The SUPERBOWL Bowls over Eagles Fans

Super Bowl LII was the championship game of the 2017 National Football League (NFL) season. The game was played on Sunday, February 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The National Football Conference (NFC) was represented by the number one playoff seed Philadelphia Eagles, while the American Football Conference (AFC) was represented by their number one playoff seed New England Patriots, who are also the defending champions from last year.

Both teams finished the regular season with a record of 13–3. This was a substantial improvement for the Eagles under second-year head coach, Doug Pederson. Philadelphia had won 10 of their first 12 games, but suffered a major setback when their quarterback, Carson Wentz, had a season-ending ACL tear in mid-December. He was replaced by their backup quarterback, Nick Foles, who immediately became an asset on the Eagles’ road to victory. They had two previous Super Bowl appearances and lost both times to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV and to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. For the seasoned New England Patriots, this was the eighth Super Bowl appearance in sixteen years not only for the team, but for their quarterback, Tom Brady, who was in search of his sixth title.

In what would be a close game down to the last play, the underdog Philadelphia Eagles defeated the defending champions 41–33, to win their first title. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, was named Super Bowl MVP with 28 of 43 completed pass attempts for 373 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and caught a one-yard touchdown pass, making him the first player in NFL history with a touchdown pass and a touchdown catch in a Super Bowl. Brady completed 28-of-48 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns, breaking the record for most passing yards in a Super Bowl that he had set in the previous season. Several records were set during the game, including most yards gained in an NFL game by both teams combined at 1,151 yards.

A history of miraculous Patriots comebacks made the fourth quarter an anxiety filled nightmare for everyone, especially Eagles fans. But the night would end with the birds flying high.