{"id":14752,"date":"2018-02-05T04:57:44","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T10:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=14752"},"modified":"2018-02-05T04:57:44","modified_gmt":"2018-02-05T10:57:44","slug":"the-eagles-are-flying-high-with-their-super-bowl-lii-win-and-in-their-win-the-first-time-champion-philadelphia-eagles-dethroned-the-new-england-patriots-and-claimed-their-first-super-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=14752","title":{"rendered":"THE EAGLES ARE FLYING HIGH WITH THEIR SUPER BOWL LII WIN, AND IN THEIR WIN, THE FIRST TIME CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, DETHRONED, THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, AND CLAIMED THEIR FIRST SUPER CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE STORIED FRANCHISE"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Most media outlets were reporting that everything had lined up for the New England Patriots to once again storm to a last-minute Super Bowl victory, but Brandon Graham, a standout defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles, shot through the offensive line and his strip sack of Tom Brady ended the threat, handing the Eagles a shocking 41-33 upset in Super Bowl LII and the team\u2019s first championship since 1960.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nick Foles, the backup quarterback who took over as Philadelphia\u2019s starting quarterback only after an injury to Carson Wentz in Week 14, completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he even caught a touchdown pass in an offensive effort that few predicted he was capable of coming into the game. He repeatedly converted third down opportunities, threw aggressively into coverage all game, and appeared every bit as poised and confident as Brady, the five-time champion on the other side of the field.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Vince Lombardi trophy was brought to the field by Darrell Green, the longtime Redskins cornerback, who let several Eagles players touch or kiss the famous award before he handed it off to Roger Goodell for the presentation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coach Doug Pederson was all smiles when he stepped to the mike, saying \u201cNot only do we have the best fans in the world, we now have the best team in the world.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Patriots battled defensive problems early in the season, but had seemed to figure things out down the stretch. On this day, however, they were unable to stop the Eagles from scoring at will, and they squandered an incredible effort in which Brady and Co. generated more than 600 yards of offense.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after the loss.<\/span> <\/strong><\/figcaption>
<\/figcaption>The Eagles had offensive stars all over the field, with LeGarrette Blount rushing for 90 yards and a touchdown, Corey Clement contributing 108 yards of total offense, and Nelson Agholor catching 9 passes for 84 yards. But it was Zach Ertz, Foles\u2019s favorite target, who got the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter when he dove over Devin McCourty for a thrilling 11-yard touchdown pass that stood up to a long review by the officials who were trying to determine if he had possession of the ball before it shot out of his hands in the end zone. Ertz finished the day with 7 catches for 67 yards.<\/strong><\/figure>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s defense, which relied on superb play by its line all season, spent most of the game generating very little pass-rush, but when the game was on the line Graham burst through for the sack, and Derek Barnett recovered the ball for a turnover that essentially decided the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On one final drive, Brady drove his team 40 yards, but it was too little too late, and he lost in a Super Bowl for just the third time in eight tries.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the Philadelphia Eagles won their first championship:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady fumbles in the fourth quarter.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Patriots had 2:21 on the clock and one timeout left to burn when they got the ball at their own 25-yard line. It seemed like everything was lining up for a Patriots victory but in a shocking reversal, Brady was sacked by Brandon Graham, and after a fumble the ball was recovered by Derek Barnett for a turnover that could easily decide the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brady had started things off with an 8-yard completion to Rob Gronkowski. But on second down the fearsome Philadelphia pass rush finally showed up to the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Great Tom Brady knew it was over. He pulled himself off the turf after the Eagles pass rush finally got to him and he fumbled.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eagles tight end Zach Ertz scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Doug Pederson, thanks to his adherence to advanced analytics, is one of the most aggressive coaches in football in terms of going for it on fourth down, and a pass from Nick Foles to Zach Ertz on 4th-and-1 extended a drive that ended with Foles completing a shocking 11-yard touchdown pass to Ertz that gave Philadelphia a 38-33 lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asked to play with a scoring deficit for the first time today, the Eagles started at their own 25-yard line. Foles made some adjustments at the line before handing off to Jay Ajayi who rushed to the right for a 4-yard gain. On second down Foles took his time before throwing deep to Torrey Smith. The veteran wide receiver battled with Eric Rowe in coverage, but the ball ultimately fell incomplete.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On 3rd-and-6, the Patriots burned a timeout but Foles, as he has all night, stayed cool and completed a 7-yard pass to Ertz to pick up the first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A handoff to LeGarrette Blount generated 2 yards and then Foles faked a handoff to Corey Clement before throwing to the running back for a 7-yard gain. On 3rd-and-1, Foles completed a pass to Smith but a quick tackle led to the Eagles being short of a first down, which led to Pederson\u2019s aggressive decision to once again go for it on fourth down. The analytics once again paid off when Foles completed a 2-yard pass to Ertz for the first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a new set of downs at Philadelphia\u2019s 47-yard line, the Eagles burned a timeout and when they came back Blount ran for a yard. Foles then threw three consecutive passes to Nelson Agholor, each of which generated first downs and set up the Eagles on New England\u2019s 14-yard line. A handoff to Ajayi got 3 yards, forcing New England to burn its second time out, and then Foles threw an incomplete pass well out of Alshon Jeffery\u2019s reach in the end zone. On 3rd-and-7, Foles completed a pass to Ertz in which the athletic tight end leapt over Devin McCourty into the end zone before having the ball shoot out of his hands as he hit the ground. The play was reviewed, and it was determined that he had possession of the ball before he touched the ground, and therefore the touchdown was upheld.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No one knew what to expect of Foles coming into the game, but he has 373 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in the game. Agholor, who battled flu-like symptoms this week, has 9 catches for 84 yards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But Tom Brady is about to get the ball back and just needs a touchdown to take the lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Eagles slowed it down. Nick Foles made the plays he had to. Nice strike to Zach Ertz for a touchdown. But was it? Another agonizing review and yes it was. For those of you who don\u2019t read us Zach is the husband of United States National Women\u2019s soccer team, Julie. The Eagles had to go for a 2-point conversion. It didn\u2019t happen. Now they have to sweat Brady. This is about as good a game as you can order.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a touchdown in the fourth quarter.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Patriots have their first lead of the game after Tom Brady lofted a 4-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski in the back of the end zone. After the extra-point, New England has a 33-32 lead with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another touchback had resulted in the Patriots starting from their own 25-yard line. Rex Burkhead carried the ball on three consecutive plays for a combined 18 yards, and on a 2nd-and-6 play, Tom Brady threw to Chris Hogan on the sideline for a 3-yard gain. On the crucial third down, Brady dropped back and then found Danny Amendola on the right sideline for a 7-yard gain and a first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A fake to Burkhead set up another completion to Amendola, this one for 17 yards. A pass to Amendola and a run by James White generated yet another first down, and on 1st-and-goal from Philadelphia\u2019s 4-yard line, Brady\u2019s pass bounced in front of White at the goal line. On second down, Brady lofted the ball up high enough that only Gronkowski could reach it and once Gostkowski\u2019s extra-point sailed through the uprights, the Patriots had taken the lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brady is up to 457 passing yards and 3 touchdowns against one of the best secondaries in football.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Brady and Gronk are really good at what they do. No lead is safe. No mistake is not taken advantage of. The Pats have trailed every minute of this game. Until it counted. Lot of time left, but Philly needs to use it well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor is pressured by Patriots strong safety Patrick Chung in the third quarter.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Philadelphia moved the ball with ease, but after stalling out in the red zone on a rare failure to convert on third down, the team sent out Jake Elliott for a 42-yard field goal that extended the Eagles\u2019 lead to 32-26.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Eagles had started at their own 25-yard line after a touchback. Foles started off with a strike to Nelson Agholor on the right sideline for a 24-yard gain. Foles pulled back a fake handoff and then threw to Torrey Smith for 17 yards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

