Patriots out to Avenge Super Bowl Loss
It’s been almost two years since the Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LII. They’ll finally meet again this Sunday in Philadelphia. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies over Lincoln Financial Field and temperatures in the high 40s at game time.
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -4.5 O/U: 45
Quite a few things have changed since these teams last met. The Eagles (5-4 SU, 4-5 ATS) haven’t been the same since QB Nick Foles left town. Carson Wentz has been more league-average than MVP this year. Which happens a lot with young quarterbacks. The Patriots (8-1 SU, 6-3 ATS) have turned themselves into a defensive juggernaut. It only helps the quality returns they’re getting from 42-year-old QB Tom Brady.
Philadelphia’s defense also hasn’t been nearly as good as it was in 2017 partly due to a wave of injuries. The receiving corps is down a man after WR DeSean Jackson went on injured reserve last Tuesday with an abdominal tear. The Eagles have re-signed a familiar face to replace Jackson. They inked Jordan Matthews, who played in Philly from 2014-16 and again last year. Matthews was available as a free agent after failing to latch on with the San Francisco 49ers.
New England quarterback Tom Brady has six Super Bowl rings but acknowledged there was a lot of “mental scar tissue” from the 41-33 loss to Philadelphia. “They deserved it that year and now a couple years later we get a chance to play the organization again,” Brady said. “We’ve had a lot changes. They’ve had a lot of changes. It’s totally different circumstances. Huge game for us. Big game for them. The better team is going to win.”
While the Patriots’ aura of defensive invincibility was punctured in a 37-20 loss at Baltimore before last week’s bye, the Eagles have moved back into a tie for first place in the NFC East. The ascension came from back-to-back wins at Buffalo and against Chicago prior to their week off. “I think the biggest thing that jumps out to you right now, the glaring thing, is the turnover ratio,” Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson said of the Patriots. “I mean, the fact that they’ve got six defensive scores this season … it’s a brand of defense where they just smother you.”
This, That, and a Dart Throw
The Patriots are in familiar territory with a 8-1 record on the season. New England entered its Week 9 matchup leading the league in points allowed (7.6), interceptions (19) and sacks (31). Those eye-popping stats could not help them solve Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. The young phenom threw for one touchdown and ran for two more. Brady was held to one touchdown or less for the fourth time in six games. He established a rapport with recent acquisition Mohamed Sanu, who hauled in 10 receptions for 81 yards and a score in his second game with the club. Running back Sony Michel had a season-low four carries versus the Ravens. He has yet to gain 100 yards this season after reaching doing it six times during his rookie season. New England’s defense is allowing 99.1 yards per game on the ground.
The Eagles are 5-4 on the season. Philadelphia absorbed lopsided road losses at Minnesota and Dallas before rebounding with an impressive 31-13 victory in Buffalo. They then rolled off a 22-14 win over Chicago. Carson Wentz, who missed the Super Bowl victory over New England due to a knee injury, has 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions over his last seven games. He will be dealing with a patchwork wide receiver corps this afternoon. Alshon Jeffery (ankle) did not practice and is out for a second straight game. With DeSean Jackson on injured reserve the Eagles may lean on the running back tandem of Jordan Howard (525 yards, 6 TD’s rushing) and rookie Miles Sanders. Philadelphia ranks eighth defensively overall and fourth versus the run giving up only 87.3 yards per game.
Please Read our Review and See Why we Recommend JazzSports!!
The Dart Throw: Patriots 23, Eagles 17
Patriots vs Eagles Trends
| Philadelphia Eagles |
|---|
| Philadelphia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games |
| Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games |
| Philadelphia is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games at home |
| Philadelphia is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home |
| The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Philadelphia’s last 17 games at home |
| Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New England |
| Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing New England |
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games when playing New England |
| Philadelphia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against New England |
| New England Patriots |
|---|
| New England is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games |
| New England is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 15 of New England’s last 21 games |
| New England is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road |
| New England is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New England’s last 6 games on the road |
| New England is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia |
| New England is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia |
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of New England’s last 6 games when playing Philadelphia |
| New England is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia |
Get a 150% Free Play Bonus up to $1K by using code HHS100 if you don’t like the above Bonus