Underdog No More: Eagles Top Patriots for 1st Super Bowl Championship

Welcome in to the full recap of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots where Nick Foles and the Eagles muster enough offense and touchdowns to knock off Tom Brady and the defending champion Patriots 41-33 in a high scoring affair.

We finally have another team and another quarterback besides Eli Manning and the New York Giants that beat Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the mighty New England Patriots! The Eagles channeled their inner Rocky Balboa against Apollo Creed in Rocky II. If you want to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, you have to score as many points as them. And they had to continue to put the pedal to the medal. That was something the Falcons didn't do last year and Philly learned from that. It was a close game and a wild shootout. Both the Eagles and Patriots combined for over 600 yards of total offense. The Patriots took the lead only once at one point during this game. But, Nick Foles and the Eagles continued to respond and muster enough yards and scores to get the lead for good. Meanwhile, the Eagles' defensive line were inches away from Brady the whole game. And they came up big with a strip sack before the two minute warning and enough pressure off the edge on the final play of the game to seal the victory.

New England Patriots

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Tom Brady, 28 of 48 passes, 505 yards, 3 TDs. Age 40 and he's still putting up ridiculous numbers. One can argue where his legacy is now after this recent Super Bowl loss, but I don't think it changes any status of Brady after this. He had a couple of wobbly throws down the line and obviously, he was feeling the pressure of this impressive Eagles defensive line. But, he set the tone for the offense to play fast and catch them off guard. He shredded their secondary with a lot of quick throws and he got some time in the pocket to throw deep balls to Hogan and Amendola. The biggest thing is that you never count Tom Brady out. He almost rallied the Patriots again in the 2nd half before Philly quickly regained the lead.

Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan. Amendola lead all receivers with 8 receptions for 152 yards. Hogan piled up 6 receptions for 128 yards. They stepped it up as deep threats while Brandin Cooks was getting all the attention and especially when he got a vicious hit from Malcolm Jenkins. Since that hit, Amendola and Hogan picked up their game and they had their way with a shaky Eagles secondary that gave up big plays all game long.

Rob Gronkowski, 9 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TDs. This was more of the Eagles defense letting off the double team on Gronk in the 2nd half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, Brady connected with Gronk like 8 out of 9 times on that drive. The Eagles were leaving him one-on-one in coverage and Gronk almost 100% of the time will win that matchup. That was especially evident when the Patriots took the go-ahead touchdown for the lead early in the 4th quarter.

Stephon Gilmore vs. Alshon Jeffery. In the first half Jeffery was making all kinds of noise with tough catches for positive yardage. Then in the 2nd half, he was completely held in check when the Patriots moved Stephon Gilmore around to shadow him. That assignment was unintentional, but considering Patrick Chung was getting dinged with some injuries during this game, Matt Patricia and the Patriots' defense had no choice but to move Gilmore. And it actually worked for them.

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Defense. It's almost tough to pinpoint some negatives on the Patriots, but most likely the unit that let them down was their defensive unit. They managed to get to Foles a couple of times and forced an INT, which is more of Alshon Jeffery's fault for keeping the football in bounds. But, they had no answer against the Eagles run pass option (RPO). It's tough when the running game is going for them and Foles is shredding the secondary with quick throws because of his read and react to the defense. The Eagles had a good balance offensively.

James White and Dion Lewis not being utilized more. They're gonna get too many touches in the running game, but they're very good as pass catchers out of the backfield. But this game, White only had 2 catches for 21 yards and Dion Lewis wasn't mentioned at all for pass plays. The Patriots could've used these guys more out of the backfield with the screen game. But, more than likely, the Eagles were ready for that, which is why a couple of screen passes were blown.

Philadelphia Eagles

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Nick Foles, 28 of 43, 373 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 1 reception, 1 yard, 1 TD. The redemption story for Nick Foles couldn't have capped off with a better ending. Many wonder if the Super Bowl would create any nerves or jitters for Foles, but as Stuart Scott would say, he was as cool as the other side of the pillow. Foles played a near perfect game tonight. The 1 INT was pretty fluky considering Jeffery batted that ball back inbounds and it wounded up in the arms of Duron Harmon. Nonetheless, Foles executed the RPO to perfection and he wasn't afraid to make the big throw. He's also now the first QB in the Super Bowl to have a passing TD and receiving TD. The Eagles are gonna have a tough decision with Carson Wentz coming back 100% next season. But most likely, Foles after this game made a case for himself for quarterback-needy teams.

