Super Bowl 52 is shaping up to be a fantastic contest between the defending champion New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. These 2 top seeded teams both share the same regular season record and exchanged Playoff performances between rounds. Both had a blowout win and both had a close victory, though the Patriots’ win over the Jaguars is a bit different than the Eagles-Falcons game. Those participating in legal football betting are mixed on their predictions. The Pats are favored to win, but the Eagles are not going to be put away quietly. We’ve found some interesting facts that could shape your Super Bowl betting agenda.
In Super Bowl 52, both teams are ranked in the top 5 in scoring offense and scoring defense. New England possesses the #2 offense and #5 defense, while Philadelphia boasts the #3 offense and #4 defense. Such balance across the board is part of the reason why the point spread is so narrow. The only other Super Bowls to feature this type of matchup were Super Bowl 4 with the Chiefs and Vikings and Super Bowl 8 between the Vikings and Dolphins.
Experience is a huge factor when playing on the NFL’s biggest stage. In the case of Super Bowl 52, the advantage is heavily lopsided towards the Patriots. New England has 32 out of 52 players on their roster with Super Bowl experience. A lot of these players were just here last year. For Philadelphia, only 6 of the 52-man roster have played in a championship game. An interesting stat to note is that teams with more experience entering the Super Bowl are a combined 22-22 against the lesser team. Part of the experience comes through Super Bowl appearances, and QB Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick have a combined 8, more than most teams in the league. Another component of this experience is through the route to the Super Bowl—the Playoffs. Brady-Belichick have the record with 27 Playoff wins, almost double the second-place duo of Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw (14).
Speaking of Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, he has the opportunity to achieve something no other player in his position has ever done. Brady led the league in passing yards this season with 4,577. If he wins Super Bowl 52, he will become the only player to lead the league in passing yards and win the championship in the same season. Historically speaking, previous passing yard leaders are 0-5 in the Super Bowl, so Brady does not have history on his side in this regard.
Touchdown-interception ratio is a major factor in determining a QB’s power ranking for the season. There are only 2 players in NFL history to throw 25+ touchdowns with 2-or-fewer interceptions. These are Tom Brady in 2016, where he had 28 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and Eagles QB Nick Foles in 2013 (27 touchdowns and 2 interceptions). Interesting that these 2 record holders should meet for a championship.
These 2 could potentially share another record if the Eagles win. Since Brady in 2001, no QB has begun the season as a backup and led his team to the Super Bowl. Foles took over when starting QB Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL. If he continues his positive play through the Super Bowl and pulls off a victory, he’ll be in the same conversation as Brady.
The Patriots may be favored to win, but this Eagles team is the toughest they’ve ever faced in a Super Bowl. Out of New England’s previous 7 Super Bowl appearances, none of their opponents had both a top 5 offense and defense. Perhaps this is why more bets are going the Eagles’ way.
Could Foles and the Eagles pull off the upset? If they do, Foles joins elite company and the Eagles will have their first franchise championship. Or, can the Patriots control their destiny and win their 6th title. Brady is looking at quite the career with this win. Either way it goes, fans are in for a spectacular game.