SUPER BOWL LII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Super Bowl LII is here! Welcome in to the 1st half open thread and discussion of the "Big Game" featuring the NFC champion, Philadelphia Eagles and AFC champion and reigning, defending Super Bowl champion, New England Patriots! Anything goes, so leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game!

Q2

PHI 22 NE 12

Trick plays, shanked kicks, big plays, oh my! Very entertaining 1st half. The Eagles are pulling out all the stops against the Patriots with the RPO. They gained some good chunks of yardage in both the pass and the run. Ajayi, Blount, and Clement already racked up 100+ yards on the ground. Of course, Clement had that big gainer at the end of the quarter to set up the 4th down score.  Defensively, they've done a good job pressuring Brady. They don't have a sack yet, but they've done a good job rattling Brady in the pocket. If there's any indication, the Eagles are playing to win and that's what they're gonna have to carry over for the 2nd half. The Patriots, regardless of how much they're trailing, find ways to come back. Cooks is out for the game after a hard shot from Malcolm Jenkins, but Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan have stepped up as Brady's deep threat receivers. James White and Dion Lewis gained chunks of yardage running with the football and catching out of the backfield. The Patriots are probably satisfied with a 10 point deficit because they have all the 2nd half to turn it up and make a push. For the Eagles, they have to limit some mistakes. Penalties have slowed this team down a bit and Jake Elliott's missed PATs destroyed some momentum. The biggest thing is that they have to keep their foot on the gas if they want to avoid the same fate as the Falcons did in last year's Super Bowl against the very same Patriots team. The 2nd half will open up shortly after Justin Timberlake.

Q1

PHI 9 NE 3

Here's what I can say about this quarter: the Eagles are putting together some methodical drives with their Run-Pass Option (RPO). The Patriots defense have a tough cover guessing which plays Philly is going to execute. And so far, it has resulted in nine point from the Eagles offense. But, Brady and the Pats are pushing the pace. They want to play fast and the Eagles' defense are trying hard to match the pace the Patriots' offense is trying to set. The 3rd down play to Amendola was huge. Eagles defense thought they're going to have a quick 3 and out, but a busted coverage gave New England new life.