Corey Clement, 3 carries, 8 yards, 4 receptions 100 yards, 1 TD. As I said in my preview, Corey Clement was gonna be one of the X-factors for the Eagles and he showed out big time. His TD will be talked about whether he maintained full possession of the ball, but he was the Eagles best security blanket this game. His big catch and run in the 2nd quarter was also huge which set up the big 4th down trick play to Nick Foles in the end zone. By the way, Clement was also one of the catalyst for that play as he pitched it to Trey Burton on the end around and all Burton had to do was throw a perfect ball for Foles to catch it wide open.

Nelson Agholor, 9 receptions, 84 yards, 1 carry, 9 yards. Agholor was another X-factor for the Eagles. He came up with a couple of huge catches in the 2nd half. Especially when Alshon Jeffrey was held in check for the majority of the 2nd half, Agholor needed to step up and he came through on the biggest stage.

Running game. The RPO couldn't have worked with how LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi ran tonight. Blount had 14 carries for 90 yards and 1 TD. Jay Ajayi had 9 carries for 57 yards. I thought they were really patient in letting the holes open up for them. Ajayi especially. We all know Blount would ram it down the teeth of the defense. I couldn't imagine how sweet it must've been for Blount to score against his former Patriot teammates on that 21 yard TD to give Philly a 15-3 advantage.

Zach Ertz,  7 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD. Oh, it would've been tragic if the refs referred to the ruling on Jesse James TD when the Patriots faced the Steelers during this season. It was the same exact situation where James tried to extend the ball to the goal line and the ground knocked it loose. Referees ruled it an incomplete pass since he didn't complete the process. It was almost deja vu with Ertz. He dove for the end zone, the ground knocked the ball loose. I'm sitting there and saying they'll probably rule this incomplete like the Jesse James catch. But, the ruling was that Ertz was already a runner and completed the process of the catch. Regardless, the definition of a catch in the NFL needs to revised. Nonetheless, Ertz showed why he is the Eagles' effective security blanket. He was clutch on a couple of 4th down catches and scored the go ahead TD to put the Eagles back on top.

Eagles' defensive line. Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, Chris Long; the entire defensive line did a nice job applying pressure on Brady. If only they had a better secondary, they could've piled up a lot of sacks. But, time and time, they were inches away from getting after him. They couldn't have gotten a sack at a better time than under three minutes in the 4th quarter. Brandon Graham created pressure off the edge to force the biggest turnover of the game. Vinny Curry applied pressure to rattle Brady before the Hail Mary. The Pats' O-line had their hands full against this unit.

Doug Pederson. To think that this guy was an understudy of Andy Reid. But, this game showed why he's head-over-shoulders better than Reid as the Eagles' head coach. Through and through, he understood the situation that the Patriots can come on back at any time. He understood clock management. He made the right in game adjustments to give the Eagles this win. Coach Pederson showed a lot of guts this game, opting to go for it on a couple of 4th downs and dialing up probably the trick play of the game in Super Bowl history. The Patriots tried to do the same play earlier in the game. I'm sure the Patriots defense was not ready for that because nobody would've dared to try that at the NFL level.

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Secondary. This was one of the problems I pinpointed on this Eagles team prior to this game outside of Malcolm Jenkins. They have a good front seven, but their secondary is not all that great. It showed this game as they left Patriots wide receivers open left and right. Chris Hogan caught Jalen Mills with a double move for a big time catch. I remember on that Week 16 Christmas game the Raiders had against the Eagles this season, Amari Cooper I believe did a double move on the same guy, Jalen Mills and Derek Carr noticed it and threw it deep to Coop for the TD. I have to look back at that. But, going back here, the secondary for the Eagles gave up a lot of big plays, which is why the D-line was getting pressure, but weren't getting the sacks.

