Super Bowl 52
Alex Stewart The Santa ClaraFebruary 1, 2018With Super Bowl 52 only a few days away, it’s time to take a look at the two teams and predict the future. The New England Patriots are back in their typical Goliath fashion, with the spread at five points in their favor.Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is having an MVP caliber season at age 40, an unprecedented achievement in recent history. One of Brady’s favorite targets, tight end Rob Gronkowski, is questionable to play due to a concussion. All signs point to Gronkowski playing, however, as the NFL wants to see the biggest names on the field on the biggest game on the season. A win here in his eighth Super Bowl appearance wouldn’t just reinforce Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback ever, but would suggest that he is the best athlete ever in any team sport. Head Coach Bill Belichick would cement himself as the greatest NFL coach of all time with this win, pushing his ring total to six. As much as America despises watching the Patriots repeatedly win, you can’t help but marvel at the dynasty they havecultivated with a fired Cleveland Browns coach in Belichick, and a sixth round compensatory pick in Brady.The Philadelphia Eagles will be trying to pull the upset, and America does love a good underdog. Feelgood quarterback Nick Foles, combined with the two headed running back monster in Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount and a threatening defense just might be enough for an Eagles victory against the Patriots. Foles has been an American favorite since MVP candidate Carson Went went down with a torn ACL.The Eagles were convinced they’d have no shot in making it to the Super Bowl. Foles has played well in the last few weeks, and will look to minimize offensive mistakes and let his running backs handle most of the workload. Foles, the running backs and the high flying defense will look to do the unthinkable and give those crazy Eagles fans their first ring in franchise history.This game might turn out to be one of the highest scoring in recent years. Sure, the Eagles have an above average run and pass defense, but they are going against the top offense in the league, led by possibly the greatest quarterback in NFL history. The Eagles’ offense is also favored over the Patriots’ defense.The porous defense of the Patriots will allow Foles, those running backs and the Eagles’ stellar offensive line to keep the score close. Tom Brady and the Patriots always play close Super Bowls, so prepare for a must-watch game from start to finish. All in all, expect a lot of offense, some controversial calls and for some Patriots magic yet again when New England beats Philadelphia 37-34.Alex Stewart is a sophomore economics major.