- Over the last 13 years, the team wearing white has won the Super Bowl 12 times
- Under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots are 3-0 in the Super Bowl in white
- Last year, the Atlanta Falcons opted to wear their red uniforms against the Patriots, who came back from a 28-3 late third-quarter deficit to pull off a 34-28 overtime win and capture the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title
- Wearing white, the Patriots edged the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24-21
- The Eagles are 0-2 in the Super Bowl while wearing their green uniforms
The New England Patriots have opted to wear white for Super Bowl LII, and if the last 13 seasons are any indication, that is bad news for the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Over the last 13 years, the team wearing white has won the Lombardi Trophy a dozen times. What’s more, under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots are 3-0 in the Super Bowl while wearing their road whites. (The Patriots did lose Super Bowl XXXI to the Green Bay Packers in January of 1997 while Belichick was the team’s defensive coordinator under head coach Bill Parcells).
A season ago, the Atlanta Falcons opted to wear their red uniforms against the Patriots, who came back from a 28-3 late third-quarter deficit to pull off a 34-28 overtime win and capture the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl title.
New England quarterback Tom Brady (No. 12) holds wide receiver Julian Edelman (No. 11) after the Patriots comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI
The AFC and NFC champions are alternately considered the home team during each Super Bowl, which gives that particular team the option of picking the uniform it prefers to wear.
New England’s white uniforms will also serve as a helpful reminder to Eagles fans that the Patriots edged Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24-21, back in 2005.
Brady is the only remaining player from either of those teams that will be on the field in Minnesota on February 4.
The Patriots are just 2-2 in the Super Bowl in their home non-whites with Brady at quarterback. After going undefeated in 2007, New England was upset by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII while wearing their home blue uniforms. Four year later, the Giants were upset by the Giants again, and did not wear their navy uniforms Super Bowl wins over the Seattle Seahawks (XLIX) and Falcons (LI).
The Eagles are 0-2 in Super Bowl history after losing to the Patriots in 2005 and the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV in 1981.
Philadelphia was wearing its green uniforms in both games.
The Patriots’ only two Super Bowl losses under coach Bill Belichick came against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII (right) and Super Bowl XLVI (left). They wore navy in both games
Tom Brady takes the snap in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl XXXIX. The Eagles, who will be in green again on February 4, lost that game, 24-21
New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri (No. 4) is hoisted in the air after his team’s 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX