One of the NFL’s most historically
snakebitten clubs ended their 57 year championship drought in the most thrilling
way imaginable at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, racing to an early lead
against the New England Patriots, going step for step in a track meet with the
defending champions and the greatest quarterback ever.
Seventy-four total points. An
eye-popping 1,151 yards of combined offense, breaking the previous Super
Bowl record before the fourth quarter even started and more than any game
in NFL history, regular season or playoffs. Eagles 41, Patriots 33, it was one
of the greatest Super Bowls ever played.
With the Eagles nursing a 38-33
lead and just over two minutes left, Philadelphia’s veteran defensive end
Brandon Graham finally recorded the first sack of the game for either side.
Brady, the three-time league most valuable player and five-time Super Bowl
champion, lost control of the ball, which took a fortuitous bounce into the
hands of Derek Barnett.
The first half had been a
breathless flurry of offense, with the teams combining for nearly 700 yards..
The Patriots accounted for 350 of them, no small feat against Philadelphia’s
stout defense. When play resumed, Gronkowski quickly made his presence felt. He
gouged the Philadelphia defense for catches of 25 and 24 yards, and then picked
up a crucial third down with a 14-yard sideline catch before hauling in a
five-yard touchdown grab and punctuating it with a signature spike.
Nick Foles, the 29-year-old
understudy who took over for Wentz less than two months ago and who two years
ago was mulling retirement, completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards, three
passing touchdowns and one more receiving. It will almost certainly be his last
game with the Eagles, with Wentz, the quarterback of the future who was the
odds-on favorite to win Most Valuable Player honors until his late-season ACL
injury, set to return when the 2018 season begins.
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