All on the line: Eagles hungry, Patriots too well armed

Who ya got?

Super Bowl LII will kick off at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

By now you probably know where you're watching it, what will be on the menu -- you might even have your outfit ready if you're a supporter of either team.

But who will you be rooting for?

The New England Patriots are in pursuit of their sixth championship in eight visits under the guaranteed Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady-Head Coach Bill Belichick tandem.

They've played in seven Super Bowls, losing only two -- both to the New York Football Giants -- in games that were heavily dictated by defense but decided on tremendous offensive plays.

The same could be the case Sunday when the Eagles get their long-awaited shot at a first NFL championship title. The franchise does have a championship, two actually, but not since before the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

This year the Eagles were an unexpected early favorite after emerging as a top contender under QB Carson Wentz. But fears the season would be lost when Wentz went down with a season-ending injury late in the season were soon quelled by the more than serviceable back-up QB Nick Foles.

Foles, drafted by the Eagles then traded away only to return three years later, has been around the league and can be more than a game manager.

But can he make the big play when the game is on the line should the Eagles defense take a page out of the Giants twice-effective Super Bowl script and thereby dash the Pats dynasty's dreams of a ring for the index finger? It's a big ask, even of a veteran starter now serving as a back-up.

We'll have to see how it all plays out.

Our take? Well, Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will play after going down early on in the AFC Conference Championship game two weeks ago against Jacksonville with what proved to be a concussion. And their sneaky-fast wideout Danny Amendola can make even the stickiest of cornerbacks miss when the TB12 needs a first down.

That will make for some interesting matchups.

And yet, as much as we would like to see the Brady bunch denied yet another Super Bowl victory, we just can't bring ourselves to root for the birds down in Philly.

Fly, Eagles, Fly ... til about the middle of the third quarter. Then look for the Pats to pour it on and escape with the win.

Prediction: Eagles 21 -- Patriots 24.

Published in Editorials on February 1, 2018 11:37 PM