PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles aren't putting Tom Brady or the New England Patriots on a pedestal.
Right tackle Lane Johnson made that perfectly clear moments after their 38-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game.
According to Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, the Patriots were installed as 5.5-point favorites in Super Bowl LII.
"I know," Johnson said. "Hey, Tom Brady. Pretty boy Tom Brady. He's the best quarterback of all time, so, nothing I'd like to do more than dethrone that guy."
The Eagles were underdogs in both the divisional round and the NFC Championship Game and overcame the odds to punch their ticket to Minneapolis. There was no sense in the locker room late Sunday night that they were satisfied, nor was there trepidation about facing Brady and the five-time champion Patriots.
"Greatest quarterback of all time, but that doesn't mean that he's unbeatable," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "We've got a destination that we're geared to. No matter who's in front of us, we've got somewhere to go."
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie echoed that sentiment as he received the George Halas Trophy.
"We're not only going to Minneapolis," he said, "we have something to do in Minneapolis. One more win."
The last time the Eagles went to the Super Bowl, in 2005, they lost to the Patriots 24-21. Johnson said he's out for revenge on behalf of the city.
"For what they did to us in [the] 2004 [season], to get payback, there would be nothing sweeter than that," Johnson said. "I remember watching that game when I was 14 years old. I was hoping the Eagles would win. Just coming up short, you could feel the pain, and you could also feel the passion of what this city wants. And we're here, so it's right at our fingertips."
