There have been Super Bowls in the past that were disappointing, below par, or just over-all deflating. Last Sunday’s game was definitely not one of them.
Leb by backup QB Nick Foles, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 in the “big game,” bringing the first Lombardi trophy to Philadelphia.
“We’ve played this game since we were little kids; we dreamed about this moment,” Foles said.
This was the moment Tom Brady was made for, leading his team to the win and solidifying his legacy as the greatest of all time.
He had two minutes, and I felt like everyone in the world knew what was coming. But the Eagles defense had different plans for the Patriots QB.
With 2:16 remaining in the game, as Brady dropped back to pass, defensive end Corey Graham rounded the Patriots offensive line, and punched the ball out of Brady’s hands.
The ball bounced right into the arms of Eagles lineman Derek Barnett. Eagles fans around the globe erupted in ecstatic joy.
It was not the end of the game, and Brady had one more opportunity to rally the Patriots. But the final throw fell short at the end, and the green and silver confetti rained down as the scoreboard read 41-33 in favor of Philadelphia.
As the Eagles hoisted the trophy, Foles addressed the media, saying, “I felt calm. I mean, we have such a great group of guys, such a great coaching staff. We felt confident coming in, and we just went out there and played football.”
But what does this mean for Tom Brady? Is he still the greatest quarterback of all time? Patriots fans have been arguing this for years, and they have the stats to prove it.
Boasting five Super Bowl titles, four Super Bowl MVP’s and 13 Pro Bowl selections, Brady has clearly shown himself to be an all-time great. But if you listen to Brady’s comments after the game, it seems the quarterback underperformed late in the game.
Brady said after the game that he wasn’t very happy with the final drive.
However, even if you want to make the argument that Brady played a great game and then choked on the final two drives, blame can also be pointed to the Patriots defense, who gave up 41 points Sunday night.
Brady, however, put up more record breaking numbers with 505 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Super Bowl LII.
I feel like this debate can go back and forth. I definitely think Brady is incredible; he just got little help from his defense. The Patriots kicker was hurting the cause as well.
Another big storyline is who will start for the Eagles next season.
Carson Wentz was having an MVP-like season until tearing his ACL and LCL in week 14 against the Rams. Assuming he is back to health, the Eagles will have a decision on their hands.
Do they stay with Foles who led the team to its first ever Super Bowl championship? Or do they start MVP candidate Wentz in the 2019 campaign.
They could also mix things up and trade one of the two while trying to improve the roster. The opportunities are endless.
All the suspense had led up to this. The Eagles finally captured a championship, and it was definitely a Super Bowl to remember.