EAGLES WIN, EAGLES WIN! For the first time in franchise history, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots by a score of 41-33 in an electrifying Super Bowl 52 victory played at U.S. Bank stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles reigned as Super Bowl MVP throwing for 373 yards, three touchdowns, and becoming the first quarterback in Super Bowl history to have a receiving touchdown coming from a gutsy trick play called the “Philly Special” by head coach, Doug Pedersen on 4th and 2 in New England territory to close out the first half.
Coach Pedersen reiterated that it was a play they worked on for a few weeks leading up to Super Bowl 52, and that they would use it when the right time came, which just so happened to be in the biggest game of their lives.
Just before the magical trick play orchestrated by the Eagles, it was the Patriots who first ran almost the exact same play by pitching the ball back to wide receiver Danny Amendola and flanking quarterback Tom Brady to the sidelines with zero defenders around him only to see a perfectly spiraled ball deflect off of his fingertips, resulting in a key opportunity missed for the Patriots to take advantage.
After the Eagles jumped out to an early 15-3 lead after scores by wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and running back LeGarrett Blount, Tom Brady led the charge for the Patriots at the beginning of the second half, marching right down field and hitting tight end Rob Gronkowski for a five yard touchdown pass, cutting the Eagles lead to 22-19.
In a matter of minutes, the Eagles watched as their 12 point lead was erased by the Patriots as they took over for the first time in the game 33-32. The Eagles knew they had to step, and they did just that on what may go down as one of the most crucial, incredible, liberating drives in Eagles history.
On the ensuing possession after the Patriots scored to take the lead, it was Nick Foles who led his team down the Patriots side of the field with unaltered poise and swagger, slinging it to reliable receivers and pounding the run game. The Eagles, faced with
yet another 4th down situation, turned to the guy that has been known around the league for his aggressive play-calling: Doug Pedersen. The Eagles decide to keep their offensive unit on the field in efforts to convert and keep the drive alive. Not only did the Eagles convert on 4th down, but Foles threw a dart to a streaking tight end Zach Ertz cutting to the inside of the field who makes the catch and leaps for the end zone only to be reviewed and ruled as a touchdown with 2:25 left in the game.
Tom Brady and the Patriots could only pray from that moment on in hopes of completing enough passes in order to have a chance to just tie the game and head to overtime. However, this was the year of the dog which only lead to Tommy heaving a Hail Mary pass as time expired and seeing it batted down, officially ending the drought in Philadelphia!
The Eagles, who were dubbed “underdogs” even as the #1 overall seed in the NFC, after experts doubted them throughout the postseason when facing the offensively high-powered Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round, and the defensively stingy Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, had overcome insurmountable odds on their road to the Super Bowl after being riddled with injuries to key players, most notably star quarterback Carson Wentz.
Instead of giving up on the season after Wentz went down in Week 14 of the regular season, the Eagles responded with a resurgence to push on and rely on each other with a team effort mentality. Leaders like defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, and linebacker Brandon Graham stressed the importance of sticking together through tough times, resulting in the mantra “We all we got, we all we need,” which signified that no matter what people say about the team, the character of the team will never dwindle.