Many players have claimed throughout the years that their team has the formula needed to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, but few have succeeded. Malcolm Jenkins is confident his Philadelphia Eagles will be different.
After the Eagles blew the doors off the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, Jenkins said he believes his team has the personnel and scheme to get the best of Brady and company.
“It’s one of those things, I think we match up well,” the veteran safety said, per Tim McManus of ESPN.com. “They’ve obviously got a great system, great offense, probably the best quarterback of all time, a great tight end, speedy receivers. They’ve got a real good scheme, and they isolate people, but if there’s any defense out there that can match up with every single person, I think it’s this defense, so we’re looking forward to it.”
The Eagles held the Vikings to just seven points on Sunday and forced three turnovers. The defense put Nick Foles in a position to succeed by tying the game at 7-7 early with an interception return for a touchdown and consistently creating short fields for the offense. That’s a recipe for success against any team, but it is often easier said than done against the one coached by Bill Belichick.
“The Patriots have been in this game so many times that I think we all look at them as kind of the gold standard of this league,” Jenkins said. “And so, in a season where we’ve been doubted all year, for me it’s just right on par to be able to go against a team that has such a legacy as the Patriots. But that’s just part of the story. When we finish this out, and we come back Super Bowl champions, that will just be the exclamation point on this whole story.”
You can’t blame Jenkins for being confident, but he sounds an awful lot like a certain player that the Patriots just got the best of. At the end of the day, the team that prepares the best over the next two weeks will have the edge. Players creating headlines with bold predictions is an annual tradition and helps pass the time until the big game, but none of it matters once the ball is kicked off.
