New England Patriots To Face Philadelphia Eagles At Super Bowl

The defending NFL Champion New England Patriots will face the Philadelphia Eagles at the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minnesota — setting the teams up for a rematch of their 2005 league championship contest and giving Philadelphia a chance to avenge the sting of that loss.

New England quarterback Tom Brady rallied his team in the final minutes for a comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the American Football Conference championship. Brady threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola with just 2:48 left on the clock, putting the Patriots at 24-20.

The Associated Press notes: "Brady, who was questionable for the game with a right hand injury, showed no ill effects and completed 26 of 38 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns, including the big one on the Pats' five-play, 30-yard drive in the final minutes."

Later, the Eagles overcame the Minnesota Vikings as Philadelphia's quarterback Nick Foles tossed three touchdown passes, chalking up an unassailable 38-7 lead against the Vikings for the National Football Conference title.

According to Reuters:

"The Vikings looked to tie the game — or at least kick a field goal — late in the first half, but [quarterback Case] Keenum was sacked by Derek Barnett on third-and-5 from the Philadelphia 16. [Chris] Long recovered the fumble.

Foles proved his mettle on the ensuing possession as he tossed a spectacular 53-yard touchdown pass to [Alshon] Jeffery on third-and-10, giving the Eagles a 21-7 lead with 1:09 remaining in the half. Foles was able to move around long enough to be able to deliver the deep pass."

As ESPN writes:

"The Patriots kicked off the season as the consensus Super Bowl favorites with odds around 5-2 and, after a few early hiccups, remained the team to beat at Las Vegas sportsbooks for the majority of the season.

The Eagles were 40-1 to win the Super Bowl at the Westgate SuperBook in September. They got off to a 10-2 start but lost quarterback Carson Wentz to a knee injury in early December. Backup quarterback Nick Foles stepped in and led the Eagles to back-to-back wins in the playoffs. Philadelphia was an underdog in each of its playoff games, against the Atlanta Falcons and Sunday against the Vikings."

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