Super Bowl Review: Eagles pull off upset
Will Reed
Staff Writer
The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off the upset against the heavily favored New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII Sunday night for their first Super Bowl win in franchise history.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to tight end Zach Ertz with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter. Foles also had a touchdown reception late in the first half on a trick play deep in Patriots territory.
Running back Corey Clement finished with 4 receptions and a team-high 100 yards receiving in the win. The Eagles had 538 yards of total offense.
Patriots QB Tom Brady passed for a game-high 505 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort. Wide receiver Danny Amendola also had eight receptions for 152 yards, both game-highs. The combined 1,151 yards of offense in the game between both teams was the most in NFL postseason history, according to NBC Sports.
The Eagles were in control early and set the pace with a 14-play, 67-yard drive that ended in a field goal in the opening series. The Patriots managed a touchdown and two field goals while missing another in the first half. The Eagles led by ten at halftime after they scored on a trick play on 4th and goal from the Patriots’ one-yard line.
The second half saw the Patriots with new life, outscoring the Eagles 14-7 in the third quarter behind touchdown passes of five and 26 yards from Brady to TE Rob Gronkowski and WR Chris Hogan, respectively.
After the Eagles tacked on a field goal, Tom Brady marched the Patriots down the field on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to Gronkowski to give New England a 33-32 lead, their first lead of the night.
With 9:22 left, Nick Foles led Philadelphia on a long scoring drive of their own, going 75 yards and using 7:01, with the drive ending with the go-ahead, 11 yard score to Zach Ertz. The play initially went under review, as it appeared Ertz may have lost possession of the ball as he hit the ground in the end zone. However, the touchdown was confirmed, and the Eagles led 38-33 with 2:21 remaining.
The Patriots got the ball back with the chance to take the lead in the final minutes, but their drive was short-lived, as Philadelphia’s defensive line finally got to Brady and he was sacked. He fumbled the ball and the Eagles recovered.
After the Eagles added another field goal, the Patriots had one last chance with 58 seconds and no timeouts. Tom Brady managed to get the team out to their own 49-yard line, but his last-second, Hail Mary pass fell incomplete as time expired, giving Philadelphia their first Super Bowl championship.
QB Nick Foles was named Super Bowl MVP after the game, according to NFL.com. Tom Brady fell to 5-3 in the Super Bowl for his career. The game went beyond its expectations and will go down as one of the greatest in Super Bowl history, one that Philadelphia fans won’t soon forget.
