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Super Bowl LII: Breaking down the top 5 matchups to watch

By Jay Marsdale

FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots communicates at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots communicates at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots communicates at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots communicates at the line of scrimmage during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Super Bowl LII is this Sunday and the entire country will be watching to see who is crowned champion in 2018. There are several key matchups to keep a close eye on for both the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots.

The NFL season has boiled down to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots.

The Eagles are the underdogs having lost their star quarterback Carson Wentz at the end of the regular season. Now backup Nick Foles has taken the reins and led the Eagles all the way to the Super Bowl.

Foles and the Eagles are going up against the Patriots in what seems like the perfect David-versus-Goliath storyline. The Patriots are, once again, in the Super Bowl as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are going for their sixth championship together.

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    • You can almost pencil them into this game every year even before the season begins.

    There are five key matchups to look forward to for the big game. Whether it be one unit against another or even one player verses another player, these matchups will decide who wins and loses Super Bowl LII.

    No. 1: Philadelphia’s defensive line vs. New England’s offensive line

    The Eagles’ strength as a team is on the defensive side of the ball, and they are facing the hardest test in football. That test comes in one of the greatest quarterback’s of all time, Brady. Pair him with one of the greatest coaches of all time in Belichick, and the Eagles are facing a mountain of a climb come Sunday.

    However, the Patriots have, and can, be beaten a game like this. Both times a Brady-led team has lost in the Super Bowl, the underlying key was pressure. The New York Giants were able to apply pressure to Brady while not needing to rush more than four or five defenders. That is easier said than done, as many teams have tried and failed. But that’s the Eagles’ only hope of pulling off the upset victory this weekend.

    Those Giants teams were led by their defensive lines just like this Philadelphia team. Players like Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora made Brady uncomfortable all game and disrupted his usually impeccable timing and accuracy.

    The Eagles defensive line has a chance to do the same thing. Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Chris Long have been tearing up opposing offensive lines this postseason and they have to do the same in the Super Bowl.

    It has to be the defensive line that is applying the pressure, though. If you are forced to send blitz packages at Brady, he will find the holes and exploit them all game long. The defensive line has to be trusted to get solid penetration and trust its defensive backs can cover well enough to give them time to get to Brady.

    It is a tall task, but it’s by no means impossible.