Super Bowl LII - Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018
Image courtesy of Jack Kurzenknabe's Flickr page - 0 Philadelphia Eagles Nick Foles: https://www.flickr.com/photos/painting-with-pixels/11354248055/in/photolist-iikunv-dusj54-9D4QbP-9D7Jju-9D6P1s-9D3TFt-9D5ASt-duzhir-yAsKW4-yQK3BE-xWfArt-durNaD-7fGDkT-7fH1UP-ij6zW9-heYQBC-heTHkG-heZ6DE-eeBfjj-heTyku-heTykh-hg7ieW-vu2GP5-heTsXf-hBZAMt-heTugN-21vVM3q
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
Image courtesy of marada's Flickr page - Pro Football Hall of Fame: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marada/18349271420/in/photolist-s9jx2h-6WanDm-88EBAf-88EBFW-6Wakz7-6WamJ3-6WavG5-6Wapgd-7AA2Cj-eZaZFx-tXsP7C-ucHyh9-5V94An-8qJEgH-744DSK-ofEBCj-7ZjcnY-4qX6xk
Philadelphia Eagles (15-3) versus New England Patriots (15-3)
41
Philadelphia Eagles
vs.
New England Patriots
33
Well, the game has been played, the confetti has fallen (at least in the arena where the game was held), and a new champion has been crowned.
Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles managed to stop the Patriots in their tracks, despite Tom Brady having an incredible game. Indeed, the Patriots offense produced a whopping 613 yards, and did not punt even once! Yet, Philly wound up the winner.
In fact, this game had a ton of records. Tom Brady and Nick Foles became the first quarterbacks to both pass for over 200 yards by halftime. In fact, this game produced so much offense, that the two teams combined for merely one punt between them, that being by the Eagles.
How amazing was this game? These two teams combined for the most total yards in any game in NFL history. The Eagles and Patriots produced a total of 1,151 yards, a new record for the NFL not only for the playoffs, but the regular season, too! Think of the hundreds of games played each year, and this game produced more total offensive yards by both teams than any of them! And the quarterbacks were at the center of it all, as Brady and Foles combined for a record shattering 874 total passing yards gained by both teams.
Nick Foles came into the game as only the third quarterback in history to start the Super Bowl after starting in three or less games during the regular season (Doug Williams in XXII and Jeff Hostetler in XXV being the other two). A lot of people thought that this situation might prove too much for him. However, he completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdown passes, with one interception. He also made history on one trick play in the first half, which has been called the "Philly Special,"which may very well have been the highlight of the game, when he became the first quarterback to catch a touchdown pass. During that play, Foles looked like he barked out orders and then moved away from center, then stood perfectly still for a second or two, hoping that New England's defense had basically forgotten about him. Then he ran towards the end zone. Meanwhile, the snap was taken by running back Corey Clement, who then pitched it to tight end Trey Burton, who threw a perfect pass to a wide open Foles for the touchdown. For his efforts, he was named Super Bowl MVP.
Tom Brady, at least statistically, had an excellent game as well, even though he will be remembered for losing this game. He completed 28 of 48 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, in the process at least statistically passing his incredible comeback performance in last year's Super Bowl win against Atlanta. Three different receivers picked up at least 100 yards themselves. Overall, Brady enjoyed a terrific season, earning NFL MVP honors for the second time in his career. However, he also became the 9th straight NFL MVP recipient to eventually lose in the Super Bowl. Maybe it is unfair, considering how brilliantly Brady played, but the most iconic image that people will remember most of him from this game might be the pass that he dropped, shortly before Foles would up catching a touchdown pass on what might have been the game's most memorable play. A tale of two quarterbacks, and two different fortunes, at the end of this Super Bowl Sunday.
It does not seem to me that the Patriots offense, which produced a record amount of yards by any team in Super Bowl history, deserve the fault for this particular loss. On a day when the two offenses combined to smash all sorts of Super Bowl records - and remember that the total combined yards between the two teams was an NFL record, not just a Super Bowl record! - it seems that the Patriots defense was the unit that really let the dynasty down. Time and time again, Patriots defenders were unable to complete tackles, and failed to stop the Eagles on third and fourth down situations. They were on the field too long, failing to end drives that they should have been able to finish out, allowing the Eagles offense more opportunities, and keeping New England's own explosive offense off the field to do some damage themselves.
Even New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia agreed with that assessment himself:
“Obviously, I didn’t do a good enough job here with the defense. Look, that is a great offense, they are extremely talented. I have been talking about it all week how good they are.
“They just played really well, and we didn’t get enough stops. I give them all the credit. They played outstanding.”
One particularly controversial decision that may wind up being revisited and questioned was benching Malcolm Butler. Fans of the Patriots, or of the Super Bowl, will remember that Butler made that brilliant interception against the Seahawks a few years ago that essentially iced the victory for New England. But he was shown on video during the pregame ceremonies, visibly upset and crying. It was learned later that he had been pulled from the game, and there was speculation that his absence might have hurt the Pats defensively.
Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson showed tremendous courage, taking risks and making gutsy calls. The "Philly Special" that resulted in Foles catching his touchdown was Pederson's call. The Eagles were remarkably efficient in converting on third down, as they did that 10 out of 16 times. Perhaps even more impressive, however, was that the Eagles went for it twice on fourth down, and also converted both times. One of those was the "Philly Special," and the other fourth down attempt, and subsequent conversion, came with only 5:39 left in the game, and the Eagles trailing. If they failed to score points on that drive, the Pats would have had a good chance of taking the ball methodically down the field and scoring themselves, either a field goal or a touchdown, and making life very difficult for the Eagles. But Philly's drive continued because of those successful fourth down conversions, and both of those drives resulted in touchdowns for the Eagles. For that, credit must be given to Pederson, who really laid it all on the line in his efforts to give the city of Brotherly Love their first Super Bowl title in this third ever appearance by their beloved Eagles.
Fly, Eagles, fly!
Yes, they surely did last night, and higher than they ever have before! Right over the favored New England Patriots, and straight to the top! In a remarkable season for the Philadelphia Eagles - probably the most successful in franchise history - the Eagles became only the fourth team in NFL history (the 1981 San Francisco 49ers, the 1999 St. Louis Rams, and the 2001 New England Patriots being the others) to recover from a losing season on year, and to ultimately win the Super Bowl in the next season.
Both teams will have some glaring issues now to deal with for the offseason now. The Patriots are expected to lose offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as well as defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who is expected to take the head job in Detroit. And the Eagles will have to adjust to the difficulties of being the defending champions, as well as an interesting problem at the quarterback spot. The starter is Carson Wentz, who was having a phenomenal season - even potentially an MVP level kind of season - before he suffered an injury that took him out for the duration of the season, allowing Foles to step in. And Foles had a historical playoff run, playing exceptionally well, and capping that with a Super Bowl MVP performance, leading the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl championship, and their first NFL championship in the better part of sixty years! It is a luxury of a problem to have, somewhat similar to the New York Giants following their 1990-91 championship season, when they became the only team in NFL history the next season to have not one, but two winning Super Bowl quarterbacks on the roster. Most people expect Foles to be traded, which then will fuel speculation as to where he might wind up. There are several teams that play at or near a playoff level, but could use a solid quarterback. That includes Buffalo, Houston, Denver, and Kansas City, as well as some other teams, potentially. So, a fascinating offseason of adjustments will now begin immediately for both Super Bowl participants!
In fact, this game had a ton of records. Tom Brady and Nick Foles became the first quarterbacks to both pass for over 200 yards by halftime. In fact, this game produced so much offense, that the two teams combined for merely one punt between them, that being by the Eagles.
How amazing was this game? These two teams combined for the most total yards in any game in NFL history. The Eagles and Patriots produced a total of 1,151 yards, a new record for the NFL not only for the playoffs, but the regular season, too! Think of the hundreds of games played each year, and this game produced more total offensive yards by both teams than any of them! And the quarterbacks were at the center of it all, as Brady and Foles combined for a record shattering 874 total passing yards gained by both teams.
Nick Foles came into the game as only the third quarterback in history to start the Super Bowl after starting in three or less games during the regular season (Doug Williams in XXII and Jeff Hostetler in XXV being the other two). A lot of people thought that this situation might prove too much for him. However, he completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdown passes, with one interception. He also made history on one trick play in the first half, which has been called the "Philly Special,"which may very well have been the highlight of the game, when he became the first quarterback to catch a touchdown pass. During that play, Foles looked like he barked out orders and then moved away from center, then stood perfectly still for a second or two, hoping that New England's defense had basically forgotten about him. Then he ran towards the end zone. Meanwhile, the snap was taken by running back Corey Clement, who then pitched it to tight end Trey Burton, who threw a perfect pass to a wide open Foles for the touchdown. For his efforts, he was named Super Bowl MVP.
Tom Brady, at least statistically, had an excellent game as well, even though he will be remembered for losing this game. He completed 28 of 48 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, in the process at least statistically passing his incredible comeback performance in last year's Super Bowl win against Atlanta. Three different receivers picked up at least 100 yards themselves. Overall, Brady enjoyed a terrific season, earning NFL MVP honors for the second time in his career. However, he also became the 9th straight NFL MVP recipient to eventually lose in the Super Bowl. Maybe it is unfair, considering how brilliantly Brady played, but the most iconic image that people will remember most of him from this game might be the pass that he dropped, shortly before Foles would up catching a touchdown pass on what might have been the game's most memorable play. A tale of two quarterbacks, and two different fortunes, at the end of this Super Bowl Sunday.
