AT STAKE: The world championship of professional American football and possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. This will be the New England Patriots sixth Super Bowl championship–which would tie them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in the Super Bowl era–while the Philadelphia Eagles are going for it’s first.
PARTICIPANTS: New England, defending Super Bowl champions and current champions of the American Football Conference against Philadelphia Eagles champions of the National Football Conference
DATE: Sunday February 4, 2018
PLACE: U.S. Bank Stadium – Minneapolis, Minnesota
SEATING CAPACITY: 66,000
KICKOFF: 6:35PM Eastern Standard Time
ODDS: New England favored by five and a half points
TELEVISION: Nationwide on NBC-TV (WCAU-TV 10 Philadelphia, and NBC Boston 10) AL Michaels (Play-By-Play) & Cris Collinsworth (analyst) with Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
PREGAME SHOW: NBC FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA Dan Patrick & Liam McHugh (hosts) with Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, Kathryn Tappen, Randy Moss, and Rutledge Wood
*-The game will be NBC’s 19th Super Bowl telecast beginning with SB I in Los Angeles… Michaels is the just the third NBC play-by-play announcer to broadcast the Super Bowl (Curt Gowdy and Dick Enberg the othes) and it will be his 10th Super Bowl Play-by-Play assignment for Collinsworth and Tafoya their fourth
RADIO:
PHILADELPHIA-Eagles Radio Network (WIP-AM 940 Philadelphia Flagship) with Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, and Howard Eskin
NEW ENGLAND-Patriots Radio Network (EBZ-FM 98.5 Boston Flagship) with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak
NATIONWIDE-Westwood One Radio Network with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Boomer Esiason commentators with Ed Werder and Tony Boselli sideline reporters
*-Westwood One/CBS Radio Sports will be broadcasting their 31st consecutive Super Bowl and 45th overall. Westwood One will have 700 stations carrying the game in the United States and worldwide on American Forces Radio
INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION FEED: The Super Bowl will be broadcast to 180 Countries and Territories throughout the world (including Global Television-Canada, Sky Sports & ITV-United Kingdom, France 2, NHK, Nippon TV-Japan and ARD-Germany). The game will be broadcast in 32 languages. NFL Films will handle the world feed
EAGLES ROAD TO SUPER BOWL: Philadelphia finished the regular season with a 13-3 record champions of the NFC Eastern Division Division and was the #1 seed having home field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs… NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF: Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-17…NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 to win their third Super Bowl
PATRIOTS ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL: New England finished the regular season as the AFC Eastern Division Champions with a record of 13-3 and were the number one seed in the AFC having home-field advantage throughout. AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF: Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans 35-14…. AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 defending their AFC Championship and reached the Super Bowl for the 10th time in their history
EAGLES SUPER BOWL HISTORY: This is Philadelphia’s third visit to the Super Bowl.They have an 0-2 lifetime record.
| XV at New Orleans: Oakland 27-10 L | XXXIV at Jacksonville: New England 24-21 L |
PATRIOTS SUPER BOWL HISTORY: This is New England’s second consecutive visit to the Super Bowl and the tenth in their history having a 5-4 record
| XX at New Orleans: Chicago 46-10 L | XLII at Glendale: N.Y. Giants 17-14 L |
| XXXI at New Orleans: Green Bay 35-21 L | XLVI at Indianapolis: N. Y. Giants 21-17 L |
| XXXVI at New Orleans: St. Louis Rams 20-17 W | XLIX at Glendale: Seattle 28-24 W |
| XXXVIII at Houston: Carolina 32-29 W | XLII at Houston: Atlanta 34-28 (OT) |
| XXXIX at Jacksonville: Philadelphia 24-21 W |
EAGLES- PATRIOTS LIFETIME: Today’s game is the 14th lifetime meeting between the two clubs (second in post season play – both in the Super Bowl)…Philadelphia owns a 7-6 advantage after winning the last meeting at Gillette Stadium 35-28 on December 6, 2015, snapping a four-game losing streak to New England
| 1973 at Veterans Stadium 24-23 PHI | 1999 at Philadelphia 24-9 PHI |
| 1977 at Schaefer Stadium 14-6 NE | 2003 at Lincoln Financial Field 31-10 NE |
| 1978 at Foxboro 24-14 NE | 2005 at Jacksonville (SB) 24-21 NE |
| 1981 at Philadelphia 13-3 PHI | 2007 at Gillette Stadium 31-28 NE |
| 1984 at Veterans Stadium 27-17 PHI | 2011 at Philadelphia 38-20 NE |
| 1987 at Foxboro 34-32 NE (OT) | 2015 at Foxboro 35-28 PHI |
| 1990 at Philadelphia 48-20 PHI | 2018 at Minneapolis (SB) |
HEAD COACHES: Doug Pederson-Philadelphia (second season as an NFL head coach both with the Eagles) and has a 2-0 in postseason play and his first Super Bowl…Bill Belichick-New England completed his 23rd season as an NFL head coach (18th with the Patriots) has a 278-128-0 overall record, 28-10 postseason record, 5-2 in Super Bowls
PEDERSON vs BELICHICK HEAD-TO-HEAD: First meeting between the two head coaches
TEAM PRACTICE SITES: Philadelphia will be practicing at the University of Minnesota practice facility in Minneapolis during Super Bowl week while New England will use the Minnesota Vikings practice facility in Eden Prairie
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Pink
COSS TOSS: A tribute to Medal of Honor winners
HALFTIME SHOW: Justin Timberlake
PLAYERS SHARE: $73,000 for each member of the winning team and $38,000 to each member of the losing team
PLAYER UNIFORMS: New England are the home team and will wear white jerseys with blue numerals and letters trimmed in red with silver helmets. Philadelphia as the road team will wear their green jerseys with white letters and numerals trimmed in black with green helmets
GAME BALL: A special Super Bowl LII football “The Duke” made by Wilson Sporting Goods made to National Football League speculations will be used with the Super Bowl LII logo on one side and the names of the participating teams on the other
SUDDEN DEATH: After 60 minutes of regulation play the game ends in a tie, the game will continue into overtime. Each team will have one possession. If neither team scores on their possession the game will go into sudden death with the first team scoring by either a safety, field goal, or touchdown will win the game
DIVISION OF NET GATE RECIEPTS: After deduction of taxes, expenses, and player shares the remainder will be distributed between the competing teams and the players pension fund
THE SUPER BOWL IN THE TWIN CITIES: Sunday’s game is the second Super Bowl played in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the first in the Vikings new home U.C. Bank Stadium opened in 2016…The other time the Super Bowl was played with 1991 (SB XXVI at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, where Washington defeated Buffalo)…Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of six cities to host championships in all four North American professional sports (Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, New York-New Jersey are the others).
THE VINCE LOMBARDI TROPHY: Is a sterling silver trophy created by Tiffany and Company named after the late head coach Vince Lombardi who led the Green Bay Packers to five National Football League Championships and victories in Super Bowl I and II. The trophy is a regulation silver football mounted in a kicking position on a pyramid like stance of three concave sides. The trophy stands 20 ¾ inches tall weighing 6.7 pounds and is valued in excess of $25,000
E.