Patriots vs. Eagles: A lot has changed since Super Bowl 52

Was it really that long ago that the Birds from the City of Brotherly Love were dethroning Bill Belichick’s then-reigning Super Bowl champions?

Flashback to 2017 and Super Bowl LII. The New England Patriots were making the second of three straight Super Bowl appearances. The Philadelphia Eagles were looking for their first NFL title since 1960.

The Birds were led by backup quarterback Nick Foles and second-year head coach Doug Pederson. The team from Foxborough featured the legendary duo of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

It came down to the wire and Philadelphia edged the Pats, 41-33. Brady threw for a Super Bowl record 505 yards. But it wasn’t enough.

Neither team would go away the following year. New England was back in the Super Bowl and survived a defensive struggle vs. the Rams, 13-3. Philadelphia returned to the playoffs each of the next two years. Both of these clubs won division titles in 2019. But each was knocked out of the postseason in the first round.

Of course, Brady moved on a year ago and took his talents to Tampa. The Buccaneers took the wild card route on the way to winning Super Bowl LV.

So in 2020, the Patriots (7-9) and Eagles (4-11-1) combined for only 11 victories. Belichick’s team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008 – three years before Cam Newton was the first pick in the NFL Draft. The Birds dropped to the NFC East basement.

Now the franchises meet on Thursday night, both looking to bounce back from losing seasons. New England might have a quarterback question to answer between Newton and 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones (see NFL.com’s Mike Girardi).

The Eagles certainly have some things to ponder when it comes to the position. Is second-year pro Jalen Hurts ready to lead the team? Carson Wentz is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts and the new head coach is Nick Sirianni, who comes over from that organization.

It’s the second preseason game for both clubs this year. What can be learned is anyone’s guess. But it wasn’t long ago that these two franchises put on a show in Minneapolis. Now both the Patriots and Eagles have to show if each is capable of the bounce-back campaign.