Super Bowl 52 odds: Patriots favored over Eagles
By Brad Weiss
The Philadelphia Eagles have gotten no respect from oddsmakers this playoff season, and that trend continued on Sunday night.
As has been the case the entire playoffs, the Philadelphia Eagles come into their Super Bowl matchup with the New England Patriots as underdogs. Bookmakers posted their first lines after the Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, and some have them getting as much as seven points. That is a big number for a Super Bowl, and after holding on to this underdog mantra for the first few rounds of the playoffs, the Eagles will likely rally around it next month.
To get here, both teams had to navigate their own conference, and it was a tough one for each team. The Patriots were the top seed in the AFC, and had a bye in the Wild Card Round. In the Divisional Round, they blasted the Tennessee Titans, who had no business being on the same field as them. They had to battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, as they were down ten points in the fourth quarter, but Tom Brady showed his magic once again, pulling out a 24-20 win.
Like the Patriots, the Eagles were also the top seed in their division, but the feeling about the team was less than hopeful on the outside looking in. Star quarterback Carson Wentz blew out his knee in Week 13, and the team was rolling with Nick Foles the rest of the way. Foles played decently in the team’s Divisional Round win against Atlanta, but he exploded for a huge game in the team’s 38-7 rout of Minnesota on Sunday night.
Next: Jaguars have ample reasons to believe in future
Odds do not mean anything, and if the Eagles do beat the Patriots two Sundays from now, it would not be the first time an underdog came in and beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. That team was the New York Giants, twice, and maybe that NFC East magic can rub off on the Eagles on February 4. One thing is for sure, if the Eagles team we saw on Sunday night shows up for the Super Bowl, the spread will be much smaller than it is listed at right now.