Super Bowl LII is hardly a mismatch.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is appearing in his eighth Super Bowl when they face the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Brady vs. Nick Foles is a natural storyline to follow. Of course, five-time Super Bowl champion Brady gets the advantage over a backup who stepped in when MVP candidate Carson Wentz went down with a torn ACL in December.

The Eagles still managed to finish 13-3 and claim the top seed in the NFC followed by playoff wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.

The Patriots upended the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars in the postseason.

"This is the best team we've faced this season," Brady said Wednesday.

Scan each of the 53-man rosters and the matchup appears to be even.

Philadelphia's defensive line is arguably the best in the National Football League as it rotates eight players. The line is anchored by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, and the goal will obviously be to force Brady into errant throws.

On Dec. 11, Brady tossed two interceptions in a loss at Miami on Monday Night Football.

"I think interceptions are really important for a quarterback to think about," Brady said. "We talk so much about turnovers. It's the No. 1 stat that leads to winning and losing games, turnover differential, and when we don't turn the ball over, we have a very, very high percentage of winning. So every day in practice, I'm thinking about risk-reward, and is it worth it to throw the ball certain yards down the field with the risk of the ball being intercepted?

"I had some of those late in the year when I just didn't make great decisions, and it led to turnovers, and turnovers obviously led to the game we lost," Brady added. "I think about that a lot. Had I not turned the ball over on that play, those are game-changing plays. So I think about them every day."

When the Eagles have the football, protecting Foles will be paramount. Given time to throw in the NFC Championship Game, he shredded the Vikings' defense for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

The offensive line was solid, led by left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, affectionately known as 'Big V.' Vaitai took over when Pro Bowler Jason Peters crumpled to the field with a torn Achilles earlier in the season.

Big V has steadily improved all season, and he'll need to play the best game of his life against a strong New England defensive line.

"I'm getting more and more comfortable. I just needed more repetition and more experience," Vaitai told reporters. "I feel more experienced now and I'm ready to go. The experience I have gained all season has paid off and I will use all of it. I'm ready to play and the coaching staff and my teammates believe in me. I'm so thankful for the opportunity."

The Eagles will have an opportunity to slow down Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. If he clears concussion protocol, of course.

Gronkowski is one of the most difficult matchups in the league for any defense with his combination of size, speed and strength. With Gronkowski in the lineup, the Patriots are a better team. That's stating the obvious.

"He's improved in all areas because of his work ethic and his toughness," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He's a very sophisticated player. I haven't had a lot of guys who can do what he's able to do. Maybe (Mark) Bavaro. But that's come with a lot of time, a lot of practice and a lot of work. He didn't just walk into the league doing those things."

Belichick is coaching in his 11th Super Bowl and has a chance to win three championships in a four-year span for the second time in his career. To get there, pushing the right buttons on defense will be key.

New England is trending in the right direction.

Over the last 12 games, the Patriots' defense gave up a miniscule 14 points per game, with only two teams scoring more than 20.

The Eagles are very familiar with this theme, as the top-ranked NFC defense visited Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship Game. And the Eagles moved up and down the field.

"We have confidence in ourselves that we can go against anybody," Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery said. "We have to execute our game plan and stick to our game plan. We have to worry about ourselves and not about anyone else. It's worked all season. The coaches have done an outstanding job of setting us up to succeed. We have to go out and execute it on the field. If we do that, we'll be fine."

The Eagles have never won the Super Bowl and lost to the Patriots, 24-21, in their most recent appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.