The Philadelphia Eagles know full well what they’re up against two Sundays from now. But they’re not about to roll over and play dead.
Moments after a 38-7 rout of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game punched the Eagles’ trip to Super Bowl LII, offensive tackle Lane Johnson was asked about the tall task of facing Tom Brady and the AFC champion New England Patriots.
“I know,” Johnson said, via ESPN.com. “Hey, Tom Brady. Pretty boy Tom Brady. He’s the best quarterback of all time, so, nothing I’d like to do more than dethrone that guy.”
Sounds like Johnson is up to the challenge. In fact, he’s keen on bringing redemption to Philly after New England’s defeat of the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
“For what they did to us in (the) 2004 (season), to get payback, there would be nothing sweeter than that,” Johnson said. “I remember watching that game when I was 14 years old. I was hoping the Eagles would win. Just coming up short, you could feel the pain, and you could also feel the passion of what this city wants. And we’re here, so it’s right at our fingertips.”
The Eagles will be underdogs for the third time this postseason, with the Patriots installed as early 6-point favorites in Super Bowl LII. Philly has embraced that role throughout the playoffs, though, and will roll into Minneapolis with plenty of confidence.
“Greatest quarterback of all time, but that doesn’t mean that he’s unbeatable,” Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said Sunday, via ESPN.com. “We’ve got a destination that we’re geared to. No matter who’s in front of us, we’ve got somewhere to go.”
The Eagles have every right to be confident after Sunday’s dominant showing. But they’re also providing Brady and the Pats with even more bulletin board fodder.
