With Super Bowl 52 on Sunday, now seems like the appropriate time to look into some of the key players heading into the matchup.
Key for the New England Patriots: Go Deep With Gronk
Earlier in the week, I said that the Patriots were going to need Rob Gronkowski to play on Sunday and it seems like he’ll be a full go for the big game. Why is he such a big deal for this ballgame? Well, for one he’ll be another target for the Eagles secondary to focus on. However, the stats show that he’ll be a nuisance depending on how they use him.
When looking at the analytics, Philly’s defense isn’t half bad against tight ends when compared to wideouts, allowing 6.6 yards per attempt and a 47 percent success rate against tight ends. They’ll have to focus in on Gronk, especially when it comes to the deep ball. The Eagles have the worst success rate in the league against tight ends on passes of 15 yards or more with a 62% success rate. You pair that up with one of the better TEs in the league right now in that spot, could be trouble for the Eagles.
Key for the Philadelphia Eagle: Jenkins/Robinson Combo
The key for the Eagles this Sunday is the secondary as a whole considering how deficient the Patriots run game looks when compared to the other team. That being said, Malcolm Jenkins and Patrick Robinson have to be playing the best games of their respective careers for two seperate reasons.
With Jenkins being the veteran when compared to the rest of the secondary, this team will rely on their leader when US Bank Stadium gets rowdy. Patrick Robinson will need to have a similar game to what he had in the NFC title game because it’s safe to say his pick six shifted momentum in favor of Philly. It’s easier said than done against one of, if not the best quarterback in the history of the league. Besides, are you that confident in Nick Foles ability to lead this team to a Lombardi trophy?
Final Thoughts:
There’s strong cases to be made for both teams, but I really think that Tom Brady and the Patriots will get one more Lombardi to solidify this as being one of the all-time great dynasties in sports with a 24-21 victory and Stephen Gostkowski hitting one through the uprights late in the ballgame.
-Clint Domingue