It does not seem to me that the Patriots offense, which produced a record amount of yards by any team in Super Bowl history, deserve the fault for this particular loss. On a day when the two offenses combined to smash all sorts of Super Bowl records - and remember that the total combined yards between the two teams was an NFL record, not just a Super Bowl record! - it seems that the Patriots defense was the unit that really let the dynasty down. Time and time again, Patriots defenders were unable to complete tackles, and failed to stop the Eagles on third and fourth down situations. They were on the field too long, failing to end drives that they should have been able to finish out, allowing the Eagles offense more opportunities, and keeping New England's own explosive offense off the field to do some damage themselves.
Even New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia agreed with that assessment himself:
“Obviously, I didn’t do a good enough job here with the defense. Look, that is a great offense, they are extremely talented. I have been talking about it all week how good they are.
“They just played really well, and we didn’t get enough stops. I give them all the credit. They played outstanding.”
One particularly controversial decision that may wind up being revisited and questioned was benching Malcolm Butler. Fans of the Patriots, or of the Super Bowl, will remember that Butler made that brilliant interception against the Seahawks a few years ago that essentially iced the victory for New England. But he was shown on video during the pregame ceremonies, visibly upset and crying. It was learned later that he had been pulled from the game, and there was speculation that his absence might have hurt the Pats defensively.
Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson showed tremendous courage, taking risks and making gutsy calls. The "Philly Special" that resulted in Foles catching his touchdown was Pederson's call. The Eagles were remarkably efficient in converting on third down, as they did that 10 out of 16 times. Perhaps even more impressive, however, was that the Eagles went for it twice on fourth down, and also converted both times. One of those was the "Philly Special," and the other fourth down attempt, and subsequent conversion, came with only 5:39 left in the game, and the Eagles trailing. If they failed to score points on that drive, the Pats would have had a good chance of taking the ball methodically down the field and scoring themselves, either a field goal or a touchdown, and making life very difficult for the Eagles. But Philly's drive continued because of those successful fourth down conversions, and both of those drives resulted in touchdowns for the Eagles. For that, credit must be given to Pederson, who really laid it all on the line in his efforts to give the city of Brotherly Love their first Super Bowl title in this third ever appearance by their beloved Eagles.
Fly, Eagles, fly!
Yes, they surely did last night, and higher than they ever have before! Right over the favored New England Patriots, and straight to the top! In a remarkable season for the Philadelphia Eagles - probably the most successful in franchise history - the Eagles became only the fourth team in NFL history (the 1981 San Francisco 49ers, the 1999 St. Louis Rams, and the 2001 New England Patriots being the others) to recover from a losing season on year, and to ultimately win the Super Bowl in the next season.
Both teams will have some glaring issues now to deal with for the offseason now. The Patriots are expected to lose offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as well as defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who is expected to take the head job in Detroit. And the Eagles will have to adjust to the difficulties of being the defending champions, as well as an interesting problem at the quarterback spot. The starter is Carson Wentz, who was having a phenomenal season - even potentially an MVP level kind of season - before he suffered an injury that took him out for the duration of the season, allowing Foles to step in. And Foles had a historical playoff run, playing exceptionally well, and capping that with a Super Bowl MVP performance, leading the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl championship, and their first NFL championship in the better part of sixty years! It is a luxury of a problem to have, somewhat similar to the New York Giants following their 1990-91 championship season, when they became the only team in NFL history the next season to have not one, but two winning Super Bowl quarterbacks on the roster. Most people expect Foles to be traded, which then will fuel speculation as to where he might wind up. There are several teams that play at or near a playoff level, but could use a solid quarterback. That includes Buffalo, Houston, Denver, and Kansas City, as well as some other teams, potentially. So, a fascinating offseason of adjustments will now begin immediately for both Super Bowl participants!
Some other highlights from the game included a kind of guest appearance by Prince, the beloved Minnesota native, who obviously died a couple of years ago. There was a large holographic image of him singing while Justin Timberlake sang live to the assembled audience in the dome. The weather outside in Minneapolis yesterday was absolutely frightful, at two degrees Fahrenheit (-16.66 Celcius), making this the coldest Super Bowl Sunday in history. Of course, that really does not matter all that much, since the game was held indoors.
However, it is interesting that Minneapolis, which already held the distinct title of one of the relatively few places to have ever hosted a Super Bowl, now enters more elite territory as one of the few places that can boast having hosted multiple Super Bowl games. It did so for the end of the 1991-92 season, and now, it has done it again, more than a quarter of a century later.
These were the articles that I used in writing this:
Records abound in high-scoring Super Bowl LII by ESPN Sports, February 4, 2018:
Guts and glory: Eagles coach Doug Pederson had game for the ages by Dan Graziano ESPN Staff Writer, February 5, 2018:
Matt Patricia: “I didn’t do a good enough job” Posted by Darin Gantt on February 5, 2018:
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