Super Bowl Breakdown: The Offensive Line

By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Leading up to the Eagles matchup in Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots Sports Talk Philly and Eagledelphia will compare the personnel of the two teams each day until gameday is here. 

In this edition of our week-long comparison we will look at the offensive lines.

New England OL | Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Cameron Fleming

The prestige of the Patriots' offensive line comes from being apart of various Super Bowl teams. As a unit they are efficient, thanks in large part to Tom Brady's ability to get the ball out quickly. 

Nate Solder is the best of the bunch at left tackle. The 6-foot-8-inch player from Colorado is tasked with protecting Tom Brady's blindside, and he does so very well. 

David Andrews and Joe Thuney have developed into two of the better young offensive lineman at their position, but they are still very early in their careers. Shaq Mason and Cameron Fleming are also very young. Aside from Solder (29) all of the Patriots' starting offensive lineman are 25-years old or younger. 

Philadelphia OL | Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Stefen Wisniewski, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson

The Eagles offensive line boasts two pro bowlers and two first-team all pros.

Right guard Brandon Brooks and right tackle Lane Johnson were both elected to this season's pro bowl while Johnson and center Jason Kelce were both named first team all-pros for the 2017 season. Essentially, the right side of the Eagles line is as good a it gets in the NFL. 

The left side consists of Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Stefen Wisniewski. Wisniewski has played some strong guard for the Eagles this season, especially evident when he is not in the game and the center of the Eagles' line becomes a revolving door for defenders. Wisniewski made his return to the starting lineup in the Divisional round and played one of his best games of the season. 

Vaitai is an excellent run blocker, but his pass protection leaves some to be desired. 

Edge

The entire right side of the Eagles' offensive line has received accolades for their elite play this season, and the left side has been more than serviceable. 

With two Pro-Bowlers and two All-Pros in 2017 along the offensive line for the Eagles, and none of either for the Patriots, the Eagles easily have the better offensive line.