Super Bowl LII might be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX, but when it comes to the New England Patriots, they have no match.
In the 17 years of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, New England has experienced unprecedented success, making eight Super Bowls and winning five, capturing 15 division titles and advancing to seven straight AFC title games. The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, are far less experienced, from the second-year coach and the backup quarterback on down.
The Patriots have the biggest advantage in combined postseason experience (240 games) in a Super Bowl matchup since the 1970 merger. While Brady has played in seven Super Bowls by himself, Philly's entire 53-man roster had played in a combined seven.
All this makes for a massive gap in experience and prestige, a statistical void that could psyche out the young Eagles.
"That's obviously a real question. That's a real issue that you have," he told reporters Thursday. "These guys have been there. They've done it. They've proven it time and time again. My biggest focus with the team is let's just focus on today. Let's just win today. Let's get better today, and we'll worry about that when we get to the game.
"Obviously, it's a credit to what the Patriots have done, and their careers, and their history, and everybody is trying to win championships like that, but we've just got to focus on today."
Pederson reiterated that living in the now and focusing on winning the next game is the only way to avoid dwelling Brady and Belichick's aura.
"You know what? If I make this all about them, we're in trouble," Pederson added. "Honestly, we're in trouble. Everything's going to be written about it -- everything has been written about it -- talked about it, debated, and it's about us. I'll keep saying that. It's about what we do and how well we execute, and I can't worry about that."
