Philadelphia Eagles take on underdog role in Super Bowl

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles are the no. 1 seed in the NFC, they haven’t been a favorite to win in any of the playoff games this season. As the team heads into the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, Eagles players says the underdog role suits them just fine.

Before they landed in the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota was mostly a mystery for the Eagles – aside from the mall.

“The Mall of America is awesome,” said Eagles tight end Trey Burton. “My family comes out tomorrow, so I’m excited to hang out with them over there.”

Burton says his family may be even more excited to try out the rides at Nickelodeon Universe at the mall. But the rides are nothing to the rollercoaster the Eagles have been on this season.

The Eagles have lost many starters along the way, including starting quarterback Carson Wentz. But their long shot mindset has been brewing long before their quarterback went down.

“When everybody was healthy, everything was rolling, they still counted us out,” said Eagles defensive end Timmy Jernigan. “So what’s new? Why does everybody want to make a big deal about it now? It’s nothing.”

It’s the same story, new chapter on Sunday. Experience is not on the Eagles’ side, last making it to the Super Bowl in 2004. Since then New England has won four championships.

“We know what we’re faced against,” said Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. “We know the opponent we’re going against. Lot of respect obviously for what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished. It’s about what we do and how our players handle this week.”

It’ll be top dog vs. underdog on Sunday, but staying in the moment is what can make this an Eagles season to remember.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” said Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. “There’s a lot to do to prepare for the game on Sunday, so I really want to focus on now and do everything I can so when I step on the field I’ll be as prepared as I can to go out there and play the game.”

Both teams head back to practice on Wednesday.