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Philadelphia Eagles defeat New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52

SUPER Bowl 52 went down to the wire as New England and Philadelphia battled out an epic which produced an unlikely hero.

Jai BednallJai Bednall
@jaibednall
10 min read
February 5, 2018 - 3:41PM
Danny Amendola of the New England Patriots is tackled during the second quarter.
Danny Amendola of the New England Patriots is tackled during the second quarter.

Live: Super Bowl 52

The underdog Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl by outlasting the New England Patriots 41-33 in an epic.

YOU don’t defeat the New England Patriots playing safe.

Philadelphia learned from the mistakes Jacksonville made in the AFC Championship game, playing aggressive, courageous football to secure a 41-33 win against the Pats in Super Bowl 52.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson was an unlikely hero after two incredibly risky fourth down plays — one at the end of the first half and another with the game on the line in the fourth quarter — delivered the ultimate success.

Pederson became an instant Philly hero by delivering the city its first championship since 1960 — but it was how he did it that will make him a legend.

His first major gamble came with 38 seconds remaining in the first half and the Eagles looking to extend a 15-12 lead. At fourth-and-goal Pederson opted not to kick a field goal, instead calling a trick play the team named the “Philly special” which saw tight end Trey Burton throw the ball to quarterback Nick Foles for a touchdown.

“This for me is what turned the football game,” commentator Cris Collinsworth said.

After wild end-to-end action in the second half, New England took its first lead of the game at 33-32 with just over nine minutes left in the game. Enter Pederson again.

Facing fourth-and-1 on his own 45-yard line, Pederson refused to punt and was rewarded as Foles made a crucial completion. Keeping the drive alive proved crucial as a few plays later Philly regained a lead it wouldn’t give up. Pederson had delivered a masterclass. “He was relentless with his play calling, he never gave an inch,” Collinsworth said.

“He’s been phenomenal all year,” added Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. “He should have won coach of the year.”

“We just wanted to stay aggressive,” Pederson said. “My mentality coming into the game was that I’m going to stay aggressive with Nick and allow him to use his playmakers to make plays.”

Of course you didn’t win the Lombardi Trophy without star performances from your players and Foles, who was named the game MVP, was simply outstanding.

The Eagles back-up quarterback, who assumed control of the team after a season-ending injury to MVP contender Carson Wentz, completed 28/43 passes for 373 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception.

Running backs LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi dominated on the ground, combining for 147 yards on just 23 carries, while Corey Clement (four catches for 100 yards, one touchdown) and Nelson Agholor (nine catches for 84 yards) led a superb performance by Philly’s receiving corps.

Brandon Graham made the biggest defensive play of the game, strip-sacking Brady in the final quarter when he threatened to rub out all of Philadelphia’s good work.

Tom Brady played lights out.
Tom Brady played lights out.

Brady was incredible all game, throwing for a Super Bowl record 505 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

But needing a touchdown to retake the lead with two minutes on the clock, he fumbled the ball as Graham hit him and the Eagles recovered it to all but secure the trophy.

Pats receivers Danny Amendola (eight catches for 152 yards), Chris Hogan (six catches for 128 yards, one touchdown) and Rob Gronkowski (nine catches for 116 yards, two touchdowns) all had days out in the high-scoring affair but none was able to haul in Brady’s last second Hail Mary heave which could have kept the Pats alive.

New England was gunning for its sixth Super Bowl of the Bill Belichick-Brady era but will be forced to come back next year and attempt to win it with a 41-year-old quarterback.

Philadelphia will start planning its defence knowing its Super Bowl victory came without its best player.

1.25pm

Fourth quarter: Eagles survive in an epic

Philly’s drive stalled at the beginning of the final quarter, leaving Jake Elliott to kick a 42-yard field goal to make it 32-26 with 14:09 on the clock.

New England needed a touchdown for its first lead of the game and the Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski connection delivered again.

Gronk’s second TD saw him haul in a looping throw to the corner of the end zone as the Eagles’ resistance was severely tested.

New England dialled up its defence as it looked to end the game but the Eagles just kept fighting.

