Super Bowl LII is just around the corner and we get to see the New England Patriots and
Philadelphia Eagles face off in a game that is much more interesting than just the NFL’s
Goliath facing a new David.

Yes, the Patriots are the dominating, always dangerous force but they aren’t infallible. They did lose to the Dolphins after all. And the Eagles have strengths, very real strengths that Bill Belichick is going to have to plan for meticulously.

However, when we get down to it this game will still come down to the two men lining up
under center. Tom Brady vs Nick Foles. The GOAT vs The Backup. So let’s take a look at how they got here and what we can glean from the two quarterbacks.

2017 Performance

Every year it seems like talking heads will ask the same question, is Tom Brady on the decline? They did just that after the opening game of the 2017 season.

The Patriots went down 42-27 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener, with Brady underperforming as the veteran QB completed a shocking 44% of his passes in the loss, throwing no touchdowns to boot.

There were questions about whether Brady had another run in him, if it was time to let
Jimmy Garoppolo take the reins, or if Belichick and his quarterback were ready to go off into the sunset together at the end of 2018.

And then Brady went and finished the season with a 13-3 record and is almost guaranteed to win NFL Most Valuable Player for the third time in his illustrious career. So much for a downfall.

Brady ended the season with 4,557 passing yards to go along with 32 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. He was by far and away the best quarterback in the league over the entire season.

Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson starred before injury curtailed their campaigns, while Brady maintained his high level throughout.

The 40-year-old had a 100+ Passer Rating in 11 of the Patriots’ 16 regular season games,
including a three-game stretch in the middle of the season where he threw for 10 TDs and one pick while facing the Broncos, Raiders, and Dolphins.

If Brady plays like that on Super Bowl Sunday, he may well be unstoppable. Sorry Eagles
Fans.

Now let’s take a look at Nick Foles, a man no one thought would ever start in a Super Bowl.

Foles stepped up off the Eagles bench in Week 14 after Wentz tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite starting just one game since the beginning of 2016 - a 19-14 win for the Chiefs over the Jaguars after Alex Smith got hurt - Foles guided the Eagles to the postseason, where he’s surprised everyone.

The 29-year-old’s first start came in an incredible display against the New York Giants in a
divisional game that showed Foles might not be too much of a step-down.

Foles threw for 247 yards and four TDs in the 34-29 win and Eagles fans saw a little light after a dark week.

Foles then followed it up with another win but one pinned more on the defense, who limited the Raiders to just 10 points, with Foles completing just 50% of his passes for 163 yards, one TD and one INT in a poor display.

And then we reached the Playoffs, where the Eagles were expected to crash and burn. Many analysts picked Atlanta to advance from the Divisional round and they were all made to eat their words after Foles put together a very solid display, completing 23/30 of his passes and leading the NFC East outfit to the Conference Championship thanks to a 15-10 win.

We all remember the drubbing that Foles and the Eagles put on the Minnesota Vikings in the Conference game so we won’t dwell on it too much. You’re welcome Vikes fans.

All this is to say that Foles has shown he can manage this offense. Doug Pederson has made changes to it to simplify the playbook for the understudy and it has worked perfectly.

Let Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount do damage on the ground, then let Foles work the RPO and short-to-intermediate passing game to victory. There is beauty in simplicity dear reader, and its name is the Eagles Offense.

What Does History Tell Us?

As you won’t need reminding, Tom Brady has been at the top of the game pretty much ever since he entered the NFL back at the start of the century. A five-time Super Bowl Champion, four-time Super Bowl MVP, 13-time Pro Bowler, 5-time All-Pro selection. It is literally reading off the accomplishment list of the greatest quarterback to ever play this game.

Nick Foles’ awards list is slightly shorter. Every honour is from his incredible 2013 season when he replaced the injured Michael Vick and put up incredible numbers.

After throwing for 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions all season long, Foles was nominated to the Pro Bowl, led the league in Passer Rating, and was named Pro Bowl Offensive MVP.

They’re not quite the same.

We’ll end this with Tom Brady’s Super Bowl stats. How does the Patriots legend fare when it really counts?

Well unfortunately for the Eagles, Brady is really good. If you look up clutch in the dictionary - the sports version of the term - it would just show Brady’s Super Bowl averages.

In the big game, Brady is 207-of-309 passing for a 67.0 completion percentage, 15 TDs & five INTs.

That’s incredible. When facing the other best team in the entire NFL, on the biggest stage there could possibly be, Brady plays as well - if not better - than he does in the regular
Season.

No other player even comes close to that level of elite quarterback play. Fans can make claims, but Tom Brady really is a cut above.

The Eagles will need to find a way to stop him on Sunday. Because if they don’t, Brady has shown that he doesn’t need a second invitation to carve up a defense.

Malcolm Jenkins, Fletcher Cox and the rest of the Philadelphia D will need to be at their best.

That’s how they keep themselves in the game and get a chance. The defense has to play lights out, and Foles has to not lose them the game. Make good decisions, be accurate and take care of the ball.

All of that is much easier said than done. We will see whether they can or not in a few days time. This is going to be good.