
Losing quarterback Carson Wentz to an ACL injury after Week 14 meant that the Eagles had to transition from his style to that of Foles. The experiment looked great in a thrashing of the New York Giants but then looked to be a problem when the offense scored just 12 points against Oakland and could not score at all against Dallas. So the Eagles entered the postseason with home field advantage — but also as the underdog. They’ve taken down the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings — the latter in a 38-7 whipping. Foles has thrown for a combined 598 yards and three touchdowns (with no picks) in his two playoff starts, and tailback Jay Ajayi has run for 127 combined yards in those games. Zach Ertz appears to be back at full force, catching eight passes for 93 yards in the NFC Championship. This offense will test a Patriots defense that has definitely had its ups and downs this season.
The Philadelphia defense has been just as impressive as the offense has been so far. They permitted a combined total of two passing touchdowns, with no scores on the ground, in the two playoff wins. They have permitted just 156 running yards combined. Against Minnesota, they picked the ball off twice, including the pick-six that turned the momentum in Philadelphia’s way for good. On the season, the Eagles permitted just 18.4 points per game, and in their last four games, they have permitted a grand total of 38 points — just 9.5 points per contest.
Why should you put your money on the Patriots?
As porous as the New England defense was in the early going, the unit has stiffened in the postseason. They did permit 14 points to Jacksonville in the first half of the AFC Championship but then only allowed six after the intermission, as the pass rush got busy. Leonard Fournette only averaged 3.2 yards per attempt. In the two playoff games, New England sacked Marcus Mariota and Blake Bortles a combined 11 times. That improvement overall has helped the Patriots make it back to the title game.
On the offensive side of things, tight end Rob Gronkowski remains in the concussion protocol at this time — and he missed the Opening Night media event that kicked off Super Bowl Week last night. It’s true that the Patriots won the Super Bowl last year without him, and Danny Amendola did a nice job taking up some of the slack last week, catching a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Tom Brady will need a solid passing game to soften up that rock-solid Eagles rushing defense. If you’re in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, and Tom Brady has the ball and needs to drive for a score to win, how can you bet against him?
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
I see this game unfolding much like the AFC Championship — the Eagles seize some early momentum and take a lead into the second half, perhaps even into the fourth quarter. However, I also see New England coming back late. Whether or not the comeback is enough to win, I don’t see New England covering this spread. I predict a final score of New England 24, Philadelphia 23.