LeGarrette Blount ran for 2 yards, and on second down Philadelphia ran a jet sweep to Agholor who went down the left side of the field for 9 yards and a first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foles threw deep into the end zone but had his pass fall incomplete, with the crowd once again calling for an interference call. On 2nd-and-10, he threw to Smith on the sideline and he went 7 yards on the catch-and-run. That brought up a 3rd-and-3, and the teams had to change sides of the field with the end of the third quarter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the first play of the fourth quarter, completed a pass to Agholor but the receiver was knocked for an 8-yard loss which brought Elliott out for the kick.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to be a nag about this: the Eagles blew a 1st-and-goal and a couple of extra points. It should be 38-26.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan scores a touchdown in the third quarter.<\/span> Credit<\/span>AJ Mast for The New York Times<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A combination of runs by Dion Lewis and throws from Tom Brady to his wide receivers got the Patriots 75 yards on just 7 plays, with Brady finding Chris Hogan in front of the end zone for a 26-yard score. With the extra point, the Eagles\u2019 lead is down to 29-26.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a Lewis kick return, the Patriots began at their own 25-yard line. The first play was a run by Lewis, who picked up a yard, and the second was a long attempt to Hogan that was very nearly intercepted by Corey Graham Unfortunately for the Eagles, Graham ended up with a holding penalty on the play, giving New England a first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lewis again ran for a yard, and then Brady completed a 15-yard pass to Hogan. Lewis ran two more times, for a combined 9 yards, and on 3rd-and-1 Brady threw deep to Danny Amendola for an 18-yard gain and a first down. With 26 yards to go, Brady took care of all of it with yet another pass to Hogan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defensive lines for both teams are getting absolutely worn out by all of this passing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Brady is really good at what he does. He marches the Pats back down the field with one surgical strike after another, finishing it with a touchdown pass to Chris Hogan. It\u2019s 29-26 and you get the feeling that whoever has the ball last wins.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Eagles continue to thrive on third down, and that continues to make New England play on its heels. It was on a third down that Nick Foles, who seems absolutely fearless tonight, threw deep into the end zone to Corey Clement for a 22-yard diving touchdown that along with the extra-point made it 29-19.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Patriots had started the second half with a score, and the Eagles, looking to respond, had Kenjon Barner return the kickoff to the Philadelphia 25-yard line before a penalty for a block in the back sent them back to the 15.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eagles players celebrate with running back Corey Clement after he scored a long touchdown in the third quarter.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LeGarrette Blount got things started with a 4-yard run up the middle, but Foles, after rolling out on second down, had his pass to Nelson Agholor fall incomplete. On 3rd-and-6, Foles found Agholor more cleanly, and the wide receiver raced to the sideline for a 17-yard catch and a first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blount rumbled to the right side of the field for a 5-yard gain, and then went up the middle for another 10 yards.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foles had a pass intended for Torrey Smith fall incomplete, with the crowd loudly booing the lack of an interference call, and on second down he handed to Jay Ajayi who despite stumbling managed to pick up 9 yards. On 3rd-and-1 from New England\u2019s 40-yard line, Foles faked a handoff to Blount before finding Zach Ertz for a 14-yard completion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a short run by Ajayi, Foles dropped back and threw deep into the end zone for Trey Burton, but the pass sailed out of bounds. That brought up 3rd-and-6, and Foles dropped back for what was presumably going to be a short pass to try to convert but was instead a deep pass into the end zone for Clement whose catch held up to a challenge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Eagles have completed 8 of 11 third down attempts, and that is a huge part of the difference in this game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Eagles got a lot out of Blount, Clements and Ajaye on this drive. It was only right that Foles found Clement on that touchdown pass. It was a pins-and-needle review with Eagles and Pats fans, oohing and ahhing on every angle of the replay. But the ruling on the field stood. Neither one of those guys have made a mistake tonight, so maybe it was some justice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrated a touchdown in the third quarter.