It’s not a surprise to many football fans that the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl again this year, after beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in 2017. The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, seem to be the underdogs. According to a poll conducted on RHSToday, 62% of voters said they believe the Patriots will take home the trophy this year, while the other 38% believe that the Eagles can pull a win.

Those statistics could be based off a few reasons, one being the number of times the Patriots have won before. Behind the Steelers who have six titles, the Pats are tied with the Cowboys and 49ers at five Super Bowl wins. Though Philadelphia has been to the Super Bowl twice, they have never managed to come out with a win. So, some students may not have too much confidence in them.

Another reason for Philadelphia’s lack of support is based off the teams quarterbacks and their statistics. Tom Brady has started in seven Super Bowls, which is more than any other quarterback in history, according to TouchdownWire.com. Brady has also played 16 seasons and has been to the Super Bowl eight times, basically giving him a 50% chance of going the Super Bowl every year, which is something almost no other quarterback or team can say.

The Eagles quarterback has a very different story. Carson Wentz was the original starting quarterback, but was unable to continue due to a knee injury. This was a devastating blow to the team because he helped them get nine straight wins, and end up with a 11-2 record. Now, Nick Foles has been put in as the new starting quarterback, and will be playing to help the Eagles try to win their first Super Bowl championship. However, his statistics are nowhere close to those of Brady’s.

Despite what the statistics say, Robinson student Everett McManamy (’19) is rooting for the underdog.

“I’m not a big fan of the Patriots, they’ve won too much,” McManamy said. Although Philadelphia is not his favorite team, he’s decided to support them over New England.

On the other hand, Jackie Cubas (’20) is a long time New England fan who is “confident that they will win.” Cubas believes that the quarterbacks have a lot to do with it.

“Nick Foles isn’t nearly as experienced as Tom Brady is,” Cubas said.

The Eagles will take on the Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m.