by GABRIEL MORENCY

When Super Bowl XXXIX kicks off this Sunday, the word "dynasty" will be kicked around more than the ball itself. The Patriots are just one win away from their third championship in four years and, with a win on Sunday, the Patriots would join the Packers, Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys and Raiders as the only teams to have won three or more Super Bowls since Vince Lombardi's Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in Super Bowl I.

Not bad for a team that was given zero chance of beating the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. How things have changed. Now the Patriots are favoured and it's the Eagles, tabbed as seven-point underdogs by Las Vegas odds-makers, who have been given no chance to win their first Super Bowl championship.

Never mind that the Eagles went 13-3 this season, with two of their losses coming in meaningless games in which Andy Reid rested his starters, or that the Patriots' two Super Bowl victories have been by a combined six points in games that could just as easily have resulted in losses if not for Adam Vinatieri's foot. The Eagles have been given the same chance of winning as there is of there being NHL hockey this winter. Which, for anybody that hasn't been paying attention, is none. When these teams met this season in Philadelphia, the Patriots won 31-10. Most are expecting more of the same this Sunday.

But the Eagles, who aren't as one-dimensional as the Peyton-Manning-throwing Colts or the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust-running Steelers, can pose match-up problems with Donovan McNabb's scrambling ability. With everything on the line, look for Donovan to use it every time he sees an opportunity to make a big play. If he doesn't, or can't, the Eagles are done. Even if Terrell Owens does play - and we expect that he will - the Patriots will be more concerned about McNabb and Westbrook hurting them out of the backfield than about getting burned by the deep ball.

The Eagles opened up the playbook and weren't afraid to go downfield against the Vikings and Falcons. To be successful against New England, they will have to do the same. Stopping the Patriots is another story, as New England has as many weapons at their disposal as Paris Hilton has boyfriends. Tom Brady is undefeated in the playoffs and is the coolest quarterback in the pocket since Joe Montana. The Eagles will look to disrupt that pocket Brady is so comfortable in by blitzing early and often with a defence that was second in the league with 47 sacks.

Corey Dillon is dangerous, but it is all about Brady and Branch, Givens, Brown and anyone else that offensive coordinator Charlie Weis decides to burn them with. The Patriots will take whatever the Eagles give them, and that's what makes them so dangerous, which is why they will win their third Super Bowl championship in the last four years. Whatever success Philly is having, Bill Belichick, Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis will adjust to it.

If the Patriots are victorious on Sunday, Belichick will be 10-1 in the post-season, passing Lombardi's all-time best playoff record of 9-1. The only ones to beat Lombardi's Green Bay Packers? The 1960 Philadelphia Eagles. Ironically, the only team to beat Belichick in the playoffs were the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we saw how much that meant two weeks ago. It didn't, and it won't on Sunday. Kickoff's at 6:30.

Line: Patriots -7 Total: 48

Prediction: New England 26 Philadelphia 21

Wardrobe malfunctions guaranteed!

Those of you looking forward to this year's half-time extravaganza, don't bother. After Janet Jackson's "revolting" display of sexuality at last year's Super Bowl, the National Football League is determined not to offend or, evidently, entertain any of its fans or viewers. Which, considering Fox is televising the game, is a tough thing to do. With Lawrence Welk unavailable for the half-time show, the league settled on Paul McCartney. What, Peter Frampton was unavailable?

If you are looking for something a little edgier, the fine upstanding citizens at Girls Gone Wild are planning a half-time show on Pay Per View that promises not only "guaranteed wardrobe malfunctions" but to take viewers deeper inside the locker room than ever before! Odds makers have set the total of exposed breasts at 69. I'm taking the over.

Join Gabriel Morency Super Bowl Sunday at the Père Gédéon (6615 Côte-de-Liesse). Sports Rage with Gabriel Morency is vented weeknights 11 p.m.-5 a.m. on TEAM 990 AM. This column appears bi-weekly. Comments? sportsrage@team990.com