Patriots Hope That Reliving Super Bowl LII Horrors Will Help Sunday Vs. Eagles
BOSTON (CBS) -- It has been nearly two years since the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII, and they added another Lombardi Trophy to their collection last February. But that still doesn't make that Super Bowl loss any easier to digest.
And with the Patriots set to play the Eagles this weekend, the matchup has opened up their wounds of the past. Tom Brady said he still isn't over that Super Bowl defeat, and he is not alone.
"It was a heartbreak," said safety Duron Harmon. "It's the Super Bowl, it's the last game. Obviously, how we lost -- going down to the wire, great game all the way -- it was a tough pill to swallow."
That night was particularly gruesome for the New England defense, as they surrendered 538 yards to Nick Foles and company. (Not having a certain cornerback in the lineup didn't help, but we're not looking to re-open all of the wounds from that defeat.) For captain Devin McCourty, he never forgets about about championship losses at any level.
"I still remember (Super Bowl) XLVI when we lost to the Giants," McCourty said Wednesday. "Still remember when I lost the state championship when I was 12. You don't forget any time you play for a championship and you don't win it. It's just something that sticks with you. You always want plays back. You want to do things differently. It doesn't control your day-to-day, but you always think about it."
On Sunday, the Patriots will see many of the same Eagles who walked off the field victorious in Minnesota two years ago. That means head coach Bill Belichick led the team on a little trip down memory lane and had them rewatch the Super Bowl LII game film. It wasn't the most pleasant of film sessions, but it could prove to be valuable come Sunday.
"I think Tom said it best; You learn from it," said Harmon. "I think that was a factor in us being able to finish stronger than we did the year before last year. Just learning from it and trying to be better from it."
We'll see if rewatching that horror film will pay off again come Sunday in Philadelphia.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Eagles clash on WBZ-TV -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay, with the game kicking off at 4:25 p.m. After the game switch over to TV38 for Patriots 5th Quarter!