Philly coach Doug Pederson continued to be willing to take big risks, refusing to punt on fourth down at midfield. He was rewarded as Foles hit Zach Ertz for a first down.

The Eagles continued to run down the clock as they emphatically marched down field.

After 14 plays and 75 yards, Foles hit Zach Ertz for an 11-yard touchdown and Philly was back in front.

Brady had 2:21 of game time to score the game-winning touchdown and it felt like we’d seen this movie before.

But the Eagles defence didn’t read the script, sacking Brady and recovering at the New England 28-yard line to put Philly in the boxseat to win.

The Eagles gained four yards on three running plays as they positioned themselves for a field goal. Jake Elliott made no mistake from 46 yards to make it an eight-point game with 65 seconds on the clock.

The Patriots’ special teams tried to pull off a trick play but it was shut down expertly by the Eagles, leaving Brady needing to go almost the entire length of the field. He kept the Pats alive by hitting Danny Amendola on fourth down but the clock was down to 26 seconds and they were still 78 yards from the end zone.

Back to back completions by Gronkowski put the Pats in Hail Mary range as the Eagles took a timeout. Brady sent a high ball to the end zone but it was broken up as Philly held on.

1.20pm

Third quarter: Wild scoring continues

Tom Brady connected repeatedly with tight end Rob Gronkowski, including a short touchdown pass, to begin the New England revival.

Brady actually missed a wide open Gronk on the first play of the second half, before hitting him four times for gains of 25, 24, eight and five yards to make it 22-19. Brady has already thrown for 344 yards and is well within reach of his Super Bowl record of 466 from a year ago.

Foles was playing pretty good too though. Two more key third down completions put the Eagles within sight of the end zone and that was all Foles needed as he hit Corey Clement for a 22-yard touchdown catch.

There was doubt over whether Clement grounded both feet but the catch was upheld on review.

The wild end-to-end action continued as Brady took his tally past 400 yards. New England went 75 yards in seven plays to score via a Chris Hogan reception. “This is turning into fast break basketball out here,” commentator Cris Collinsworth said.

Foles and the Eagles offence went back to work, reaching the New England 16-yard line as time expired. With a quarter to play, the teams had already combined for the most yards ever in a Super Bowl.

12.20pm

Blooper model’s infamous moment mocked

Gisele Bundchen, the supermodel wife of New England quarterback Tom Brady, found herself the target of relentless scorn after her husband failed to haul in an attempted catch in the first half of the Super Bowl.

Bundchen produced an infamous outburst after the Patriots lost Super Bowl 46 to the New York Giants, saying “my husband cannot f***ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time” after several drops by his receivers during the game.

Several social media users revived the quote after Brady was unable to catch the ball after being targeted by receiver Danny Amendola on a trick play today that likely would have ended in a touchdown.

It only got worse for the Brazilian beauty when Brady’s opposite number, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, was able to secure a touchdown catch late in the second quarter.

Philadelphia produced its own piece of genius to catch the New England defence off guard — and unlike Brady, Foles made no mistake.

12.10pm

Second quarter: Pats pay after blown FG

New England's Ryan Allen mishandles the ball.
New England's Ryan Allen mishandles the ball.

New England finished emptyhanded after an eight-play 74-yard drive courtesy of a missed Steve Gostkowski field goal.

A superb open field tackle by Rodney McLeod, who caught Brandin Cooks as he attempted to leap over him, ended the Pats drive.

But punter Ryan Allen mishandled a low snap by Joe Cardona and the delay in placing the ball for Gostkowski appeared to put off the kicker, who sent a reverse torpedo wide left.

The Eagles couldn’t take advantage on their next possession, which ended with the first punt of the game after a three-and-out.

Brady immediately took the Pats back into Eagles territory by connecting with Cooks for 23 yards. Cooks was violently upended at the end of the play and ruled out of the game.

The drive stalled and New England turned the ball over on downs after deciding to go for it at fourth-and-five instead of kicking what would have been about a 52-yard field goal.

This time the Eagles made the champs pay. Foles refound his mojo by hitting tight end Zach Ertz on a crucial third-down play before connecting with Alshon Jeffery for a 22-yard gain. It was left to LaGarrette Blount to finish the job as he reeled off a 21-yard run down the left touchline to make it a two-score game.

