The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles will face off Sunday night for Super Bowl LII.
If the Patriots win, the franchise will officially tie the Pittsburgh Steelers with the most Super Bowl rings. But if the Eagles come out on top, it would be the team’s first Lombardi trophy.
Here’s a look at the teams vying for the football championship.
New England Patriots
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates during the AFC Championship game. (Reuters/Robert Deutsch-USA Today Sports)
The venerable New England Patriots – the team football fans love to hate – are projected to win a second Super Bowl in a row, thus tying the Steelers for the most wins (six).
Quarterback Tom Brady already has the record number of Super Bowl MVP trophies with four. And at 40 years old, Brady could set the record as the oldest quarterback in NFL history to win the Super Bowl; Peyton Manning holds the record at 39 years old thanks to the Denver Broncos’ 2016 win.
For 2017, Brady passed for an average of 286.1 yards per game with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Expect Brady to wear a specialty glove as he practices this week to help with a hand injury suffered in early January. And Patriots' fans got some good news ahead of the game: tight end Rob Grownkowski cleared concussion protocol and could play in Sunday's game. He’s had some limited practice in Minnesota.
The Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans, 35-14, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20, to become the AFC champions.
Bill Belichick, 65, has been the Patriots’ head coach since 2000 – leading his team to its five Super Bowl championships.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Vinny Curry (75) and teammates celebrate from the bench during the final seconds of the NFC Championship game. (Reuters/Bill Streicher-USA Today Sports)
Led by head coach Doug Pederson, the Philadelphia Eagles are hoping to score their first Super Bowl championship during Sunday’s game in Minneapolis.
During the playoffs, the Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 15-10, and the Minnesota Vikings, 38-7, to advance to the Super Bowl as the NFC champions.
Despite being the projected underdogs, the Eagles reportedly enjoyed themselves in the media frenzy leading up to the Super Bowl, with many players donning German shepherd or WWE-style masks, according to the Associated Press.
The Eagles have lost several key players to injuries along the way this season, including quarterback Carson Wentz, left tackle Jason Peters, linebacker Jordan Hicks and running back Darren Sproles.
With Wentz out, it’s up to 29-year-old quarterback Nick Foles to lead his team. He’s had five passing touchdowns and two interceptions in his seven games played for the Eagles this season.
Pederson, 50, was the quarterbacks and offensive quality control coach for the Eagles before a brief stint as the Kansas City Chief’s offensive quarterback. He came back to the Eagles as head coach in 2016.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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