BY TRISTAN SASSE
For the first time in franchise history, the Philadelphia Eagles have been crowned Super Bowl champions. In an offensive shootout, the Eagles outlasted the New England Patriots for a 41-33 victory. Through three quarters, the game already featured a Super Bowl record for total yards. By the end of the night, a combined 1,151 yards were accumulated, good enough for the most in any modern day game in NFL history.
On Sunday, New England didn’t take its first lead until midway through the fourth quarter but lost the advantage on the following drive. The Patriots led for a total of just seven minutes the entire game. After the contest, New England is now 0-3 all-time against the NFC East on the game’s biggest stage.
It was the eighth Super Bowl appearance for New England since 2001, which fell to 5-3 in those games. For the first time in those eights games, the scoring margin was greater than six points. For Philadelphia, it was their third title game appearance in the Super Bowl era. The other two games took place in 1981 and 2005 – both defeats.
For the Eagles, Nick Foles was named Super Bowl MVP. Foles had 373 yards through the air, while also throwing for three touchdowns and hauling in a receiving touchdown. Additionally, for Philadelphia, Corey Clement added 100 receiving yards, while Nelson Agholor finished with nine receptions for 84 yards. LeGarrette Blount led all players on the ground with 14 carries for 90 yards.
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On the other side, NFL regular season MVP Tom Brady threw for 505 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort. It was the most yards ever thrown for in a Super Bowl, breaking his own record of 466 yards set a season ago. The Patriots also had three players over 100 receiving yards. Danny Amendola led New England with eight receptions for 152 yards, Chris Hogan added six receptions for 128 yards, and Rob Gronkowski had nine receptions for 116 yards.
Each team had over 500 yards of offense (NE – 613 and PHI – 538). Both teams also turned the ball over once. The Patriots finished the game with one penalty for five yards, while the Eagles were flagged six times for a total of 35 yards. Also, the lone sack of the game occurred on Brady in the fourth quarter. The sack forced a fumble that was recovered by Philadelphia in a crucial stage of the game.
Overall, after Sunday only 12 teams remain without a Super Bowl victory. Seven of those teams reside in the AFC, while the other five are in the NFC. A chance at reaching the ultimate goal will officially begin on Thursday, September 6, when the 2018 NFL season begins.