Because of their earlier missed extra point Philly went for a two-point conversion but Foles pass to Jeffery was incomplete.

Brady continued to have little problem moving the ball against the Eagles top-ranked defence as Rex Burkhead picked up 46 yards on a screen play. But the Eagles made a stand on their 27-yard line, forcing New England to settle for a field goal, which Gostkowski nailed.

Philly was on its way to scoring again when another deep pass to Jeffery didn’t work out quite so well this time. Jeffery did well in the jump ball situation but couldn’t bring it down — and Duron Harmon was on hand to grab his spill. It was Foles’ first interception of 2018 — and a costly piece of misfortune.

Brady continued to pass the ball like the reigning league MVP as he took his team deep into Eagles territory with a 43-yard strike to Chris Hogan. Running back James White did the rest, charging for a 26-yard touchdown on the next play. The Pats missed the extra point to remain three points adrift.

The big plays kept coming as Eagles back Corey Clement caught a perfectly-floated Foles pass before delivering a nasty stiff-arm as he picked up 55 yards.

After being stalled on the goal line, the Eagles brought out a trick play of their own at fourth-and-goal as tight end Trey Burton delivered a touchdown pass to Foles. “In a Super Bowl, that’s a breathtaking call,” commentator Cris Collinsworth said.

“I wasn’t going to let our offence be stopped on the one-yard line,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, of his decision to roll the dice.

Brady made it 276 passing yards for the half but couldn’t get the Pats past midfield before the halftime siren.

11.10am

First quarter: Eagles’ nerve-less start

Nick Foles and the Eagles showed they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the spotlight by producing a masterful drive to open the game.

Foles hit five different receivers as he took Philly 67 yards on 14 plays before being stopped short of the end zone. A false start penalty when the Eagles were on the one-yard line hurt their chances of taking maximum points from their first possession but a field goal was a solid start.

Tom Brady took over — and it was a case of whatever you can do, I can do too, as the Pats QB also led his team on a 67-yard drive and fell short of the end zone. A 28-yard gain by Chris Hogan was the key play on a possession which finished with Steve Gostkowski drilling a 26-yarder to tie up the game.

Any joy Patriot fans were feeling after scoring their first first-quarter points in a Super Bowl in the Belichick era evaporated as Philly hit back.

After a 36-yard gain by running back LaGarrette Blount, Nick Foles threw the ball deep into the end zone and Alshon Jeffery hauled in a superb catch. Kicker Jake Elliott missed the extra point.

Brady responded quickly. A blown coverage allowed Danny Amendola to escape for 50 yards and as the first quarter finished New England was at the Philadelphia nine-yard line.

10.20am

Pink’s revealing pre-anthem drop

Pink received favourable reviews for her performance of the national anthem as she battled through the flu to realise a lifelong dream.

The pop star appeared to remove a cough drop from her mouth just moments before beginning her rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner — a clear sign of the battle she was waging with illness just to be able to appear.

Pink’s dreamt of performing the national anthem at a Super Bowl since Whitney Houston’s iconic performance in Houston more than 25 years ago.

But the 38-year-old, who is a diehard Eagles fan after growing up about 50km from Philadelphia, didn’t plan on having the flu. Kids, hey?

“My chance has finally come. And it just so happens that this chance comes when I have two small Petri dish kids who literally cough INTO MY MOUTH and rub their snot on my cheek. You can’t write this stuff I swear!” Pink wrote on Instagram in the lead-up to the game. “And here we are. I’ve arrived at another one of my dreams which is slowly becoming a sort of nightmare.”

Pink powered through a pre-Super Bowl concert two days ago but had to rely on her backup singers for some of the songs. “I’m not going to sound like (crap) all night because you guys are going to help me,” she told the crowd. “We’re going to rock the (expletive) out and have a good time.”

But seriously, who could stay mad at this guy?

— with Fox News

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/american-sports/nfl/live-new-england-patriots-vs-philadelphia-eagles-in-super-bowl-52/news-story/ecab892af3df20b6f5066f2b1b95d10d