5 Super Bowl LII X-Factors for the Eagles and Patriots

Philadelphia's Stingy Pass Rush

New England's front seven has stepped up lately, but the Eagles' defense has been stellar from the get-go this season, registering top-four ranks in passing and rushing defense, per our metrics.

Perhaps most important of all given this particular matchup with the Patriots is that, despite the 10th-lowest blitz rate, the Eagles racked up 27 more pressures than any other team in the league this season.

And while Brady is no slouch against pressure, the future Hall of Famer has been getting sacked at a more alarming rate recently. As our own Jim Sannes detailed, the Patriots went from one of the best teams at preventing lost points on sacks to roughly league average since losing tackle Marcus Cannon.

His replacement, Cameron Fleming, has actually earned a top-20 pass-blocking grade by ProFootballFocus this season, but the sack data suggests that Cannon's loss has been a net negative in that regard.

Even when eradicating lost points via sacks, the Eagles' pass defense ranked third this year in Passing NEP per drop back allowed, so Brady will have his work cut out for him when trying to develop deep shots.