>> nick foles -- >> this is a big moment. >> has taken his team to super bowl lii. >> nick foles headed for a 53-yard touchdown. >> super bowl is something you dream about as kid but at the same time it's a game. ♪ >> once i step on to the grid iron i'm playing like -- playing against the patriots and that's where go back to trusting your preparation. >> he fires. >> they've been starving for a super bowl. >> we're going to minnesota. >> as players we're going to do everything we can to deliver that. it will be unbelievable test for us. something we're excited about. >> we've been underdogs for the past couple of week. our fans feel that and we're excited to have won these last two games obviously and we hope to have the entire eagles nation up in minneapolis. >> e-a-g-l-e-s! >> eagles! >> ♪ >> and you know those under dog masks will be traveling to minneapolis. our eagles insider dave spadaro joining me now. dave, we saw the emotions after the eagles won the nfc championship game. you covered so many eagles teams. >> um-hmm. >> what makes this team special? >> kristen, the ability of this team to overcome so many injuries the depth on the roster it's one thing to lose your middle linebacker or left tackle two incredibly important positions but to have nick foles step in for carson wentz and have the offense play a perfect nfc championship game. we've all watched the eagles in the andy reid era, and in four of those 5nfc championship games the eagles laid a big fat egg particularly on the offensive side of the ball. so for this team to rise up against the number one ranked defense in the nfl really was special. >> i'm just looking at jeff lurie with the trophy. the emotions after that game. i don't think i've ever seen a stadium that loud or that excited for a team. >> i agree. it was cool, because for the first time ever the eagles romped nfc championship game. from the time patrick robinson picked off the keenan case keenum and return it for a touch two at a party in south philadelphia. the vikings no chance. it was an avalanche of love from the fans. thank you for that. eagles backed up all that energy from the fans. >> they've been loving it nick foles has been the talk of the entire sports world for good reason much he's a backup quarterback who considered retirement and now he's leading the eagles to the super bowl. what have you seen out of him? he gets better and better each post season game. >> he's gotten really really good coaching he's made great adjustments his ability to work the pocket is something that we haven't seen from foles in his career. you know used to be very stationary quarterback in the pocket. big arm, throw the ball down the field but what he did on sunday night was work the pocket, and throw it accurately down the field by time passes to alshon jeffrey torry smith to the flick flicker perfect second half kristen. if he plays anywhere close to that in a week and a half the eagles are going to within the super bowl. >> that's nick they say they know. let's look at his stats from this post season my favorite stat so far he's averaged a 77% completion rate in the post season. the only other quarterback to record above a 75% rate in back to back post season games one joe montana. >> yeah. >> nick foles says the key to his success has been the unpredictability of this eagles offense. we saw that against the vikings. take a listen. >> you want to keep teams off balance. you want to show them everything looks similar but, you know, you can do everything. everyone who played football will tell that you. think about it if you're seeing the same thing you don't know what's coming it's hard to play so you just have to wait scene what's going on. so, um, in those looks it all comes down to excuse up front and me making a good decision. >> you just mentioned it dave. if nick plays like he has especially in nfc champion shim game the eagles offense will be fine. what more does he have to do or does he have to prove? >> the challenge will get really large here because the patriots are going to show him things that he has not seen. really the genius of the patiots is not their personnel it's their scheme and it's their ability to change from the time nick goes to the line of scrimmage to the time ball is snapped. he'll have to be think quick in this thinking he's shown he can do and do it effectively particularly against the vikings here. what he has to do is continue not turn the football over, spread the ball around get it to his weapon and just stay cool saint nick there's lot of weapons around you. >> people have been maybe surprised by the way that nick foles has been playing because in the regular season. >> sure. >> he looked a little different. zach ertz said earlier this week that play off nick tolls is what they expect want they know. was there any doubt from this eagles team that he wasn't going to be able to show up like he has in this post john. >> i remember doug pederson walking in the day after the rams game and we did a little studio interview he said anybody in this building who doubts off the record and on the record who doubts nick foles is making a mistake here. we've got got to give him sometime he didn't take any reps in the summer. he didn't take any reps in the regular season. let us work with him for a couple of week here and you'll see very good nick foles. >> he's had a phenomenal tempo. he's answered the question he can throw the long ball some of those short passes have been key for this offense. >> he's done a great job getting the ball out on the screen. getting the ball in the intermediate game to jeffrey, smith giving them a chance to catch and run. the way he's used zach ertz has really been effective. zach ertz has been a major weapon. he's a big-time tight end and probably the