Philadelphia Eagles: Taking the torch in Super Bowl LII

With a 38-7 win over the Vikings in the NFC Conference Championship, the Philadelphia Eagles are poised to take the proverbial torch from the Patriots.

In mid-July, Philadelphia Eagles‘ head coach Doug Pederson made what at the time seemed like an insane observation that placed the entirity of football nation on high alert.

Pederson was on the Superbowl XXXI winning Green Bay Packer team, he was a backup to Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. That team defeated the New England Patriots 35-21. They made it back to the big dance the next year, but fell short of repeating, losing to the Denver Broncos 31-24. Pederson, who would know, looked at this years Eagles roster from top to bottom and stated that this years Eagles team is as talented, if not more talented than those championship teams of the 90’s.

Pederson, at the time, was entering into his second season as head coach after leaving former Eagles coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs where he served as offensive coordinator from 2013-2015. In his first year, he led the young squad, with then-rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, to a disappointing 7-9 season. Enter Eagles executive vice president Howie Roseman stage left and for fans of a franchise that has NEVER won a Super Bowl January 22, 2018, feels so much different than this time last year.

When potential MVP candidate quarterback Wentz went down with a season-ending injury the world counted the Eagles out. But Pederson, who was the only person to work out Nick Foles prior to the Eagles drafting him in the third round in the 2012 draft, knew that he had a winner under center and backed his backup QB. When Pederson brought Foles over to back up young Wentz it was a welcome signing for Eagles fans who never understood why former head coach Chip Kelly traded him away, to begin with.

Now the Eagles, led by Foles will face the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX, which the Eagles lost 24-21. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be looking to defend his Super Bowl win of last year and looking to win his record sixth Super Bowl win.

But this is more than just about Foles shocking the football world with his amazing performance against a historically stout Vikings defense. It is more than the fact that the Eagles lost four All-Pro caliber players (Wentz, Jason Peters, Darren Sproles and Jordan Hicks) to season-ending injuries and still securing the top seed. This is a chance for the underdog Eagles to finally surpass the Patriots, who have never had losing season since Brady took over in 2001, on a national stage.

When the Eagles take the field on February 4th in Minneapolis, they will be attempting to stop the Patriots from becoming the ninth team in NFL history to repeat as Super Bowl champions the following year after hoisting the coveted Lombardi trophy. Nobody is surprised that the Patriots are back in the big dance because we have come to expect the unexpected from 40-year-old Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

But almost nobody outside of Philadelphia and its die-hard fans expected their opponent to be the Eagles, especially after some pundits spent the offseason wondering if Pederson was even an NFL caliber coach.

If the Eagles win Super Bowl XXXIX then next year they get their all-world quarterback back we all know what type of team the Eagles are when Wentz is behind center. Roseman has some key personnel decisions to make because the Eagles will be over the cap limit heading into next season, but the core of the team is signed through 2019 with some key players on this special team signed through 2021.

The Eagles are now poised and positioned to establish their dynasty in shocking fashion. Foles is the third quarterback to reach the Superbowl after playing in less than three games in the regular season, and the other two closed the deal (Earl Morrall, Colts 1970; Jeff Hostetler, Giants 1990).

With Wentz working feverishly in an effort to get back in time for opening day 2018, the Eagles, Pederson, and the aforementioned Wentz have a chance to chase down the Patriots’ unmatched playoff success. It is just sweet irony that the Eagles get to start there against the most productive head coach/quarterback combination in NFL history. Brady and Belichick will be representing the AFC in the Super Bowl for the eight time.

In a Super Bowl that matches up two cities that represent the birth of this great nation (Declaration of Independence in Philly; Boston Tea Party in New England), the birth of a new dynasty could also be witnessed.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Resigning Patrick Robinson must be a priority

It’s been a wild and crazy ride but all roads to Minneapolis and Super Bowl LII went through Philadelphia and now the underdog again, Eagles will try to fly into NFL history on February 4th.

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