Eagles can play against Patriots

The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t as good as the New England Patriots. Let’s just get that out of the way right at the top. Although both teams finished with a 13-3 record despite injuries, the Patriots are the favorite here and for good reason.

New England has been to eight Super Bowls during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick reign, holding five Lombardi Trophies. The Patriots are looking to repeat for the second time during this run. That is something that is miraculous in any time period, let alone the salary cap era. Meanwhile, Philadelphia hasn’t won an NFL championship since 1960, losing both Super Bowls that it has been in.

All that said, the Eagles are going to have a chance to win in two weeks.

Philadelphia can get pressure on Brady with only rushing four guy. That has always been a problem for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. When the New York Giants beat the Patriots in the SuperBowl, the victory was sparked by an aggressive front four. Philadelphia can replicate that with a host of pass rushers including Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Chris Long and Derek Barnett.

Additionally, the Eagles’ safeties are two of the best. Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins can both play. While Jenkins has the capability to line up and limit Rob Gronkowski in man-to-man situations. Gronkowski will always get his considering his size advantage and the man throwing him the ball, but Jenkins can at least present problems, especially if defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz gives him help underneath.

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Offensively, Philadelphia can run the ball with the power duo of LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi. New England has historically done well against the quicker backs, but the power can be tougher to deal with. Since losing Dont’a Hightower at the midseason mark, the Patriots are weak in the front seven, much more so than the Atlanta Falcons or Minnesota Vikings. Look for head coach Doug Peterson to try and pound the ball between the tackle early and often, using misdirection to create lanes.

If the Eagles can get Ajayi and Blount going, Nick Dole has an opportunity to make a few plays down the field to Nelson Agholor, Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery. While New England does boast a nice secondary with Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore on the corners, the speed of Smith and size of Jeffery stands to cause problems.

While the Patriots might be the popular pick — and a well-earned one at that — don’t sleep on a Philadelphia team more than capable of winning its first Super Bowl.