5 Super Bowl LII X-Factors for the Eagles and Patriots

New England's Surging Defensive Front

Through Week 11 of the regular season, the Patriots had a sack rate of just 4.3%, a bottom-five number in the entire league. The lack of a pass rush was consistently cited as one of the primary weaknesses of the perennial title contender.

Things have changed. Since Week 12, their sack rate has skyrocketed to 11.3%, the only rate in the league higher than 9.3% and significantly higher than the league average of 6.3% in that span.

Guess what? They didn't sacrifice run-stuffing to get to the passer. Since Week 12, they've allowed just 33.1% of running back carries to increase expected scoring, the fifth-lowest rate in the league in that split.

Pounding the rock at the Pats' line isn't a great recipe lately, and now that they're generating pressure, they're a big problem for the Eagles' offense, which has ranked outside the top 24 in Rushing NEP per carry and Success Rate since Foles took over in Week 15.

If the Eagles can't establish anything on the ground, Foles could be forced into a one-dimensional style.

However, it's not all bad for the Eagles. Foles has been sacked on just 4.1% of his drop backs this season, as the Eagles boast the 12th-best offensive line in terms of Adjusted Sack Rate (via FootballOutsiders). In the NFC Championship Game, Foles posted a 152.1 passer rating on 11 pressures.

Speaking of pressure...