Super Bowl Odds 2018: Eagles vs. Patriots Box Score, Game Predictions

On Feb. 5, the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles will meet at Super Bowl LII in a battle of the vaunted New England Patriots and, for the third game in a row—the underdog Philadelphia Eagles.

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was emotional during a press conference Wednesday talking about playing for his family—this is bigger than football to him. 

He’s been thrown around the league, and now he has a chance to silence his critics.

As Tom Brady and Bill Belichick look to capture their sixth Lombardi together, the Eagles will look to re-write history and capture their first-ever Super Bowl title. 

To do so, they’ll need to overcome being a 4.5-point underdog, according to OddsShark.

In addition, the over/under for this game is set at 48.

Below, we will look at the projected box score for the game and notable players. 

Projected Box Score

First Quarter

Patriots: 7

Eagles: 7

Second Quarter

Patriots: 7

Eagles: 0

Third Quarter

Patriots: 7

Eagles: 7

Fourth Quarter

Patriots: 7

Eagles: 10

New England Patriots Stats (Most Notable Offensive Players Plus One Defensive Star)

QB: Tom Brady, NE—320 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

RB: Dion Lewis, NE—40 yards; 7 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

RB: James White, NE—50 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 35 yards

WR: Brandin Cooks, NE—3 receptions, 40 yards

WR: Danny Amendola, NE—7 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD

WR: Chris Hogan, NE—4 receptions, 40 yards

TE: Rob Gronkowski, NE—6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD

CB: Stephon Gilmore—5 tackles, 1 interception

Philadelphia Eagles Stats (Most Notable Offensive Players Plus One Defensive Star)

QB: Nick Foles, PHI—255 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

RB: Jay Ajayi, PHI—90 yards, 1 TD; 2 receptions, 20 yards

RB: LeGarrette Blount, PHI—35 yards, 1 TD

WR: Alshon Jeffery, PHI—6 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

WR: Nelson Agholor, PHI—3 receptions, 30 yards

WR: Torrey Smith, PHI—2 receptions, 40 yards

TE: Zach Ertz, PHI—8 receptions, 105 yards

DE: Brandon Graham—7 tackles, 2 sacks

Reasoning

On the surface, it will be easy for any casual fan to look at Brady vs. Foles and immediately write the Eagles off. Although this explanation will ultimately culminate in siding with the Patriots, we cannot take the Eagles for granted here.

Not only are they equipped with one of, if not the best defense in the entire NFL, but their skill position players can rival the Patriots at almost any step of the way.

While the Patriots have a plethora of pass-catching backs, the Eagles have Ajayi, who can carry the ball 20-plus times for them.

As we saw in the AFC Championship Game, this Patriots team can be slain with superb defense. However, as the Jacksonville Jaguars showed, you cannot commit major penalties against the Patriots. Otherwise, you’ll end up on the outside looking in.

Foles, for all the flack he gets, has exceeded expectations this postseason, especially with his three-touchdown outing against the Minnesota Vikings in a blowout of an NFC Championship game.

Down the stretch, though, I’m not sure if Foles can make the necessary plays to put the Eagles in a position to win. The defense will do all they can, but Brady is Brady, and eventually, he will wear you down.

Defending Gronkowski will be a tall order for the Eagles, but the Patriots secondary will also need to game plan for Smith, Jeffery, and Agholor. Sure, Gilmore can take care of one of them, but he can’t be in several places at once.

Not to mention the Eagles also have Ertz.

A key interception in the fourth quarter is what will seal the Eagles fate and we’ll witness Brady, once again, drive down the field and lead the Patriots to victory.

But, playing devil’s advocate, if the Eagles want hope, keep Brady off the field, convert on third down, stop the Patriots on third down and do not make silly mistakes.

As we saw with the Falcons last year, had they just stuck to running the ball, they probably may have won.

Stick to your gameplan and don’t let the moment get away from you.

But, like it was said—the Patriots will come out on top in a nail-biter, 28-24.