On February 6th, 2017, a showdown will be held in U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis between two of the NFL’s best teams: the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. Led by 5-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, the New England Patriots finished with a 13-3 record in the regular season to clinch the 1st seed in the American Football Conference. In the playoffs, the Patriots demolished the Tennessee Titans 35-14 in the Divisional Round and finished with a clutch win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship which will confirm their appearance in the Super Bowl once again. The Patriots have had back-to-back appearances in previous Super Bowls and are playing against a team named after a bird for the third time in this decade. Tom Brady is looking for another Super Bowl win to compete against Michael Jordan as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of sports.

The Philadelphia Eagles quietly made a few moves off-season and vastly improved from a 7-9 record to a 13-3 record.Thanks to star quarterback Carson Wentz, the Philadelphia Eagles have achieved much success. However when Wentz suffered a torn ACL against the L.A. Rams on December 10th 2017, the sports world wrote off the Eagles as a Super Bowl contender and proclaimed that they would get knocked out of the playoffs. Miraculously, backup quarterback Nick Foles rose up and carried the team to the 1st seed in the National Football Conference. In the playoffs, against all odds, the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round and flattened the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship. The Eagles are definitely the surprise of the year and are hoping to avenge their loss against the Patriots in Super Bowl 39.

There are high stakes involved in Super Bowl 52 as Brady hopes to further cement his legacy by winning another championship and as the Eagles hope to win their first championship since the NFL-AFL merge. Both teams have been playing amazingly during the 2017-18 season. However, instead of having myself predict who will win the Super Bowl, why don’t we ask our peers: the Dublin High students themselves?

DHS Reacts

When interviewed by the Dublin Shield, several students voiced their opinion about Super Bowl 51 and who they think will win it all.

“Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time and he has won 5 Super Bowl championships already” stated junior William Louis, “so he is primed and ready to crush the Eagles and their wings. Foles will be destroyed by Brady, as the New England Dynasty is too powerful to beat.”

Junior Jason White shared his feelings about Super Bowl 52 by stating “Well, if [Carson] Wentz didn’t get injured, the Eagles would destroy the New England Patriots . But now I think it’s an even game.”

“Eagles have been on a crazy uptrend this past year, whereas the Patriots have been slowly deteriorating,” said Junior Aaron Deivaprakash. “I’m gonna bet on the Eagles.”

Senior Raj Khaitan simply stated “I hate the Patriots,” when asked about his support for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Earlier this season, in a survey conducted by the Dublin Shield about which team will most likely win the Super Bowl, the responses were as follows:

36.5% – New England Patriots

12.3% – Pittsburgh Steelers

10.6% – Kansas City Chiefs

10.1% – Los Angeles Rams

9.8% – Philadelphia Eagles

8.7% – Seattle Seahawks

6.6% – Minnesota Vikings

5.4% – New Orleans Saints

As you can see, only 9.8% of the Dublin High students thought that the Philadelphia Eagles would win the Super Bowl and the majority hoped that the Patriots will win. Could this prediction of the Patriots winning the Super Bowl be true or could the Eagles finally win their first Super Bowl? Find out on Super Bowl Sunday on February 4, 2018.