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Two NFL games separate us from Super Bowl 52, and those games begin at 3 p.m. Eastern today. First, the Jaguars will visit the Patriots. As the winner is raising the Lamar Hunt trophy, the Vikings and Eagles will be kicking off the NFC Championship in Philadelphia.
All the hype has been on the Jaguars defense heading into Sunday, and rightfully so. But the real story lies in the Patriots defense on Sunday, and their ability to consistently hold Leonard Fournette in check. Much like last week against the Steelers, we’ll know very early if the Patriots are equipped to deal with the Jaguars running game.
If they can stifle Fournette, the Jaguars will be playing for the Super Bowl on the arm of Blake Bortles. Bortles was pretty good against the Steelers, but the Jaguars coaching staff did a great job putting Bortles in a position to be successful. Of his 17 dropbacks, 15 contained some form of fake or bootleg. The Patriots are a disciplined team, and Bortles is eventually going to have to make a tough throw to beat them.
On the other side of the ball, it’s Tom Brady and his mangled hand against the best defense in football. Expect a quick-passing game for the Patriots, as they look to keep the massive Jaguars line away from Brady and his hand. The biggest question is which Jaguar will cover Rob Gronkowski. Tight end has been one of their few vulnerabilities this season, and the Jaguars don’t have an oversized defensive back that can match with Gronk.
One week after the Minnesota Miracle, the Vikings are back in action against the Eagles. If Case Keenum tries a similar throw this week, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins will be there to make him regret it. These are the two best defensive teams in the NFC meeting in the title game, and the prize will go to which inexperienced quarterback makes the fewest mistakes.
Say what you want about Nick Foles, but he has been efficient with the football this season. Without counting the backup-filled game against Dallas, Foles has attempted 106 passes this season and has thrown just one interception.
Ideally, the Eagles would rather run the ball for four quarters. Jay Ajayi is on a revenge mission with the Eagles, and ran hard for 51 yards on 15 carries against Atlanta. Expect a similar formula this week, with Ajayi handling the early work and LeGarrette Blount getting the short-yardage carries.
NFL Playoffs Schedule: Sunday, January 21
| GAME | TIME (ET)/TV CHANNEL |
| Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots | 3:05 p.m. CBS |
| Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles | 6:40 p.m. Fox |
