4th & Monday: They're back. Patriots to face underdog Eagles in Super Bowl LII
The matchup for Super Bowl LII is set. And talk about a tale of two teams.
One sideline will feature the New England Patriots, who had to battle to the bitter end to fend off the Jacksonville Jaguars. New England is a franchise making its record 10th Super Bowl appearance -- eighth in the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era -- and vying for its sixth Super Bowl title.
On the other sideline will be the Philadelphia Eagles, who ripped the Vikings on Sunday behind backup QB Nick Foles. They are a team that is making just its third Super Bowl appearance, has never hoisted a Lombardi Trophy and hasn't won an NFL championship since 1960.
CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY: 20 THINGS WE LEARNED
While many football fans might be tired of seeing the same team featured again on Super Bowl Sunday, the Eagles provide some fresh faces for the game's biggest stage. And those players are rolling into Minneapolis, site of Super Bowl LII, wearing dog masks.
Here's 3 quick things to know about the Super Bowl LII matchup.
TOP PHOTOS: Conference championships | Cheerleaders
MUST-SEE MOMENTS & CELEBRATIONS
- The city of Philadelphia was bonkers on Sunday night. Here's 9 videos of Eagles fans celebrating and climbing Crisco-covered light poles.
- The Eagles -- and their fans -- are all-in on being underdogs, and wearing dog masks.
- Be careful what you wish for, Eagles fans. Might be best not to poke the bear.
- If you watch one video of an Eagles fan trying to catch a train after his team's NFC Championship Game victory, this is it. Spoiler: it ends badly.
- Las Vegas oddsmakers like Tom Brady's chances of winning a sixth Super Bowl.
- For a brief moment, it appeared as if the Eagles cheerleaders were rushing the field to the team's aid during a scuffle.
- Sure, Tom Brady played hurt. But he wasn't performing open-heart surgery. Way to keep things in perspective, Coach Belichick.
- The Patriots might have another Mr. Postseason in one of their wide receivers.
- In just his second season as an NFL head coach, is the Eagles' Doug Pederson already among the NFL's best?
- The Jaguars' conservative play-calling ultimately cost them a chance at advancing to the Super Bowl.
- A Patriots player attempted to comfort Leonard Fournette, who was justifiably devastated after the AFC Championship Game.
- There are football fans — and even some players — who would suggest the refs give the Patriots more than their share of favorable calls. This call and a postgame handshake won't help with that perception.
- Might the Detroit Lions be hiring the wrong Patriots coordinator?
- Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski was knocked out of the AFC title game in the first half after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jaguars S Barry Church.
- Seahawks CB Richard Sherman had no issue with Church's hit on Gronk. Here's why.
- It got ugly in Philadelphia before the NFC title game when Eagles fans threw beer cans at Vikings fans. Many Eagles fans sought to distance themselves from those violent scenes.
- You said what? Patriots QB Tom Brady and Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey exchange words before the AFC title game. TB12 also yelled at a cameraman.
- If you weren't amped-up for the AFC Championship Game, you probably were after CBS' intro video featuring John Malkovich.
- The American Forces Network found a way to carry the AFC and NFC title games despite the government shutdown.
THE RUNDOWN
Patriots 24, Jaguars 20: For the 10th time in franchise history (the most of any NFL team) and eighth time in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era, the Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl. Just what was expected all season.
Despite tales of alleged behind-the-scenes strife and an injury to Brady's throwing hand, the Patriots overcame those obstacles to rally for a win over a Jacksonville Jaguars team many didn't expect to make it this far.
The Jaguars join the likes of the Atlanta Falcons (Super Bowl LI) and Seattle Seahawks (Super Bowl XLIX) as teams that couldn't hold second-half leads against the Patriots in crucial playoff games. The Jaguars came close to pulling off a shocker for the ages, but crushing reality set in late for Jacksonville.
Eagles 38, Vikings 7: When Carson Wentz went down with a season-ending knee injury in mid-December, it seemed the Eagles' Super Bowl hopes had gone down with him. Instead, the Eagles were galvanized by their underdog role throughout the playoffs and backup quarterback Nick Foles delivered when it mattered most.
The Eagles booked a trip to just the third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history with a demolition of the visiting Minnesota Vikings. In Super Bowl LII, the Eagles will face the same franchise that beat them in Super Bowl XXXIX. Of course, the only common threads between the two title games that are 13 years apart are the men on the opposite sideline, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
INJURY UPDATE
- Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski left the game in the first half with a concussion and did not return.
SUPER BOWL LII
Patriots vs. Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC): In order for the Eagles to win the franchise's first Super Bowl title — and first NFL championship since 1960 — it will need to do so once again as an underdog. The Patriots are vying for a sixth Super Bowl title under the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady regime, and will be a formidable foe come Super Sunday.