Eric Gay/Associated Press
Nick Foles does not have to compete directly with Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII, and he can't let that quarterback's presence interfere with his responsibilities as he directs the Philadelphia Eagles offense Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Foles is coming off a solid 352-yard, three-touchdown effort in Philadelphia's 38-7 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game. If he can stay as focused on each snap against the Patriots as he did in that game, the Eagles should have an excellent chance to compete for 60 minutes.
Staying in the game and winning it are two different things. Brady, presumably, will not be nervous as he takes the field against a team that looked like the best team in the NFL through the first 13 weeks of the season.
However, when they lost superb quarterback Carson Wentz to an ACL injury in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, the team was forced to reconfigure its plan of attack.
After a couple of terrible weeks at the end of the regular season in which the Eagles offense stalled against the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, that unit has been re-energized in playoff wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Vikings.
Foles may not be as prepared for this huge moment as Wentz would have been, and he does not compare with Brady in this area. This is likely to have an impact, but Foles will have the advantage of competing against a defense that is not among the game's best.
The Patriots ranked 28th in yards allowed during the regular season, and that unit performed poorly during the first four games of the season. While there was an improvement on the scoreboard after Week 5, as the Patriots held 11 of their last 14 opponents to 17 points or less, that number may not hold up against the Eagles.
The Vikings had the top-ranked defense in the league, and the Eagles made a slew of big plays in that game. Alshon Jeffery caught two TD passes and had a long play of 53 yards. Nelson Agholor caught a 42-yard pass from Foles, Torrey Smith had a 41-yard reception and tight end Zach Ertz had a 36-yard catch.
If the Eagles were able to pierce the Vikings like that, what will they be able to do against the Pats?
Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson needs to get a consistent effort from his offense to have a real chance to win this game. The Eagles are 4.5-point underdogs, according to OddsShark, and the total in this game is 48 points.
The Philadelphia defense would seemingly have a good chance to have a solid game against the Patriots since that unit ranked fourth in yards allowed this season, but Pederson knows that stopping Brady is almost certainly out of the question.
The Patriots are almost always at their best in the fourth quarter. "We're a mentally tough team, a physically tough team, and we put a lot of work in to try to prepare ourselves for that fourth quarter, overtime, whatever it may be," center David Andrews said, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. "We're going to go the distance."
The Eagles have to play well enough to keep Brady and the Patriots from lighting up the scoreboard. They must play well enough to get some key stops.
New England's versatility on offense will make it quite difficult to keep this unit in check. Dion Lewis is a good enough running back to take some of the pressure off of Brady and the passing game. He ran for 896 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry, and he cannot be overlooked.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski is the best at his position in the league, and he has been cleared out of the concussion protocol. Brady will have the option of throwing to Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan and Brandin Cooks, and all those options will make it difficult for the Eagles.
Prediction
This should be a high-scoring Super Bowl as long as Foles is not overwhelmed by the moment. If he can get off to a decent start, he should be able to move the ball against New England's defense.
Philadelphia's defense must find a way to slow Brady down and come up with a stop or two at a key moment. That will be a huge challenge for Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
We see this game going back-and-forth, but it will be difficult for the Eagles to come up with that stop in the fourth quarter. That's when Brady will be at his best, and he will lead the Pats to a 37-30 victory in Super Bowl LII.