Eagles vs. Patriots in Super Bowl LII — What to Watch 4
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Four factors to watch in Sunday’s Super Bowl:
KEY MATCHUP
College teammates for three years at South Carolina, Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery and Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore have never faced each other in the NFL. That changes Sunday — and could decide the game.
For his pedestrian regular-season stats, Jeffery has been unbeatable in the postseason; Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeting Jeffery during this year’s playoffs. The Patriots signed Gilmore to a massive contract last offseason — $65 million over five years, with $40 million guaranteed — for precisely this moment.
Rob Gronkowski returned to practice Thursday. (Getty Images)
TRENDING
The Patriots will look to become the first team in 13 years to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles. The last team to do it? The Patriots, when they beat — you guessed it — the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Sunday’s game marks the seventh Super Bowl rematch in league history: the previous winner has taken four of the six games.
KEY PLAYER
The Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski practiced in full for the first time Thursday since leaving the AFC title game with a concussion. The Patriots’ passing attack will benefit with the return of perhaps the game’s greatest tight end ever, but their running game should be better, too. The Patriots had only 19 carries for 46 yards in their 24-20 win against the Jaguars; they were more efficient in their first playoff game, totaling 101 on 27 carries against the Titans.
“I know (Gronkowski) gets a lot of credit for catching passes and scoring touchdowns and those kinds of things,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “But he’s an incredible blocker that we count on a lot in the running game.”
X-FACTOR
Having played in eight Super Bowls in 17 years, the Patriots know how to plan for the circus-like quirks of America’s most-watched sporting event. Halftime on Sunday will be 30 minutes, up from 12 during the regular season; the time between pregame warmups and kickoff almost doubles, too.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has played in as many Super Bowls, seven, as the entire Eagles roster combined. So the Eagles actually practiced a 30-minute halftime during at the midpoint of practice Wednesday. Coach Doug Pederson thought they were sloppy after the break, but the Eagles didn’t seem worried.
“We talked about it like if it was a regular game, but we’re still having fun, man,” Jeffery said. “It’s all about having fun and enjoying the moment.”
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Email: pfinley@suntimes.com