The Patriots will face a tough test coming off their bye week.
New England will be in Philadelphia on Sunday for a matchup with the Eagles. The Birds currently find themselves in a tight NFC East and will be looking to extend their win streak to three, as they enter the heavyweight bout following impressive wins over the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears.
Phi Simms thinks the Eagles, who’ve struggled with consistency this season, finally are trending in the right direction, but he believes they’ll be plagued by one fatal flaw in this Super Bowl LII rematch.
“Listen, the Eagles are a powerful football team,” Simms said in the latest episode of Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” “Their defensive line, their front seven — it’s very good. They’re tough to run against. Their offensive line is a power-running line. So, they’re finally doing what they’re supposed to do, but their secondary really bothers me. So, I’m taking the Patriots.”
It’s been a fairly rough go of it for Philly’s pass defense, which was allowed 310 passing yards or more in four of nine games and multiple scores through the air in five of nine. The Patriots’ pass-catching corps isn’t lethal by any means, but it’s certainly capable of picking this defense apart, especially with the running-back trio of Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead fully healthy. Not to mention, New England could surprise Philadelphia this weekend with a new wrinkle in the form of rookie wideout N’Keal Harry.
So yeah, it’s safe to assume Tom Brady will be letting it fly early and often in the City of Brotherly Love.
