Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl Preview!

The Eagles and Patriots will play in Super Bowl XLII in Minneapolis for the right to claim the Lombardi Trophy. The Patriots will be playing in their 10th Super Bowl, and they are looking for their sixth title in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. The Eagles are going for their first Super Bowl title in their third appearance. It is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX when the Patriots won 24-21. I always like to look at the Super Bowl storylines before I get to the picks for the game. Here are the main storylines for Super Bowl XLII...

1) The chance for Brady and Belichick to win their 6th Super Bowl and put them into a higher level of immortality.

2) The opportunity for the Eagles and their fanbase to finally win the Super Bowl. They are 0-2 in Super Bowls and this is another chance to get it done. The Eagles fans have waited a long time for their team to win and this could be their moment.

3) The redemption story of Nick Foles and how he could actually win the Super Bowl for the Eagles after their MVP candidate, Carson Wentz, went down with an ACL injury in December.

4) That's really all I got at this point. If the Eagles win, it is about their city finally getting a Super Bowl title, and if the Pats win, then it is about Brady and Belichick. That is about it.....

Here is my preview of the game and picks....

Last Week's Record: 0-2
Overall Playoff Record: 2-6-2
Overall Regular Season Record: 131-110-15
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

A Case for the Eagles: The Eagles have a very good defense, and they can get pressure on Brady and disrupt him. They have a physical front seven, and it will be hard to run the ball on them. I like the way Jim Schwartz has coordinated his defense this year, and I think he will continue to do that in this game. How healthy will Rob Gronkowski be coming off a concussion? You have to like the hot-hand that Doug Pederson is riding as the head coach right now for this team. They can run the ball very effectively, and I could see them controlling the line of scrimmage over the Pats front seven. The way that Pederson has managed Foles gives you confidence he can do it again in this game. The Eagles have played up the underdog role all during the playoffs, and they can continue to do that here. They will use it as motivation once again, and I think they will feed off it. I would expect a lot of their fanbase to travel as well, and I think their fans will be more vocal and passionate in Minneapolis.

A Case for the Patriots: They are Patriots and they have Brady and Belichick. Did you doubt that they were going to lose that game against Jacksonville at home? Even if Gronk isn't 100%, you know Brady will be able to find someone else to get the ball to and someone else will step up and have a big game. Belichick will find a way to stifle Foles, and he will get the Pats defense to play well. The game is in a dome which I think helps Brady and that Patriots offense as well. It is hard to envision a scenario where Nick Foles outplays Tom Brady and the Patriots lose a Super Bowl to a backup quarterback.

Prediction: NEW ENGLAND (-4) over Philadelphia: This game will be close. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles are leading at halftime or at the end of three quarters, but in the end, the Patriots will win the game. Brady and Belichick will win their 6th Super Bowl together, and the Pats will go back-to-back for the first time since they did it in 2003-2004 when they beat........the Eagles.