Posted January 29, 2018 at 05:30 AM | Updated January 29, 2018 at 05:32 AM
By Eliot Shorr-Parks | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
BLOOMINGTON — Those dog masks that have taken over Philadelphia and are set to overtake Minnesota this upcoming weekend for Super Bowl LII? They are there for a reason — the Eagles are underdogs against the New England Patriots.
That doesn’t mean, however, that they can’t beat them.
The Eagles are very capable of capturing their first ever Lombardi trophy this Sunday, but to do so, they must do these nine things better than the Patriots:
San Francisco 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles
Elsa | GETTY IMAGES
CREATE TURNOVERS
The Eagles have been one of the best defenses in the NFL this season for a number of reasons, but perhaps the top reason is their ability to create turnovers. The Eagles created 31 turnovers during the regular season, and then took the ball away three times from the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship. It is close to impossible to rattle the Patriots, but taking the ball away will give the Eagles’ offense the extra possessions they are going to need to win the game
RUN THE BALL
It is possible the Eagles could win without running the ball successfully — but it isn’t likely. The Eagles need their run game more than ever now that Nick Foles is at quarterback instead of Carson Wentz. They have the personnel to run the ball against the Patriots, and doing so successfully will not only help the offense, but it will help them control the clock — and keep Patriots quarterback Tom Brady off the field.
PRESSURE THE QUARTERBACK
It might be this simple — if the Eagles don’t pressure the quarterback, they will not win the game. Brady is not the same player when he has pressure up the middle, and pressuring Brady is the way the Falcons got up 28-3 on Brady in last year’s Super Bowl. Although the Falcons got tired in the second half, the Eagles have far more depth than Atlanta does on their defensive line, and should be able to keep it up throughout the game. If they want to win, they’ll have to.