number one receiving weapon that the patriots will account for. >> he said he wanted to be the third down guy and he is the third down guy. >> he's pro bowler one of the best tight ends in the league kristen. we see how effective this offense can be. when you've got somebody with that size, were it that speed, who scoring points in the red zone as well. it's just a great thing eagles offense is really at its very peak. >> we can't forget about the eagles defense. jim schwartz and eagles have shut out their opponents in the second half of both of these post season games. even with so many new face that is have joined this team this season it's been a seamless transition and jim schwartz says right now this defense is peaking at the same time. >> i never really felt that we were a work in progress so to speak. i never really felt like there was a time maybe after ota's that our mares didn't have command of what we did, and i think that's a great compliment to the players. um, it's a hard-working bunch not only physically but also mentally. and that has shown. >> dave, what has it been about these second halves that the eagles defense has just shut down their opponents? >> you know the sign of a really good coaching staff, kristen, it's one that makes adjustments and this defensive coaching staff makes adjustments. vikings took their first possession down the field. >> oh yeah. >> on sunday night. scored a touchdown made it look easy maybe everybody feel squeamish but they got shut down eagles this defense side for sure better than any group i've ever seen making adjustments and getting better as the game goes along. i think for jim schwartz having so many players back in the scheme for a second year has made a world of difference. yes, there's a new defensive lineman in tim jurnigan and there's a new cornerback with ronald darby but for the most part the eagles have come back whole as a defense and that has made them play much more fast defense, more aggressively, much more confidently you don't see busts in coverage with this team. >> new york not making mistakes. >> they don't mistakes. tackling great. they're playing super bowl winning defense. >> they really are. coming up we know how much going into the super bowl means for philadelphia. i think there's still confetti in the parking lots over at the linc. a look back at a day no one will ever forget. that's next. ♪ ♪ all of our focus has it's been the whole year is to win it all. it's not to go to the super bowl and i think, you know, we're on a special trip to minneapolis, and there's only one goal in mind and that's to within the world championship. >> the eagles still unfinish business. welcome back to fox 29 news the chase for championship. winning the nfc championship was night no one in philadelphia will soon forget. still my favorite moment of that night when the skull clap for the vikings became the foles clap for the eagles. it truly was an incredibly special moment for this entire city. >> fly, eagles, fly! >> for the first time -- >> we're going to the super bo bowl. >> in 13 years. >> i appreciate this team, man. i love all these guys and i know we're going to do something special this year. >> nfc championship is ours. we're going to minnesota. >> the eagles are headed for the super bowl. >> rematch with the new england patriots in super bowl lii. >> i know we got lot of guys that have never felt this feeling of playing on this stage and this opportunity i keep saying there's a hundred dudes playing football still this time of year in the world and at the end of the day that's something that, you know, you're very lucky to be a part of. >> we thank you guys so much. the city of philadelphia. all our fans. they're like family. we appreciate you guys, and i remember playing in la and kobe told us you get a chance to play two games at home you go to the super bowl. look at it. couldn't have done it without these fans and the energy and i'm just truly blessed to be a part of something special. >> i don't have no words right now. i mean we've been fighting through adversity that was injuries people saying nick couldn't do it. people saying the defense couldn't hold up. we just kept battling for five weeks in low row. people said we couldn't do it. we thank ya'll because you didn't make us stronger, make us more of a brotherhood we thank everybody who doubted us because that didn't do nothing but bring us closer together. >> ♪ >> i think the entire city still has goosebumps from that moment. coming up it's time to turn our attention to the eagles opponent the patriots. a look at how the birds will battle not only the team itself but also how they're handling the mystique of the patriots and why the underdog eagles match up so well with new england. ♪ >> when we come back, the answer to our trivia question this week, tom brady has started eight of the patriots ten super bowl appearances. who started the other two? no googling it now. keep it here. