Barbara Howard: The Patriots are looking for their sixth Super Bowl win Sunday and their second in a row. The Pats are in Minneapolis, of course, getting ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. And with us on the line from the Twin Cities for a preview is Ben Volin. He is the senior NFL writer for The Boston Globe. Thanks for joining us, Ben.
Ben Volin: Sure, thank you.
Howard: So the Patriots are facing an Eagles team — the Eagles went 13-3 during the regular season, same as the Pats. And they absolutely crushed their opponent in the NFC Championship Game, the Vikings, winning 38 to 7. And they did it without their starting quarterback, Carson Wentz, who went down with an injury in December. So how do you see the Patriots handling this Eagles offense?
Volin: It's going to be more of a challenge than I think people are expecting. When the Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a torn ACL in December, I think a lot of people were ready to write off the Eagles. The drop-off from the starting quarterback to the backup quarterback is usually significant. But the Eagles have been rolling along with Nick Foles. They've been 4 and 1 with him as the starting quarterback. As you mentioned, a big blowout win over the Vikings a couple weeks ago. And it's going to be very tricky for the Patriots. The Eagles have excellent talent around Nick Foles — players like Alshon Jeffrey, Nelson Agholor, LeGarrette Blount, who we know well from New England. They have a lot of speed on offense, the Eagles do. And they have a very creative coach in Doug Pederson, a former quarterback who played under Brett Favre. They do a great job in the offense of kind of creating match-ups, using their speed, and getting outside of you, and so it's going to be a very big challenge. I think it's going to be similar to what we've seen in other Super Bowls, where the Eagles are going to come out and they're going to run 10 plays that the Patriots have never seen before, and it's going to be a tough challenge for the Patriots at first, but then they always make their adjustments in the second quarter and at halftime. And can the Eagles really keep it going for 60 minutes in a full game? We know, obviously, the Patriots can do that.
Howard: Talk about the Patriots offense. Tom Brady and company pulled off a come-from-behind victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game. Do they have what it takes, though, to overcome a pretty solid Eagles defense?
Volin: The Eagles do have an excellent defense, they were top five in the league in points allowed this year. The Eagles have a lot of pressure up front, they can really get after the quarterback, and so it's going to be a big challenge for the Patriots offensive line. Having Rob Gronkowski in the lineup will certainly be key for the Patriots. With Gronk in the lineup, Tom Brady is a much more dynamic quarterback. It opens up the field for Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola and James White and some of those other players, Dion Lewis as well. So the Patriots have a lot of different weapons, and they can attack this Eagles defense, but obviously Rob Gronkowski is the key.
Howard: So now that Rob Gronkowski has been cleared to play, what do you make of that?
Volin: A very good sign for the Patriots, obviously. I think the Patriots were being very conservative with Gronkowski. And by all indications, Gronk has been fine since the day after suffering that concussion. So it's a good sign to see him finally cleared. I think all indications have been that he's going to be okay. I expect him to be full contact, ready to go, same Gronk on Sunday against the Eagles.
Howard: What do you think is going to be the deciding factor in the game?
Volin: All these Patriots Super Bowls come down to the fourth quarter. It's amazing how they all follow a very similar script, and it's which teams can execute the big plays in the final moments, and which coaching staff can think clearly and not let the moment get the better of them. Time and again, it's the Patriots who come out ahead in these situations. Can Doug Pederson and Nick Foles of the Eagles, can they stay composed, play a full 60 minute game, and not let Bill Belichick and Tom Brady on the other sideline really intimidate them?
Howard: OK Ben, now I'm going to ask you now to make a prediction. Do you see the Patriots raising the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, or will it be the Eagles avenging their loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX — that was 13 years ago. Which one is it going to be, do you think?
Volin: I'm done betting against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They've proven time and again that they know how to come through in the clutch, and I think it will be a close game, another dog fight for the Patriots, but I think they come out with a four-point win. I'm going to go 24-20 Patriots. They win their sixth Lombardi Trophy.
Howard: OK, thanks so much for joining us Ben.
Volin: Thank you for having me.
Howard: That's Ben Volin, the senior NFL writer for The Boston Globe, joining us from Minnesota. He is there covering the Patriots as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in this year's Super Bowl. The two teams square off on Sunday. This is All Things Considered.
