Super Bowl 52 pits the No. 1 seeds in each conference against each other. However, the quarterback matchup is not the one we expected. Of course, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are back but few expected the Philadelphia Eagles to survive. They lost star quarterback Carson Wentz to a season-ending injury late in the year but journeyman Nick Foles has stepped in and done enough to get the team to this point. Let’s take a closer look at this unlikely matchup of signal-callers and the props surrounding the two quarterbacks.
Who Will Have More Passing Yards?
Tom Brady -25.5 -155
Nick Foles +25.5 +125
Brady is a sizable favorite in this spot but there are a number of factors to take into account. On the season, Brady averaged 286.06 passing yards per game while Foles produced just 537 in total in about two and a half games. The X factor is that Foles compiled 352 against an excellent Minnesota Vikings defense in the NFC championship game, so can he have another strong effort against the New England Patriots secondary, which ranked 30th in the NFL? The Vikings unit ranked second.
And as for Brady, how will he fare against an Eagles team that ranked second in the league in yards allowed per attempt (6.5) and finished with the fourth-most interceptions?
Who Will Throw The First Touchdown Pass Of The Game?
Tom Brady -175
Nick Foles +145
Brady is not only favored in this spot because he’s the better of the two passers but because the Eagles have a strong tendency to run it in when they get closer to the goal line. They have physical running backs in LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi, and they like to use them in the red zone. And while Foles did have three touchdown passes in the NFC championship game, he also had just one touchdown pass in his three previous games.
As for Brady, he’s thrown for a touchdown in 66 of the last 71 games he’s started and fully played. History shows he’s more likely to throw a touchdown overall in this game, which is why he’s favored.
Nick Foles Total Rushing Yards
Over 1.5 -130
Under 1.5 EVEN
A lot of people might look at this prop and think that Foles could easily get over the number. After all, finishing up with two rushing yards is all he needs to hit the OVER. However, keep in mind that Foles is not a runner by any means. Only once this season did he finish with two or more rushing yards and that was solely thanks to a nine-yard run against the Los Angeles Rams on December 10. Looking further back, Foles didn’t collect at least two rushing yards in any game in 2016 but prior to that, he was a runner. With the Rams in 2015, he rushed for at least two yards five times in 2015 and with the Eagles in 2014, he also did it five times. However, those were very different offenses than the one he’s in now.
Who’ll Be Named MVP Of Super Bowl 52?
On the Patriots side of things, the MVP figures to be someone like Brady if they win (-120). Of the five times the Patriots have won the Super Bowl in the Brady era, he’s been MVP four times. The quarterbacks overwhelmingly win more than anyone else as that position has won 28 times while every other position combined has won just 24 times. However, the Eagles defense is stellar and if they win the Super Bowl, one of their defensive studs could easily collect the award.