That magical time of year has come once again. Football fans the country over suddenly find themselves rooting for teams that, a month ago, they despised with a burning passion.

32 teams have fought for this spot, and now two are all that remain. With the Jaguars and the Vikings eliminated in the AFC and NFC championship games, the Eagles and Patriots have moved on to the big one. The Eagles have made two Superbowl appearances since the creation of the Superbowl in 1967. The first was a loss to the Oakland (soon to be Las Vegas) Raiders in Superbowl XV (15 for those of us who have a hard time reading Roman numerals,) and the second a loss to the Patriots in Superbowl XXXIX (39).

Tom Brady is taking his team to the Superbowl for the 8th time in his 16th season. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's do a small postmortem on the AFC and NFC championship games.

AFC Championship: Patriots V. Jaguars

I will be honest, the first three quarters of this game were full of frustration for me. Between the illegal hit on Patriots' tight-end Rob Gronkowski that took him out of the game with a concussion and the smothering Jaguars defense, I was hoping for someone, anyone, to step up and make a big play.

Luckily, the man himself, Danny Amendola answered the call. Hauling in two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, doubling his season total, he earned himself the name "Danny Playoff." The Jags were awesome during most of the game but ran out of steam right at the end, which lost them the game.

Looking at specific players that we mentioned last time Leonard Fournette, from the Jags, was completely shut out of the game with 24 attempts for only 76 yards. On the flip side, that means the Patriots run defense is really stepping up and looks to be in good shape for Superbowl 52.

As already stated for the Patriots, Danny Amendola really stepped up for two touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter, with other crucial catches from Brandon Cooks and Phillip Dorsett as well. This game really boiled down to a test of endurance, and the Jaguars just couldn't keep up in the end.

NFC Championship: Vikings V. Jaguars

I can't find a clip, but if you feel so inclined, watch the opening drive for the Vikings: nine plays, going for 75 yards and a touchdown.

That was the kind of night I thought we were going to have. It wasn't. The very next Viking drive ended in a pick-six and the tone was set for the night. The Eagles went on to win convincingly with a 38-7 landslide, holding the Vikings scoreless the rest of the night.

It was the kind of game that stuns fans and commentators alike so let's talk a little about why that happened.

The biggest victim of the night, by far, was the Viking's defense, allowing 27 first downs. Ten of those came on third down.

The second biggest victim, Case Keenum, was pushed into having to try and make big plays due to a leaky defense. He was pressured by the Eagles defense 48% of the time, leading to important conversions failing, and, ultimately, the downfall of the team. It was an unfortunate disaster of a game that unfortunately may bode ill for Case's future career, but only time will tell.

Superbowl 52: Patriots V. Eagles

So now we take a look at the upcoming rematch between these two teams, their respective strengths, and who needs to step up in order for their team to take home the Lombardi trophy.

Patriots: The defense displayed during the Jaguars game, especially the run defense, looks really solid. It needs to stay that way if they are going to stop the powerhouse duo that is Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount.

Tom Brady looks as good as ever, and his receiving depth chart is just as good as it has been all season, even with the potential of Gronkowski being unable to clear concussion protocol before game time.

Players needing to step up: This team has been in this situation so many times, and still come out on top, that there isn't really any one person that needs to step up to win it for them. They just need to work together like we've seen them do so many times before and they'll have a good chance of winning again.

Eagles: After an amazing win over the Vikings, the Eagles has certainly shown that they are worthy of hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

This team does so many things well in all aspects of the game and has managed to cover well for some devastating position losses (i.e. Carson Wentz) that it would be unfair to say that they have no hope of winning against Tom Brady and the Patriots. This team genuinely has the ability to dominate the game, but now they need to do it against a legendary team, and against Bill Belichick.

Players needing to step up: The running game is going to be tough. Jay and LeGarrette need to be firing on all cylinders in order to have a big game. Nick Foles needs to get ready too. We know he can play in the postseason, but this is the game to end all, and he has an opponent who is more than ready for him.

Let's not forget people like tight-end Zach Ertz and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who make up the heart of the receiving corp, also need to be on the ball.

This season has been the usual roller coaster ride of ups and downs for all teams, and I expect this final game will be no different. After the game, I will be doing a postmortem of it, and will be talking about the prospects of next season. Until then, all we can do is watch and wait.