SB 52 D vs SB 53 D

Nick Foles also played as close to a perfect game as one can get last year. His only miscue was his receiver tipping a deep throw to the defense. Otherwise he was basically perfect. I don't want to excuse the defense but sometimes there's not a lot you can do, and that was last year's Super Bowl. (Except the early rushing TDs.)

If Goff plays like Foles did then, yeah, the Patriots will have an uphill climb. Smart money says he won't though, because those types of games are exceedingly rare.

Tb12goesinya said:

Last year I was more confident, but I think it was a false bravado. I didn't respect the capability of Foles playing perfect or the coach having 2 cantaloupes in his undies. I just thought of the Christmas game vs Oakland and thouhht they were lucky to be there. They executed to perfection.

This year I have less confidence in my head but more in my heart.

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It sounds weird but that's how I feel a bit too. Last year I was seriously just hoping Foles played like a back up. This year I think we have some strong match up advantages to exploit

Elijah said:

Fair enough, but I'd point out that we went 0-2 against those ****ty AFCS QBs this year.

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Offense did not show up in those games.

Primetime, you are spot on about Foles. He played about as perfect a game as the Eagles could have possibly dreamed of. Besides the one INT on the tipped pass, I saw only one other mistake on his part. There was a third down play where he had a huge opening to easily run for the first down. Instead, he decided to throw the ball. It wound up being an incomplete pass and the Eagles had to punt. Other than those two plays, the guy was flawless. I can't possibly imagine Wentz playing any better than that, so I would venture to say the Patriots would have won the game if Wentz had played instead of Foles...

PATSYLICIOUS said:

Hightower and Edelman, arguably the 2 clutchest players we have not named brady. Huge difference in a game like this.

Sorry forgot there was a D specified in there

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I would say Gronk. I don't know that HT has this long history of being clutch, he had the strip sack but that was just one (albeit huge).

This team is healthier and better than last year's version.

First (I know you didn't ask, but...)
The OL is much stronger. Solder (last year's version) and Fleming are nowhere near the level of Brown and Cannon, and the three young'uns in the middle have another year together.

RB is a near-wash with Dion Lewis back there, although I prefer the three-headed monster of this season.

WR is, again, close, until Cooks went down last year. Biggest difference is Edelman. This is a different team with Edelman on the field. He's irreplaceable.

On Defense...

DL is better with Clayborn, especially with the things they're doing now and Flowers playing out of his mind. Last year's DL was pretty crappy.

LBs are MUCH better. Hightower remains clutch and gives the Pats more versatility than Harrison. Van Noy is excelling in the Flores D, adn Roberts has improved tremendously this year.

DBs aren't even close, the Butler fiasco notwithstanding. I liked Bademosi just fine on special teams, but...no, just no. Gilmore, Jackson, McCourty, and Jones are a great 1-4.

I feel better about this game, though the Rams ain't not can of tuna. Extremely talented team. There was something about that Eagles team last year that just had "gonna win" stamped all over it. They were ferocious and loose, and I never underestimate Foles. After watching them obliterate the Vikings, I knew the Pats were up against a truly peaking football team.

And last year, even before Butler, the Pats were off. Jacksonville had them beaten in the AFCCG (this year's game, despite the score, should have been over at halftime). In the SB, they simply couldn't get off the field on 3rd or 4th down, and for all of their yardage gained, they didn't control the clock at all.

This year, the Pats are playing their best football. They'll need to against the Rams, but last year, taking the Eagles with the points was as easy a bet as I've seen in the SB.

I still don't trust our run defense this year but everything else is better. No Rowe for teams to make easy 3rd down conversions/highlight catches against and no Jordan Richards.

Biffins said:

We have a worse passing game. So it's a better all-around team but this is a passing league. If it becomes a shoot-out we won't be able to go toe-to-toe like last year.

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I don't agree. We replaced Lewis with Michel, wash at worst. Dola is gone, sure, but we were missing Edelman last year. I take Edelman over Dola. Cooks is gone yes, but he left the game before Brady went off on the Iggles so that's a wash.

I think this offense is in just as good a position to win a shoot out as was the team in the 2nd half of the SB last year

PATSYLICIOUS said:

Hightower and Edelman, arguably the 2 clutchest players we have not named brady. Huge difference in a game like this.

Sorry forgot there was a D specified in there

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Agree 100000%. Both are studs that come through when the chips are down.

Kdo5 said:

I would say Gronk. I don't know that HT has this long history of being clutch, he had the strip sack but that was just one (albeit huge).

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HT made the impossible run stop the play before the Butler INT! Without that, no pick. He is money.

This years D is better. I was pretty confident about the D heading into last year because I believed Butler would play and that Folds wouldn't have another great game.

Once I heard Butler was sitting my confidence dropped a fair amount but I still didn't believe Folds would torch us like he did.

Patstastic said:

Were/are you more confident in the D heading into SB 53 vs SB 52? There was no Hightower last season. This season Hightower is available, yet there is no James Harrison to rush the passer like last year.

Just wanted to get everyone's pulse on this aspect of the game.

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53 hands down.

I don't trust either defense. But I think this year's defense will be more competitive than last year.