The Eagles haven’t gone to a Super Bowl since the 2004-2005 season. The Eagles haven’t won a Super Bowl ever. Now, in 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles will look to finally bring the Lombardi Trophy to Philly.

After defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Conference Championship game by a whopping score of 38-7, the Eagles will be headed to Super Bowl LII to face off against the New England Patriots.
Super Bowl LII will be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX. The Eagles lost to the Patriots in a heartbreaking loss, 24-21. The Eagles will be looking for blood. So, what do the Birds have to do to win the Super Bowl this year.

Let’s start on offense.

In the absence of Carson Wentz, Nick Foles has relatively shined. He led the Eagles through the second half of the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons, propelling them to the win. Foles dominated against the Vikings, throwing for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns

Foles had so much success against the Vikings, because his offensive line protected him from defenders really well, giving him time and space to throw the football to his receivers. The o-line needs to protect Foles again in the Super Bowl.

When Foles has good protection, he stays calm in the pocket. This allows Foles to get more time to find an open receiver, but more importantly, not turn the ball over.

The Eagles offense as a whole needs to set the tone for the game. Against the Vikings, the Eagles set the tone with their defense when Patrick Robinson returned a Case Keenum interception for a touchdown. Against the Patriots in the Super Bowl, the offense should be the one to set the tone.

The Eagles run game has been a forced to be reckoned with for the whole season. Jay Ajayi leads the way with LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement behind him, but in order for the offense to be successful, each of the three running backs needs a certain role in the big game. Jay Ajayi needs to get the bulk of the carries. LeGarrette Blount needs to run the ball on short yardage situations whether it’s near the goal-line or a yard away from a first down. Corey Clement needs to run the ball on 3rd down situations. Clement should also play a role in catching passes from Foles. Ajayi can catch too. Head coach Doug Pederson needs to utilize his running backs to his advantage.

Lastly, the Eagles offense has to get positive yardage on first and second downs to make third down short and manageable

Now onto the Eagles defense.

Obviously, you have to defend against Tom Brady well. This will be Brady’s 8th time in the Super Bowl. He has so much experience and is lethal with the football, even at the age of 40.

The Eagles defensive line needs to get pressure on Brady. Brady cannot receive unlimited time in the pocket because if he does, he will beat you. It is crucial for the Eagles defensive line to disrupt Brady’s passes and make him uncomfortable.

When the Patriots played the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Conference Championship game, the Jaguars had gotten to Brady in the first half of the game, only limiting him and the Patriots to ten points. The Jaguars ran out of gas in the second half, and coughed the game up to the Patriots. The Eagles defense has to keep their foot on the pedal for the entire Super Bowl game.

Another thing the Eagles defense needs to do is watch out for the Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski. “Gronk” is a massive human being who will do anything to make a play. I would advise the Eagles to double cover Gronkowksi or else the Brady to Gronkowski combination will dominate for the entire game. If you can’t stop Gronk, you could at least contain him. A receiver for the Eagles defense to watch is Brandin Cooks, a player who can beat you deep with his legs.

The last thing the Eagles need to do to win is weigh the footballs that will be used for the Super Bowl. You never know with those Patriots, or should I say “Deflatriots.”