by Kyle Orens

As Super Bowl 52 draws nearer, it has left every witness to the 2018 playoffs in complete awe and shock. The offensive powerhouse that is the LA Rams were eliminated in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers came up short on a late game comeback and fell to the Saints, the Tennessee Titans came back from a 21 point deficit to beat the up-and-down Kansas City Chiefs, and the Jacksonville Jaguars outlasted the Buffalo Bills in a defensive battle and won 10-3.

Now it gets interesting. The Patriots, with a little bit of help from the refs drubbed the Titans 35-17. Then again, a blind monkey could have told you that was gonna happen. The Nick Foles’ led Eagles outlasted the Falcons 15-10 and the Jags outscored the high-powered Steelers offense for the second time this year winning the shootout 45-42. Then, one missed tackle later, the Vikings made history by beating the Saints on the first ever walk-off touchdown in playoff history.

All that action leaves us with the NFC and AFC championship games. Nick Foles vs. Case Keenum and Tom Brady vs. Blake Bortles. Goes to show that you don’t need an elite quarterback to win, just a little bit of luck and a solid defense.

With everything that has happened so far predicting who will get to the Super Bowl and then who will win is a task for no ordinary man or woman, so, along with my own predictions, am going to ask a few of my fellow colleagues at Urbana two simple questions: Who will play in Super Bowl 52, and who will win Super Bowl 52?

What two teams will be playing in Super Bowl 52?

My Prediction- Vikings vs. Patriots. The Vikings are coming off a miracle of a win and will have tons of momentum heading into next week when they face the Eagles. The Eagles defense has looked solid, but the offense, while dangerous, is still being led by Nick Foles. The Eagles will still put up some points and make this a close game, but the Vikings will come out on top in the end.

Vikings- 21, Eagles- 20

I hate doing it, but there is absolutely no justified reason for me to not pick the Patriots. They have the best quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady, one of the greatest coaching minds in Bill Belichick, and they don’t lose at home. The Jaguars are good at pressuring quarterbacks, and when you can pressure Brady and make him uncomfortable he doesn’t play as well. Regardless, this is the playoffs, and we are talking about New England.

Patriots- 31, Jaguars- 24

Who will win Super Bowl 52?

I’m going to be really, really stupid here and pick the Vikings. I honestly believe that the Vikings are the better team. To the surprise of everybody, Case Keenum was arguably better than Tom Brady this yea. Plus, the Vikings are a little better on both sides of the ball. On paper, should they get here, they should win the Super Bowl. Then again this is New England, and unless your name is Eli Manning the chance of you beating Tom Brady in the Super Bowl is a solid 0%. So good luck Case, we’re all counting on you.

Vikings- 28, Patriots- 14

Student Responses:

Brendan Gilligan- Patriots vs. Vikings in the Super Bowl with the Patriots winning 24-17.

Carson Cooley- Patriots vs. Vikings in the Super Bowl with the Patriots winning 27-21.

Lucas Roberton- Patriots vs. Vikings in the Super Bowl with the Patriots winning 35-28.

Dani Shaffer- Patriots vs. Eagles in the Super Bowl with the Patriots winning 28-21.

John O’Neill- Jaguars vs. Eagles in the Super Bowl with the Eagles winning 27-24.