Conclusion

When the Patriots lose, America wins. And for all of us regardless of which team we root for, we all admit, we were envious of the Patriots' winning ways. And I'm sure the Patriots losing tnought brought us all satisfaction. That is unless you're an NFC East fan like the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins because they can't make fun of the Eagles with their 0 Lombardi trophies anymore. Even with this loss, they'll likely be back as long as Belichick is roaming the sidelines and a certain #12 with the last name "Brady" is under center. They'll be back and likely emerge as the favorite representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. But tonight, the Eagles played like there was no tomorrow. Nobody gave them a shot and they've embraced the underdog role once more on the big stage. Like I said, drawing from Philly culture and lore, it was like Rocky II when Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed went the distance and Rocky as the underdog, came out on top as the new champ. And of course, what followed was the famous "Yo Adrian, I did it" line. The Eagles all season long were the embodiment of Rocky Balboa, the underdog that just won't go away. And the City of Philadelphia will remember this Eagles team for a long time as the team that brought them home their first Lombardi trophy. There's gonna be a lot of decisions for the Eagles though with a couple of key players coming back. But certainly, they've solidified themselves as a powerhouse NFC team once again. Philadelphia was long overdue for a Super Bowl championship and after so many years of heartbreak and turmoil, they're finally on the mountain top thanks to their Eagles. "Fly Eagles Fly" indeed. Thank you guys for following my coverage of Super Bowl LII. Until the offseason in March. For now, it's the full-time transition to basketball on this blog. I'll see you guys later.

SUPER BOWL LII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread and discussion for Super Bowl LII between the Eagles and the Pats. As usual, everybody's invited to join in, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game!

Q4

PHI 41 NE 33

All Eagles defenders had their eye on Gronkowski on that Hail Mary. Vinny Curry had pressure off the edge to rattle Brady a little bit and all the secondary had to do was just bat the ball down. They got beat all game long and they came up with the play of the game to give the Eagles their first Super Bowl Lombardi trophy. Before that, Brandon Graham had the huge forced fumble with Derek Barnett recovering on it. No Tuck Rule to save Brady that time around. The Eagles were underdogs all postseason long and they have shocked the world in convincing fashion. Truly, it was a sweet revenge game thirteen years in the making the Eagles against the Patriots. Stay tuned for the full recap after the Lombardi presentation.

Q3

PHI 29 NE 26

Big 3rd down coming up for the Eagles. The Patriots opened up with a little Brady to Gronk action and they managed to score on the opening drive. Probably the biggest call of the game. Foles throws deep to Corey Clement. It looked like Clement didn't get two feet down and he was in the process of securing the football in his hands. Probably he maintained possession the whole way before the 2nd foot stepped out. Nonetheless that was big for the Eagles to maintain their lead and like I said, they have a big third down coming up as the 4th quarter opens up.

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.

Super Bowl LII Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots

We're just at about the midway point of the week until Super Bowl Sunday! Welcome in to yet another Super Bowl preview on this blog provided by yours truly. This year's 52nd edition of the big game features the AFC champion and the reigning, defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. This is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX where the Patriots topped the Eagles 24-21 for their 2nd consecutive Lombardi trophy. Much has changed since then, but for the Patriots, only Tom Brady and Bill Belichick remain from that Super Bowl win. While for the Eagles, there has been a lot of makeover since that season highlighted by Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, Brian Dawkins, and head coach Andy Reid. And speaking of repeat, this Super Bowl is like deja vu all over again where the Pats can go back-to-back for their 6th trophy and send Philly into a world of heartbreak like they did 13 years ago since their first meeting at the big game. Or the Eagles can avenge that and deliver the first Lombardi trophy to the City of Brotherly Love. For these previews, I summarize both teams' road to the Super Bowl, keys for both teams, and I give my final score prediction. Let's roll!

Philadelphia Eagles

Nobody would've ever thought that the Eagles would've finished this season as the best team in NFC, let alone make it to the Super Bowl. It goes to show how much of an impressive job their front office did turning this once rebuilding team into a contender. The talent on this Eagles roster is a nice balance of youth and veteran leadership. They acquired some quality talent this year, especially in the free agent market. They signed Alshon Jeffrey, star wideout from the Bears. They snagged Chris Long and LeGarrette Blount from the Patriots. Both of them did a nice job in applying their experience as Super Bowl winners last year with the Patriots with this Eagles team, instilling veteran leadership and a championship culture. The trade for Dolphins Pro Bowler, Jay Ajayi was a huge mid-season deal for the team as he added another dimension to an already high-powered Eagles offense as a change-of-pace back and a pass catcher in the backfield.

