Will the New England Patriots go back-to-back, giving Tom Brady and Bill Belichick a sixth Lombardi Trophy? Can Nick Foles and a ferocious defense pull off the upset, giving the Philadelphia Eagles their first Super Bowl title? Which players will seize the international spotlight shining on U.S. Bank Stadium? Our analysts provide their predictions for Super Bowl LII.
**Why the Patriots will win:** The
Eagles have great chemistry, obvious talent and the type of mental toughness that is essential to winning a championship. What they don't have is
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:** The
Patriots will force
Eagles quarterback
Nick Foles into three interceptions.
**Why the Patriots will win:** Without simply chalking it up to
Nick Foles' supposed shortcomings, New England has an advantage in the passing game -- provided
Fletcher Cox doesn't dominate and the
Eagles' front doesn't collapse the pocket all day.
**MVP:** Dion Lewis
**Bold prediction:**
Chris Long strip-sacks
Tom Brady late in the game to get the
Eagles back in it.
Danny Amendola catches his second TD of the game to ice it.
**Why the Eagles will win:** I don't see any holes on the
Eagles, which is a big reason why they are in this position. I do, however, see holes within New England's roster. The wild-card question is, can Foles outplay Brady in this game? In 10 matchups, Foles might win one. But this could be the one.
**MVP:** Nick Foles
**Bold prediction:** All of the above.
**Why the Patriots will win:** The
Eagles will force the
Patriots to win with their outside receivers, so that's exactly what
Brandin Cooks and
Chris Hogan do.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:** A missed extra point by
Jake Elliott will help decide the game.
**Why the Patriots will win:**
Tom Brady. For all the reasons to believe in the
Eagles, including advantages up front, it's tough to bet against a guy who has proven so many times he can elevate his team on the biggest stage.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:** Teams that win the turnover battle are 37-6 in the
Super Bowl. The
Eagles buck the trend.
**Why the Patriots will win:** I spent a great deal of time with players and coaches from both teams, including
Tom Brady and Doug Pederson, this week. As of Monday, I was convinced by the confidence of the
Eagles that Philly would win, but after visiting with Brady again on Wednesday, I changed my mind. How can you pick against Brady and Bill Belichick?
**MVP:**
Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Nate Solder and the rest of the
Patriots' O-line will keep the
Eagles' pass rush at bay, and
Tom Brady will go the whole game without being sacked once.
**Why the Eagles will win:** Bill Belichick's coaching staff has to solve more problems on both sides of the ball than Doug Pederson's staff. Give me the more balanced, complete, loose team here.
**MVP:** Fletcher Cox
**Bold prediction:** See above. Cox will be an absolute game-wrecker and drop
Tom Brady two times with a handful of other pressures.
**Why the Patriots will win:**
Tom Brady will expose whoever matches up against his main targets,
Danny Amendola and
Rob Gronkowski.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Nick Foles orchestrates a game-winning drive ... but leaves too much time on the clock for Brady.
**Why the Eagles will win:** Philly gets out to an early lead, but as we've seen time and time again,
Tom Brady mounts a seemingly inevitable comeback. However, this time the
Eagles' defense comes up with a big play to seal their first championship and squash Brady's last-gasp, fourth-quarter assault.
**MVP:** Malcolm Jenkins
**Bold prediction:**
LeGarrette Blount and
Jay Ajayi combine for more than 200 rushing yards.
**Why the Patriots will win:** You can never count
Tom Brady out. No matter the situation, he has the ability to lift his team to victory.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Danny Amendola has 125 receiving yards and a TD.
**Why the Patriots will win:** Philly has matchups and needed confidence, but I'm not picking against Brady and Belichick.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Brandin Cooks is unstoppable!
**Why the Eagles will win:** Bill Belichick takes away what teams do best offensively, but Philly is just to balanced offensively. The
Eagles' interior pass rush will be too much for the Pats' offensive line to handle, keeping
Tom Brady under pressure all game long.
**MVP:** Nick Foles
**Bold prediction:**
Corey Clement -- not
LeGarrette Blount or
Jay Ajayi -- is the back who makes the difference for the
Eagles.
**Why the Patriots will win:** New England's red-zone defense shuts down Philly, while the
Eagles' D can't stop
Tom Brady.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Corey Clement gives Philadelphia's offense a spark, but the Pats' defense eventually adjusts to his speed to stop him.
**Why the Patriots will win:** At this point, I'm not picking against
Tom Brady. There isn't a situation he can't get the
Patriots out of.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Tom Brady has a rushing touchdown. Does it get much bolder than that?
**Why the Patriots will win:** Asking
Nick Foles to solve the
Patriots after Bill Belichick has had two weeks to prepare is a Herculean task. Asking the
Eagles' defense to pick up the slack against a Tom Brady-led offense for four quarters feels equally formidable.
**MVP:** Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Phillip Dorsett will validate New England's
Jacoby Brissett trade with 80 yards and a touchdown.
**Why the Eagles will win:**
Tom Brady says this
Eagles defensive line is the best he'll face all year -- and the Philly front will prove him right, dominating the line of scrimmage on
Super Bowl Sunday.
**MVP:** LeGarrette Blount
**Bold prediction:** The
Eagles will score
*two* non-offensive touchdowns, taking some of the pressure off
Nick Foles, who won't play perfectly, but well enough.
**Why the Patriots will win:** I really love the way the
Eagles have embraced the underdog mentality and this is great, but
Tom Brady once again rallies the
Patriots late for the victory.
**MVP:**
Tom Brady
**Bold prediction:**
Danny Amendola sets a
Super Bowl record with 14 receptions.
**Why the Patriots will win:** I'm trying out some reverse psychology here. I've picked against the
Eagles throughout the playoffs and they keep winning. I hope that trend continues.
**MVP:** Rob Gronkowski
**Bold prediction:**
Dion Lewis has at least 100 rushing yards.
