The 2018 NFL playoffs have been full of surprises, though that may be difficult to believe after the two No. 1 seeds made it to Minnesota to battle for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Want proof? The Patriots and their aura of invincibility in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era were, of course, heavily favored to win the AFC Championship game over the Jaguars just two weeks ago, yet it took another Brady-led late rally to avoid an upset. Later that same day, in a game the Vikings were supposed to win (if you trust the oddsmakers), the underdog Eagles instead crushed Minnesota in the NFC Championship game.
So here we are, with a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX from 13 years ago, a game in which the Patriots beat the Eagles, 24-21. Oddsmakers aren't expecting this year's Super Bowl to be as close as that one as the Patriots opened as a 5.5 point favorite, although that line shrunk to 4.5 as of Monday, Jan. 29 and stayed there in the week leading up to the game.
For the Eagles, this is their third trip to the Super Bowl and they're still looking for their first win. Besides their Super Bowl XXXIX loss to the Patriots, the Eagles also lost to the Raiders 27-10 in Super Bowl XV.
