Eagles vs. Patriots: Historic Head-to-Head Record and Super Bowl 52 Pick

The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots are set to square off in Super Bowl LII February 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

When the two teams kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC, it will be a rather unusual occurrence since the two teams have been infrequent opponents since the merger between the National Football League and American Football League went into effect in 1970.

The two teams have played just 12 regular-season games and one previous Super Bowl in their history.

The first game between the two teams took place in 1973, with the Eagles securing a 24-23 victory at Veterans Stadium.

Roman Gabriel threw two touchdown passes for the Eagles, while Jim Plunkett tossed two scoring passes for the Patriots. New England took a 23-21 lead when running back Sam "Bam" Cunningham scored on a four-yard run in the fourth quarter, but Philadelphia place-kicker Tom Dempsey kicked the game-winning 12-yard field goal. (The goalpost was still on the goal line at that point.)

The Patriots won the next two meetings before the Eagles reeled off five in a row in the series between 1981 and 1999. The Patriots did not beat the Eagles again until they earned a 31-10 victory at Lincoln Financial Field in 2003.

The Patriots recorded the most significant win in the history of the series when they beat the Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to conclude the 2004 season.

That game was tied 14-14 at the end of three quarters, and the Patriots seized the lead on a touchdown run by Corey Dillon and a field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The Eagles closed to within three points on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to Greg Lewis, but the Eagles were unable to tie the score in the late going.

The last meeting between the two teams was played in the 2015 season when the Eagles walked into Foxborough and upset the Patriots 35-28. 

The Patriots brought a 10-1 record into that game, while the Eagles were just 4-7. However, the Eagles recorded a blocked punt for a touchdown, and they also added a punt return for a score to get the best of the Patriots.

The Eagles have the slightest edge in the all-time series at 7-6.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Prediction

Philadelphia was the NFL's best team in the regular season until its Week 14 game with the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL in that game, and the Eagles had to turn to Nick Foles to go behind center.

Foles struggled badly in the final two regular-season games against the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, and few expected the Eagles to return to their earlier form in the playoffs. However, they beat the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional playoffs and overwhelmed the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC title game.

Foles threw three TD passes in that game, and the offense was both powerful and efficient against the Vikings.

The Eagles may be as talented as the Patriots, but it is difficult to see Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson and Foles having an advantage over Bill Belichick and Tom Brady over the course of 60 minutes.

This should be a close game for three quarters, but look for Brady to make the key plays in the fourth quarter.

New England comes out with a 37-30 victory and earns its sixth Super Bowl title.