The last time these two teams met was on a cold night in Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII. The Eagles come out victorious in a 41-33 score that capped off a story book ending to a roller coaster season.
Tom Brady was recently asked if he still thinks about that game.
"You assume I'm over it? Come on now," Brady said. "That's a lot of mental scar tissue from that year, that was a tough game."
Fast forward to 2019, and the Patriots are 8-1 coming off yet another Super Bowl win the year before, and the Eagles are 5-4 fighting for first place in the NFC East with the Cowboys. Two seasons can change a lot but the Patriots have stayed pretty similar to their dominant fashion. At 42 years-old, Tom Brady is still doing his thing as he's thrown for 2,536 yards with 14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions and has also added 3 rushing touchdowns. The Patriots defense struggled last week in their first loss of the season to the Ravens, but other than that have allowed just 7.6 points per game in the eight games prior. Out of the nine games that they've played this year, the Patriots have only played three teams with winning records. Their sample size for tough opponents is small but if there's anything we've learned from watching Brady and Belichik over the years it's that when people doubt them, they are usually proven wrong. It's always a tough test to play them no matter the scenario.
The Eagles have won two straight against Buffalo and Chicago. Coming off a bye, Philadelphia looks to keep the streak alive during the toughest stretch of the season. Carson Wentz has had a good but not "elite" season as he has thrown for over 2,000 yards, has 15 touchdowns, and is 7th in the league in QBR with a rating of 67.6. Picking up Jordan Matthews for the second straight season should give Wentz another option in the passing game. The running game has been a combination of speed and power with Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard. Sanders has seen increased action in the passing game as he has 22 receptions for 305 yards and a touchdown. Howard has been laying the boom on the ground as he's averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has six touchdowns. It is interesting to note that Howard has been recently plagued with an injury this week, and Darren Sproles has also been ruled out for the season. Former Eagles' running back Jay Ajayi was seen at the Novacare Complex which begs the question, do the Eagles pick up yet another former player? It will be something interesting to look out for this weekend.
The Eagles defense has been a point of concern all season long. Through the nine games Jim Schwartz's squad has allowed 23.6 points per game.The secondary especially has struggled as young players like Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas, and Avonte Maddox have been targeted early and often throughout the season. Getting Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills has certainly helped, but it will be something to watch on Sunday who Tom Brady identifies to go after in the passing game.
This is a big game for the Eagles. Another tough match up with the Seahawks awaits them next week and it will be crucial for the Birds to at the very least split these two games. It will be a packed and rowdy crowd at The Linc that is sure to have an affect on the game. If this were in Foxborough it would be a different story as the Eagles have not played well on the road this year as they are 2-3. The Patriots are a tough opponent regardless of where the game is played and should put up a good fight that is surely going to be entertaining for those watching and in attendance. However, if the Eagles can play complementary football in all three phases and feed off of the crowd's energy then they should have a shot to come away with a much needed victory.
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