Aaron Rodgers once made his feelings known about Eagles facing Tom Brady’s Patriots in Super Bowl

The Eagles and Patriots, then led by Tom Brady, faced off in 2017 for Super Bowl LI. Neither team featured Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, who eventually will win 2 more MVPs.

Aaron Rodgers is a veteran with over 17 seasons in the NFL who started his career playing alongside the likes of Drew Brees and Tom Brady. The four-time NFL MVP winner has a sharp eye for the game that he often uses to analyze his opponent’s defenses.

His observation skills were on display when the Eagles faced the Patriots at Super Bowl LII in 2018 as Rodgers gave his opinion on the biggest encounter of the season.

In an interview with Men’s Journal in January 2018, Rodgers refused to predict the winner but gave his analysis of the top two sides of each conference. He said,

“I think it's going to be a close game,” Rodgers says.

Rodgers acknowledges that the Patriots are a strong side but cautioned that the Eagles can give Bill Belichick and the Patriots a tough time.

“I think Philly has fantastic defense, but what they did on offense last game in the NFC Championship was outstanding against a great defense in Minnesota. So I think giving Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels two weeks to prepare really helps—those are two of the top coaches in the league—but on the flip side, you're giving Doug Pederson and his staff two weeks as well. A lot of credit goes to the Patriots for what they’ve done and accomplished, but Doug and his staff have done a great job, and they're going to be ready to play. I expect a really good game.”

However, Rodgers also cautioned the Eagles to beware of the 'Brady' factor.

“As we saw last year, you can’t give up on either team,” Rodgers says. “It’s 28-3 in the third quarter and then all of a sudden Tom Brady starts working, and then it ended up going the other way. I don’t have a prediction about who will win, but I am really just looking forward to the game.”

Eagles and Patriots put up a thrilling game at Super Bowl LII

As expected, the two sides had a fierce encounter at US Bank Stadium, Minnesota. Rodgers’ pre-game analysis was on point as the Eagles' defense shocked the Patriots to secure a massive 41-33 victory in what was Brady’s third and last Super Bowl loss. It is the second-highest-scoring Super Bowl game ever, only behind Super Bowl XXIX.

Brady’s experience led the Patriots to come within one point in the fourth quarter, but it was the Eagles' defense at work the rest of the way. After securing another TD, Philadelphia's defense stopped the last drive from Brady to score another field goal, ensuring a memorable victory over the defending champions.