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All Tom Brady needed to get the Patriots off to a great start in the second half was some help from Rob Gronkowski. The big tight end had four receptions on the drive, including a 5-yard touchdown reception, and the Eagles\u2019 lead has been reduced to 22-19.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second half began with the Patriots their own 25-yard line after a touchback. Brady only had eyes for Gronkowski, throwing to him on the first three plays of the drive, generating 49 yards on two receptions. The streak of passes was broken up by a 3-yard run by James White and then Brady floated a pass out of bounds for an incompletion. On 3rd-and-7 from Philadelphia\u2019s 23-yard line, Brady stayed calm under pressure and once again found Gronkowski for a 14-yard reception and another first down.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"New England had 1st-and-goal from the 8-yard line, and started with a run up the middle by James White for 3 yards. Brady then threw to Gronkowski for the score.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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If anything, the Eagles should be leading by more than 10 points after a first half in which their offense did almost nothing wrong. Nick Foles completed 13 of 22 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, with his only real mistake coming on a well-thrown ball that was intercepted after his receiver bobbled the ball. The backup quarterback, and incredible Cinderella story, even caught a touchdown pass, showing off his athleticism on a trick play in which Trey Burton, a backup tight end, threw to him in the end zone.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Tom Brady moved the ball with ease against the fearsome Philadelphia defense, generating 350 yards of offense (276 through the air) but could not execute quite as well once he got into Philadelphia\u2019s territory. It did not help the Patriots that Stephen Gostkowski missed a field goal and an extra-point, costing New England 4 points.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The teams will now go into the locker room for an extended halftime, and the Patriots, who are known for incredible halftime adjustments, will receive the ball to start the second half.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Eagles had a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line, and Coach Doug Pederson, who is a huge fan of football analytics, went for it. Corey Clement took the direct snap, then handed it to Trey Burton, who lobbed it to Nick Foles, who unlike Tom Brady, caught the ball for a touchdown that along with the extra-point gave Philadelphia a 22-12 lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A nice kick return by Kenjon Barner set the Eagles up with the ball at their own 30-yard line, with the two-minute warning being called at the end of the 27-yard run.<\/p>\n

On first down, Nick Foles found Zach Ertz for a 7-yard gain, which Ertz took out of bounds to stop the clock. On 2nd-and-3, he was throwing again and Torrey Smith was juggling the ball as he went out of bounds, resulting in an incompletion.<\/p>\n

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Eagles quarterback Nick Foles scores a touchdown on a trick play toward the end of the first half.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Foles has thrived on third down, and his gorgeous pass to Corey Clement led the running back perfectly beyond his coverage, and Clement not only snared the pass but raced down the field for a 55-yard gain in which he ran through two tackles and into the red zone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clement barreled up the middle for a 7-yard run, setting up a 2nd-and-goal from the New England 2-yard line, which forced the Patriots to call a timeout. Foles again handed off to Clement, who got about a yard, resulting in yet another New England timeout.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 3rd-and-goal pass to Alshon Jeffery was tightly contested in the end zone, and fell incomplete, which resulted in the 4th-and-short attempt. Clement to Foles, just like they drew it up.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most spoke too early for the 5 and 2 square holders. Sorry! But how about the 4th and 2 reverse pass. Trey Burton to Nick Foles. Guts and imagination from Pederson, a pinpoint throw from Burton, and Foles pulling it in. This has been a really great first half of a big game. But the Eagles should lead, 31-12. Let\u2019s get ready for the Patriots to come out firing in the second half.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Patriots running back James White celebrates rushing for a touchdown in the second quarter.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nick Foles\u2019s interception came back to haunt the Patriots when James White fought through a few tacklers for an impressive 26-yard touchdown run that made it a 15-12 game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the interception, the Patriots started form their own 5-yard line and Dion Lewis started things off with a 4-yard run. On second down the Eagles nearly got an interception of their own on a short attempt to Rob Gronkowski, which almost ended up in Nigel Bradham\u2019s hands. Then, on 3rd-and-6, Brady threw long to Chris Hogan but was bailed out by a defensive holding call against Jalen Mills.<\/strong><\/p>\n