The Eagles are heading to their third Super Bowl in franchise history. Their last Super Bowl appearance ended with a loss to the Patriots, and fans aren’t convinced they will bring home a win this time around either. However, the Eagles do have a good shot at winning this after their 38-7 upset against the Vikings for the Conference Championship.

Led by Head Coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles’ coaches have shaped this roster carefully. Many NFL experts have called the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster one of the best in the league. They have been on display since Carson Wentz tore his ACL and backup quarterback Nick Foles stepped into the spotlight. Foles threw 352 yards with three touchdowns in the Conference Championship game. Foles is trying to become the first backup quarterback to win a Super Bowl since Tom Brady did it way back in 2001. The Eagles are considered the underdog, and they don’t deny it. The team has started to wear elaborate dog masks to step into the new role.

As the Patriots go for back-to-back Lombardi trophies, Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick have a big accomplishment on the horizon. Brady and Belichick, the NFL’s most loved/hated quarterback and coach duo, are going to their eighth Super Bowl together. If all goes well, they could come home with their sixth Super Bowl win together.

The Patriots came back to upset the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Conference Championship. I see how demeaning the Patriots by calling them “Patridiots” can be an easier pill to swallow than acknowledging their talent to win bowl games. With five Super Bowl Championships under their belt, the talent cannot be ignored. Since Brady took over as starting quarterback in 2001, the Patriots have participated in Super Bowl Sunday 47 percent of the time. 

Both teams earned a 13-3 regular season record and the number one seed in their conference.

Justin Timberlake will be featured in the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show. Timberlake has won 10 Grammys and various other honors. This will be Timberlake’s third time performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, giving him the most appearances by an individual performer. He previously performed at Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVII.

The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show is the most-watched melodic occasion of the year. Last year’s show was the most-watched musical event ever over all stages and the most-observed Super Bowl Halftime in history. Super Bowl LII marks Pepsi’s sixth year as the title backer of the Super Bowl Halftime Show and their 16th year as an NFL accomplice.

Photo courtesy of Sporting News

Last week, Brady earned American Football Conference (AFC) Offensive Player of the Week. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns, which led the Patriots to a 41-16 win over the Denver Broncos. In September, Brady led the Patriots in a comeback against the Texans by completing 25 of 35 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns.

Following five Super Bowl wins, four of which Brady was awarded Super Bowl MVP, and two league MVP awards, Brady is a natural candidate to consider for this season’s MVP. Brady leads the league with 2807 passing yards followed by Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson and Washington Redskins’ quarterback Kirk Cousins.

The Patriots have confidence that Brady’s reign will continue. The Patriots have traded both of their backup quarterbacks this season. In September, Jacoby Brissett was traded to the Colts for receiver Phillip Dorsett. In October, the Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers.

Following their trade of Garoppolo, the Patriots signed Brian Hoyer as their new backup quarterback. Hoyer was recently released from the San Francisco 49ers. His deal with the Patriots is for three years, according to NFL Network.

Brady is driven not only by his athletic strength but largely by his love for the game. This drive motivates Brady, to continue playing football until his 40s. While some have questioned how Brady’s age will affect him, he does not see age as an inhibiting factor.

“I’d like to play until my mid-40s, then I’ll make a decision. If I’m still feeling like I’m feeling today, who knows?” Brady said.

The combination of Brady’s athleticism and love for football have made him both an exceptional athlete and an influential celebrity.

This year, Brady was named on Time Magazine’s list of influential people. The list included short essays on each person.

“Tom’s real achievement is that he willed himself to be,” said television host Conan O’Brien on Brady’s character.

“When Tom was drafted in the second-to-last round, he was slow and scrawny, and buried on the depth chart…With a monastic diet, intense training and a relentless, inspiring positivity, Tom built himself from the ground up.”

Brady has also showed tremendous discipline in his dieting. His book “The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance” has led the way to encourage other quarterbacks to adopt a similar diet. Russell Wilson and Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers have adopted diets similar to Brady’s.

“Other than playing football, the other thing I love to do is prepare to play football,” Brady said. “I’ve worked hard to get a system in place that really works for me and I know could work for everybody else if they just did it.”

Brady has used his love for health and football to drive him to become the athlete he is today. This has made him a comprehensive person who has been able to spread influence not only in the field of football, but in health and diet.

“Football is a job, but it’s never felt like a job for me,” Brady said.

Photo courtesy of the Trifecta Network.