Surprise surprise, the New England Patriots return to the biggest event in football for the eighth time since 2002 in a quest for both the Patriots and Tom Brady’s sixth Super Bowl win. Their opponents? The we’ve-never-won-a-super-bowl, Philadelphia Eagles.

Taking into account Super Bowl wins and overall prowess over the past ten years, the Patriots should absolutely obliterate the Eagles. However,the Eagles may have an edge this season.

Lets take a look at these Eagles. About ten games into the season, many analysts picked them as Super Bowl contenders. Then quarterback Carson Wentz tore his ACL in a game against the Los Angeles Rams. Backup Nick Foles went under major scrutiny for the remainder of the season but proved decent enough to run Philly’s sneaky offense. Other than Foles, it seemed as though the Eagles were set. It was a matter of if he would be good enough to keep the Eagles standing.

In both their playoff games, the Eagles were pitted as underdogs. Against the Falcons in the second week of the playoffs, Philly won 15-10. This was disappointing considering the weapons they have on offense, but they showed an amazing display on defense, shutting down the renowned Atlanta scoring capability. In the NFC championship, Foles dominated against the Minnesota Vikings stellar defense with 352 yards and three touchdown passes with no interceptions. This brought the underdog Eagles to a 38-7 win over the Vikings. The point here is, the Vikings were a serious contender for the Super Bowl. With their success, most expected them to win a decent game against the Foles-led Eagles. But Foles proved everybody wrong, absolutely dicing up the stout Minnesota defense.

The Patriot’s two playoff games showed how New England typically wins games. They had an easy win against the Tennessee Titans, followed by a comeback win against a more solid Jaguar team. Despite the Patriots underperforming at times this season, they are now in the post season and winning, something they know how to do. Blake Bortles and the referees may get the blame for the Jaguars losing their lead in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship, but New England is never out of the game, see Super Bowl LI.

However, there are a few ways this Super Bowl can go down. One where the Eagles shut down the Patriots for half the game with a Patriots comeback coming up short. Another outcome is Foles being picked on by a deceiving pass rush line from the Patriots, and Rob Gronkowski going off against Philly for a convincing win in favor of New England. Or this wild card: Foles does what he did against the Vikings, and the Eagles knock the Patriots into next season. Of course, all of those scenarios could be blown up if Brady decides to pull a “Brady” and just take over, again see Super Bowl LI.

There can only be one winner, and each team carries a different story and desire for Super Bowl LII glory. Football fans, get excited for a Super Bowl that will either add to a legacy or begin a new one.