Will The Eagles Win Their First Super Bowl?

The Philadelphia Eagles have not won the Super Bowl in the history of their franchise, but will have the opportunity to end their drought on Sunday.

Philadelphia have been defeated in their two previous trips to compete for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. They suffered their first loss in the 1980 season at the hands of the Oakland Raiders.

Under Andy Reid they made it back in the 2004 campaign, only to be defeated by the New England Patriots. They will have an opportunity to exact their revenge on Bill Belichick’s men at US Bank Stadium.

Their journey has been far from uneventful. Carson Wentz appeared to be leading the Eagles on a surge towards the Super Bowl, but he was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL in his side’s win on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.

Nick Foles has been the steady hand in the 24-year-old’s place. The quarterback was good enough in the Divisional Round against the Atlanta Falcons, putting 15 points on the board.

He took his performance to the next level in the NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings. Foles threw for 352 passing yards and three touchdowns to guide the Eagles to a dominant victory and now has the task of replicating that form against New England.

The defense has been the foundation of Philadelphia’s success. Doug Pederson will need his defensive unit to have one of the performances of their lives to hold Tom Brady and the Patriots at bay to secure the Vince Lombardi trophy for the first time.

We’ll now break down where the Eagles can win the game and how they could lose it.

Why The Eagles Can Win Super Bowl LII

Philadelphia played an outstanding game against one of the best teams in the NFL in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles destroyed the Minnesota Vikings, despite being considered underdogs for the contest on home soil. Pederson’s men have relished being written off in the post-season. They’ve gone as far as wearing dog masks after their victories and encouraging their fans to don them during matches. They’ve risen to the occasion without Wentz, who would have surely guided the club through to the Super Bowl if not for his ACL injury.

Foles has played well in the post-season, remaining mistake-free. His performance against the Vikings was outstanding, throwing three touchdowns to put the NFC North outfit and their number-one ranked defense to the sword. The 29-year-old is capable of replicating that form. He has the receivers to connect with downfield, who should be able to win their respective matchups. Alshon Jeffery has the size advantage over Stephon Gilmore. Zach Ertz and Torrey Smith will be determined to edge out Patrick Chung and Eric Rowe.  If he remains error-free once again and is able to find the endzone with regularity as he did in the NFC title game – it may be enough for the Eagles.

The defense holds the key for the Eagles. They boast an eight-man rotation on their defensive line. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham hold the key to their success. If they can beat their man with regularity and knock Brady around then Philadelphia will be able to hold New England under 30 points. The Patriots will score, but if the Eagles channel the exploits of the New York Giants 2007 and 2011 teams they will give their offense a chance to win the contest.

Why The Eagles Could Lose Super Bowl LII

Foles could be the deciding factor. The Vikings were flying high with Case Keenum as the backup quarterback played above his station for the majority of the campaign. However, he put forward a below-par performance against the Eagles. Foles is just as capable of doing the same against New England and the best coach in the history of the NFL. The 29-year-old has been solid in the post-season, but the Patriots will test him in ways that other teams have not. Their players are disciplined and will be determined to force Foles to beat downfield.

The quarterback was on the money in the NFC title game, connecting twice with Jeffery and Smith in the endzone. However, the pressure of the Super Bowl will weigh into the mix. New England will be determined to take the running game away. They succeeded in doing so against the Jacksonville Jaguars. At some point in the contest Foles will have to make the decisive throws on third down. Eli Manning has proven that it can be done, with the aid of spectacular catches. Whether Foles has the character or fortune to pull it off is another matter.

Defensively the secondary and linebacking corps has to hold up if the pass-rush fails to get to Brady. The Patriots quarterback victimised Falcons’ cornerback Jalen Collins in Super Bowl LI. Philadelphia cannot afford to have a weak line as Brady will expose it. Nigel Bradham and Najee Goode have a massive challenge on their hands containing James White, Dion Lewis and Rob Gronkowski. If the Eagles allow Brady to find those completions over the middle of the field – they will not be able to match the Patriots score-for-score.

Betting Options

For the Eagles to win they will have to score in the 20s. Take them to score over 21.5 points at odds of 1.77Bet €100 to win €17777/100Bet £100 to win £177-130Bet $100 to win $1770.77Bet HK$100 to win HK$177-1.30Bet Rp100 to win Rp1770.7700Bet RM100 to win RM177  with Bovada, while take the Patriots to score under 27.5 points at 2.05Bet €100 to win €20521/20Bet £100 to win £205+105Bet $100 to win $2051.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$2051.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp205-0.9524Bet RM100 to win RM205 . Philadelphia may have to produce a final drive to win the contest – so take them to score the final points at 2.05Bet €100 to win €20521/20Bet £100 to win £205+105Bet $100 to win $2051.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$2051.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp205-0.9524Bet RM100 to win RM205.

To secure the victory, the Eagles will have to take the ball away from New England. Back the Patriots to commit the most turnovers at 2.30Bet €100 to win €23013/10Bet £100 to win £230+130Bet $100 to win $2301.30Bet HK$100 to win HK$2301.30Bet Rp100 to win Rp230-0.7692Bet RM100 to win RM230 . If this goes to plan – the Eagles will secure the win – take them at good value at odds of 2.78Bet €100 to win €27889/50Bet £100 to win £278+178Bet $100 to win $2781.78Bet HK$100 to win HK$2781.78Bet Rp100 to win Rp278-0.5618Bet RM100 to win RM278  with BetOnline.

Tips Summary

Philadelphia Eagles To Beat New England Patriots Super Bowl LII
Sunday 4th February 2018 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Odds: 2.78Bet €100 to win €27889/50Bet £100 to win £278+178Bet $100 to win $2781.78Bet HK$100 to win HK$2781.78Bet Rp100 to win Rp278-0.5618Bet RM100 to win RM278

Philadelphia Eagles To Score Over 21.5 Points Super Bowl LII
Sunday 4th February 2018 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Odds: 1.77Bet €100 to win €17777/100Bet £100 to win £177-130Bet $100 to win $1770.77Bet HK$100 to win HK$177-1.30Bet Rp100 to win Rp1770.7700Bet RM100 to win RM177

New England Patriots To Score Under 27.5 Points Super Bowl LII
Sunday 4th February 2018 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Odds: 2.05Bet €100 to win €20521/20Bet £100 to win £205+105Bet $100 to win $2051.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$2051.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp205-0.9524Bet RM100 to win RM205

New England Patriots To Commit Most Turnovers Super Bowl LII
Sunday 4th February 2018 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Odds: 2.30Bet €100 to win €23013/10Bet £100 to win £230+130Bet $100 to win $2301.30Bet HK$100 to win HK$2301.30Bet Rp100 to win Rp230-0.7692Bet RM100 to win RM230

Philadelphia Eagles To Score Final Points Super Bowl LII
Sunday 4th February 2018 18:30 ET (23:30 GMT)
Odds: 2.05Bet €100 to win €20521/20Bet £100 to win £205+105Bet $100 to win $2051.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$2051.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp205-0.9524Bet RM100 to win RM205