In spite of the dream season, Philly did lose a couple of key players along their way. They lose Pro Bowl left tackle, Jason Peters in the early part of the season. But the most-wrenching injury they dealt with was to 2nd year starting QB, Carson Wentz. A lot of the Eagles wins this season were highlighted by the magnificent quarterback play of Wentz until that unfaithful Week 14 game against the Rams in LA where he tore his ACL diving into the end zone. I remember when the Raiders had that unfortunate scenario last season with Derek Carr. They were winning games until Carr went down in Week 16 against the Colts. Fortunately for Philly, they had a quality backup QB who won games as a starter and made the Pro Bowl at some point in his career. That backup would be Nick Foles. You talk about a feel-good, full circle story for Nick Foles. The guy almost quit football and he stepped in when Wentz got hurt. Now, he's the starting QB for the Eagles once again and he's seeking out to remind everyone the kind of magic he orchestrated when he last won the Eagles some games as a starter in 2013. I still remember when he tossed for 7 TDs in Oakland during that Week 9 matchup. I thought back then that was humiliating to give up that many TDs to a 2nd string QB. But Foles, he may be no Carson Wentz, but he plays like he's been there before and finds ways to win games for the Eagles. Overall, the Eagles' 13-3 record may be marked with an asterisk with the easy strength of schedule they had, but they snagged some quality wins here and there. Wins against Carolina and the LA Rams stood out. Both teams made the postseason. They hung 50+ points against a Broncos defense with Von Miller and the "No Fly Zone" secondary. How about the job they did in the postseason? They held the defending NFC champion Falcons to 10 points in the divisional round and they dropped almost 40 points against a quality Vikings defense in the NFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl. It truly is a dream season for the team and the fans. And they've fully embraced the role of the underdog a la Rocky Balboa. In  those two games in the postseason, they were heavy underdogs and they found ways to prevail against all odds. They'll look to do that again in what should be another David vs. Goliath type of matchup.

New England Patriots

We've all wrote about the Pats' road to the Super Bowl before. It is almost inevitable that the Patriots would represent the AFC in the Super Bowl as long as an Emperor Palpatine-lookalike (Star Wars reference) is roaming the sidelines and a certain QB from San Mateo donning #12 is under center. The Patriots' winning ways start and end with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. And if you truly hate the Patriots, then them making it to the Super Bowl almost every season seems like a redundancy and a nuisance as you just want to see a "fresh face" franchise represent the AFC for once in the modern Super Bowl era. But if you're full fledged football fan, you're seeing greatness at work and Brady, Belichick, and the Patriots are looking to make history for ring #6 and become the first team to repeat champions since they did it themselves back in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. Not much has changed from the Super Bowl team last year. But that doesn't stop them from making a few splashes in the offseason as they acquired speed demon wideout, Brandin Cooks from a trade with the Saints and defensive back Stephon Gilmore from division rival, Bills. They may have lost LeGarrette Blount to the Eagles, but they found a decent replacement in Rex Burkhead from the Bengals to be their running back for 3rd and short and goal line situations.

Coming into the season, there was a lot of talk about the Patriots and another 16-0 season. But that all went away when they received a stunning blowout loss to the Chiefs on the season opener. Not to mention, they lost Julian Edelman for the year. Their defense struggled early on in the season and they loss their key player in Dont'a Hightower for the year. After that Chiefs loss, the notion that the Patriots dynasty is dead permeated throughout the league. But, we should've known better to never count them out as long as Brady and Belichick are there. And who would've guessed that the Patriots would once again come out on top as the team to beat and the team with home field advantage throughout the AFC? The mantra of "next man up" and "do your job" lived on as certain players stepped up to make plays. The Brady to Cooks duo got better as the season progressed. Danny Amendola stepped in and filled the void Edelman left behind. The defense got better as a "bend-but-don't-break" unit. Brady, at age 40, continues to defy father time and play at a high level. Not even the "Madden Curse" can't work its voodoo against him (he was Madden '18's cover athlete). In the postseason, New England made quick work of the underachieving Titans in the divisional round. They got a good run for their money against the Jaguars, Blake Bortles, Leonard Fournette, and their vaunted "Sacksonville" pass rush. The Jags almost had the formula to beating the Pats. But, when a team has an elite QB and an elite head coach who've seen all kinds of stuff over the years, they'll find ways to overcome anything. And that was the result in the AFC championship game. The Patriots just find ways to crush the hopes and dreams of teams trying to knock them off the throne. For the Patriots heading into Super Bowl LII, it seems like the inevitable is going to eventually happen with them coming out on top against any NFC opponent who try to oppose their two decades of dominance (unless it's Eli Manning and the Giants).

