With the NFL conference championships in the books, all eyes turn to the biggest sporting event of the year in the United States, the Super Bowl. Super Bowl LII will be between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX thirteen years ago in 2005. New England emerged victorious 24-21 in that game. Philadelphia fans have developed an intense desire for revenge and they have finally received another chance.

Before we delve any deeper into what might take place on the biggest stage, let us review the two teams’ seasons. The New England Patriots, rather predictably, secured the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the AFC once again for the second consecutive year. They finished the year with a 13-3 record, showing poise and consistency throughout nearly every game. New England easily blew through the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Round by a score of 35-14. In the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Patriots were down 14-3 at one point in the first half. They made a furious comeback in the second half, ultimately winning 24-20 on the back of solid defensive play and the greatness of quarterback Tom Brady. New England has advanced to their tenth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, an NFL record for a single team. Super Bowl LII is also the Patriots’ second consecutive Super Bowl appearance and third in four years.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the more surprising addition to the Super Bowl. The NFC seems to always be competitive and unpredictable. There seems to be a different team in the Super Bowl almost every year and this season it is Philadelphia. The Eagles also finished with a 13-3 record and a first-round bye, in addition to the No. 1 seed. They looked seemingly invincible all season long, with star quarterback Carson Wentz picking defenses apart left and right and their defense looking more stout than titanium.

However, what left everyone most impressed was Philadelphia’s performance in the postseason. They had lost Wentz in Week 14 to a torn ACL, ensuring that he could not play for the remaining three weeks or the postseason.

Despite this, the Eagles managed to win two of the last three games in the regular season and have won their two postseason games in impressive fashion. This included their 38-7 throttling of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game that punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. They have shown themselves to be a competent team despite their injuries and they are now at the NFL’s biggest stage.

This game will definitely be compelling, as it pits the excellence of Tom Brady and the Patriots against the resilience of the Carson Wentz-less Eagles. These two teams have fought incredibly hard to get to the Super Bowl all year long, and their hard work has paid off. Now it is just a matter of which team covets the title of champion more.