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> tom brady already has a super bowl rink for every finger on that right hand but he also has a new addition that black tape after he cut his hand in practice last week. did it look like it affected him against the jaguars at although. going to the super bowl has become a regular stop off for the patriots and tom brady. preparing to go to minneapolis is old hat for new england. so what does their week of preparation look like before their trip? tom leighton covers them our fox affiliate in boston and has more. >> thanks kristen what makes the patriots so special why do they win so consistently nobody in the locker room feels like he's special or irreplaceable. tom brady earned job security sure. that doesn't mean bill belicheck doesn't cut him down to size in the meeting room or practice field d that tick tom brady off. >> you bet. what 18 year relationship have you experienced that has hasn't included ups and downs you run ins along the way. to think it's all peaches and creams to the way to winning a vince lombardi trophy that's to be knee eve. why else do the patriots win? because they find players ask them what they do well. then they figure out ways to put their strengths to use. that's why you see guys you've never heard of come here and perform here. eric lee, ricky jean francois, adam butler. you may not know them now, get ready. they may just make a play that rips your heart out next sunday. back to you. >> dave joining me now. we have to start with tom brady. >> for sure. >> talking about the patriots. let's take a look at some of his stats from earlier this season. brady 385 for 51 that's about 66% completion of his passes he's averaging close to 275 yards per game. 32 touchdons and eight interceptions on the year. people keep talking about his stats but really at the core of tom brady he is a great competitor. what makes brady such a great competitor, dave? >> his brain first of all. he's got a tremendous iq. you can try any sort of gimmick disguise any kind of blitz, elsie through it. he will make an adjustment mentally and he'll make sure that everybody on the offense is on the same page. he is a complete mechanic klee efficient quarterback throwing the football. from the time he gets the snap at the release it's out very very quickly he knows thou avoid big hits. we talk earlier about nick foles working the pocket. tom brady is the master of that. now, that all said, we have seen the eagles be if you had dell brady in the past with some blitzing here and there. so earlier this year the miami dolphins beat him up with a re really strong four man rush. this is where the eagles are going to have to win against tom brady. winning at the line of scrimmage with a four-man pass rush. i don't believe jim schwartz will blitz very much. he'll try to surprise here and there. doesn't want to give up the back end. >> um-hmm. eagles entire team has nothing but respect for tom brady. >> yeah. >> they say he's one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play. it's going to be a challenge coming up on super bowl sunday. turning our attention to patriots defense they gave up the fourth most yards this season but also the fifth fewest points they fit that cliche bend don't break. lane johnson said earlier this week that the patriots defense just doesn't make mistakes. >> yup. >> how tough are they. >> very well coached. kristen, i got to tell you i think they can be had. some of the statistics when you think about who they had played this year, they saw the jets twice, they played miami, they played the new york jets and terrible quarterback situation twice. in the playoffs, they played tennessee, really is not much of an offense marry yet at a and last week the jacksonville jaguars who don't have high powered offense. i think they can be have but their fundamentally sound they'll bring fresh from a lot of different places. nick foles has to really be cool in the pocket. >> yeah. >> and process things very very quickly. >> where do the eagles have an advantage in that matchup looking at what the eagles offense can bring. >> offensive line can absolutely run the football on the new england patriots. that will be the real core of offensive eagles attack. run it and work play action off that run game. >> you know blount going up against his former squad. >> he's a little bit fired up. >> for the record he will not talk about the patriots he mays for the eagles but he's been here before he knows what's coming and he's ready to run loose on this patriots defense. >> jay ajayi has a thing or two to say about the patriots. they don't like new england. nobody in the nfl we all respect them but nobody likes them. >> a lot of run game. >> we saw on sunday night to score big points in the nfl you need chunk plays. so nick foles is going to have to make some plays do down the field, and i think there will be some options. against a good but not great secondary. >> we saw nick foles make those long passes that is not a question any more. he can do that. coming up our final thoughts on eagles/patriots and we try to put into words what a super bowl win would mean for the city of philadelphia. keep it here. ♪ ♪ welcome back. earlier this week malcolm jenn skins told me that while he was taking out the trash his neighbor went running outside of his house to shake his hand and say congratulations on getting to the super bowl. eagles main a very real thing. i asked gary cobb what a win would mean for this city. take a listen. >> these people are desperate to win a super bowl. i mean, you got people that are saying, you know, i have, you know, seniors come up to me and say we're hanging on you got to win one. so just amazing how much it means to the people here. >> dave spadaro joining me. we saw it after the nfc championship game. what would this city look like if they won a super bowl. >> it would be pure bedlam. it would be fun. i've been eagles fan forever. three super bowls hopefully the third one is the charm. it's really the dream that we all have. that the eagles win the super bowl and the greatest day in the history of philadelphia. it really it does mean a lot to everybody makes me goosebumps to think about the eagles winning a super bowl. >> yeah. >> i think it will be very controlled kristen. very classy. all of the philadelphia sports anx would be let out for just a little bit once the eagles win the super bowl. >> would be released. 60 minutes away from vince lombardi trophy. thank you very much for joining us. have a great night. ♪ >> live from center city in philadelphia this is fox 29 news