Keys for the Eagles

This Eagles team is a well-rounded group. They have a lot of weapons on offense. They have an opportunistic defense lead by a deep defensive line that is capable of getting after the quarterback. The biggest thing for the Eagles is that Nick Foles is going to have play a near-perfect game similar to NFC championship against the Vikings. The run-pass-option (RPO) is the strength of this Eagles offense and Nick Foles excels at it because of his ability to read and react to what the defense is doing. During the NFC championship, Foles and co. did an impressive job in maintaining that balance in running and passing with the RPO. The Patriots' defense is obviously going to be a tough test because Bill Belichick and Pats' DC, Matt Patricia are masterminds in taking away opponents' best players. Definitely, they'll be ready account for their primary weapons such as Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffrey, Jay Ajayi, and LeGarrette Blount. Probably, the obvious X-factor is Nelson Agholor. Agholor has been a fine breakout receiver for the Eagles after some tough sledding in his first two seasons. He's going to have to step up and cap off his breakout season in the biggest game of his career. Corey Clement, the third running back behind Ajayi and Blount has been solid out of the backfield as a third option. He's another X-factor to look out for as the Patriots account for Ajayi and Blount to stop the run. The defensive line for the Eagles has a knack to sack the quarterback. Chris Long, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Vinny Curry all have the ability to wreck the pocket. They not only have to get pressure on Tom Brady, but they also have to force turnovers, especially since their secondary unit is a little suspect. Even though their secondary is filled with solid playmakers such as Patrick Robinson and Malcolm Jenkins. Jim Schwartz, Eagles DC, is gonna have his hands full designing exotic looks to slow down Brady and the Pats' offense.

Keys for the Patriots

The Patriots "bend-but-don't break" defense has been stellar as of late to get opposing offenses off the field and give the ball back to #12. They're especially good in goal line stands. Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia are obviously going to game plan to give Nick Foles different looks. That's the strength of the Pats' defense. On offense, it's simple, just make sure that Tom Brady has the ball in his hands in the final minutes of a possible tightly-contested game. Brady at age 40 can still get the ball out quickly to a receiver. Especially with this Eagles front, playmakers such as Danny Amendola, James White, and Dion Lewis are gonna have to step in. Amendola has done a good job in playing Julian Edelman's role. He was big in the final quarter of the AFC Championship against the Jaguars. Lewis and White are exceptional pass catchers out of the backfield. White especially was huge for New England in that insane 28-3 comeback against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. He's going to have to have an encore for the Pats to repeat. The biggest question mark on the Patriots' offense is Rob Gronkowski's health. He took quite a shot to the helmet from Jacksonville's Safety, Barry Church, in the AFC Championship game. If he's good to go, it should open up a lot of opportunities for the offense. He's especially gonna open up a lot of opportunities for Brandin Cooks for big plays. Speaking of Cooks, he's still got a pretty favorable matchup against this Eagles secondary even if Gronk can't go. Cooks' presence alone as a deep threat makes things easier for Amendola and Chris Hogan to get open and make plays. But again, a healthy Gronk opens up a lot of opportunity for New England to execute big plays.

Prediction

If this Super Bowl didn't feature the Patriots, it would've made my pick a little more indecisive. But, it's just nearly impossible to pick against them as long they have a certain #12 at the helm and an old guy with a hoodie roaming the sidelines. The Eagles have been underdogs all season long and definitely, they're gonna show some fight. But, in the end the experience of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots playing and winning multiple Super Bowls is just gonna prove too much for Philly. I'd say it's gonna be a dog fight for the the first half and  and a little bit in the third quarter. But, Brady and the Pats will continue to find a way to close out teams and they'll eventually pull away in the 4th quarter to give New England their 6th Lombardi trophy, much to the dismay to a majority of us who are tired of their winning ways. But it is what it is. Brady on the field and Belichick on the sidelines + facing off an NFC team that's not Eli Manning and the Giants = a guaranteed Patriots Super Bowl win.

PHI 17 NE 27