NFL Playoffs 2018 - Super Bowl
As I always say, better never than late... This year, there are 9 categories and the team with the edge in the most categories will be my pick to bring home the Lombardi Trophy. Without further ado...
Quarterback
Credit where credit's due, Nick Foles played phenomenally two weeks ago. He's been more than a serviceable backup for Wentz and has probably earned himself a nice paycheck. But, he's playing Tom Brady. Enough said for this category.
Patriots: 1
Eagles: 0
Running Game
This is one of the two toughest categories to pick. While I love the Ajayi - Blount 1-2 punch, Dion Lewis is probably the best overall back in this game. Not to mention, the arsenal of pass catching backs that New England has. Just in case anyone doesn't realize, Blount was the RB for NE last year in the Super Bowl and now he's playing against his former team. I wonder how that feels.
Patriots: 2
Eagles: 0
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
This is the other hardest category to pick. It's Gronk, Cooks, Amendola VS Ertz, Jeffrey, and Agholor. If Edelman were healthy, I'd go the Patriots, but the drop from Gronk to Ertz isn't as large as Jeffrey and Agholor to Cooks and Amendola.
Patriots: 2
Eagles: 1
Offensive Line
I've been impressed with what the Eagles have done with their offensive line this season after some season ending injuries. They've been able to create a serviceable offensive line, but patchwork lines just aren't the same as a line that's played together most of the year.
The Patriots don't have a fantastic offensive line by any means, but they get the nod here because of the Eagles injuries.
The Patriots don't have a fantastic offensive line by any means, but they get the nod here because of the Eagles injuries.
Patriots: 3
Eagles: 1
Defensive Line
The Patriots turned around their defense about halfway through the season, but the Eagles have been pressuring Quarterbacks all year. I think the Eagles know if they don't pressure Brady, they're going to lose this game. In other words, Tom Brady is about to get hit a lot.
Patriots: 3
Eagles: 2
Secondary
This is another close one, but with the season Malcom Jenkins has had along with the rest of the Eagles Secondary, I'll have to go with the Eagles. Fun fact - the Eagles nearly traded Jenkins to the Patriots for Cooks earlier this season. That would have been interesting.
Patriots: 3
Eagles: 3
Special Teams
It's close (like almost all of these categories apparently), but I like the Gostkowski's experience over a rookie and I trust Lewis and Amendola to make the right decisions returning kicks because they've been here before.
Patriots: 4
Eagles: 3
Coaching
Doug Pederson deserves a ton of credit this season. Everyone (including me) wrote off the Eagles after Wentz got injured. I picked the Falcons and the Vikings to beat them these playoffs. At this point, what more can you say about Belichick. He's the greatest coach I've ever seen. Mark my words, he's going to find a way to rattle Foles.
Patriots: 5
Eagles: 3
Intangibles
The "Intangibles" category has to do with things like how the team is prepared for the pressure of the big game, unexpected situations, and the ability to adjust game plans on the fly if needed. This may not seem like a category that matters as much as the others, but in the Super Bowl, things seem to rarely go "according to plan". The Eagles are coached very well, but as we saw last year agains the Falcons, don't bet against the Patriots here.
Patriots: 6
Eagles: 3
Conclusion
There you have it. The Patriots take 6 of the 9 categories this season over the Eagles. However, since the Eagles took all of the defensive categories, I'd say there's a good chance, this is going to be a close one. Patriots close out a close one.
Patriots 28 - 24
