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[Teach]

Why the Philadelphia Eagles will win Super Bowl 52:

1. Nick Foles has a cannon for an arm. He’ll be heaving “mortars” all over the field. No, they won’t always hit their target; yet, when you throw the ball 35 or 40 times, you’re bound to have several completions. Foles has thrown 7 TDs this year at an average of 21 yds. per throw. The Patriots secondary is porous. They rank in the bottom third of the NFL. I don’t think the Patriots pass rush is that impressive. I’m sure the Eagles will keep the Pats’ defensive line honest with occasional ground plays and play-action.

2. The Eagles can “move the chains”. The Eagles were third in the NFL in third-down conversions. In the playoffs, they’ve been 16 for 27, a ridiculous 60%. Much of this was against the Minnesota Vikings who have the best third-down defense in history. Both the Jaguars and Titans, the Patriots playoff opponents, ranked in the lower half of the NFL teams when it came to 3rd down conversions. One of the ways to beat the Patriots is to keep Tom Brady off the field.

3. The Eagles have the best defensive line in football. The Eagles allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL. Philadelphia will not allow Brady much time to set up in the pocket. Result: hurried throws, incompletions, sacks, and interceptions. Further, the Eagles have a lot of depth. This has allowed defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to keep his top linemen, Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry, fresh for the playoffs. The key again will be to put pressure on Tom Brady. The Patriots team, as a whole, are much less effective when Brady is under pressure, i.e., three or more sacks. Finally, of the two defensive lines, the Eagles are fresher. The Patriots linemen, on the other hand, have suffered their share of nagging injuries.

4. One final point: The status of Ron Gronkowski. “Gronk” took quite a helmet-to-helmet shot in the Jaguars game. His status, with a little over one week to the Super Bowl, is still unclear. He must go through the concussion protocol. Sometimes those type of head injuries heal quickly, sometimes they don’t. If “Gronk” can’t go, then all the more reason to believe the Eagles will win the Super Bowl. If “Gronk” is out, that’s one less weapon for Brady. If that’s the case, watch for double-coverage on Amendola. The Eagles may well just shut down the Brady-led Patriots offense and then take advantage of the suspect Patriots defense.