Philadelphia Eagles top New England Patriots to win first Super Bowl
The underdog Philadelphia Eagles upset the defending champion New England Patriots, 41-33, Sunday night, to win their first Super Bowl ever.
The victory over the dynastic Patriots was pulled out shortly after Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham stripped 40-year-old New England quarterback Tom Brady in the final minutes, setting up a 44-yard field goal from rookie kicker Jake Elliot with just over a minute left.
The Eagles were an underdog in Super Bowl LII as the NFC squad, led by an untested coach with only two years at the reins and a backup quarterback, 29-year-old Nick Foles, who had never won a playoff game before this season. New England, at most betting outlets, was favored to win by 4.5 points.
Foles was thrust into the starting role after MVP contender Carson Wentz was lost for the season when he suffered a torn ACL and LCL in a week 14 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
On Sunday, Foles was marksman, completing 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. He also became the first QB in Super Bowl history to also catch a touchdown pass, en route to becoming the game's MVP.
The upset win over the Patriots is something that few experts or insiders saw coming. Many assumed New England would come to Minneapolis and devastate the Eagles to collect their sixth Lombardi Trophy. The almost-unflappable Patriots had been there before. They had a lot of the same talent, led by the quite possibly the best quarterback ever, "Touchdown" Tom Brady and his mastermind coach Bill Belichick.
For his part, Brady threw three touchdowns and racked up 505 yards. But his late fumble was too much for even him to overcome.
The Eagles, who had never won a Super Bowl and lost Super Bowl XXXIX to New England, 24-21, in 2005, barely held off the Atlanta Falcons, 15-10, in the playoffs, but then made a statement when they blew out the Minnesota Vikings, 38-7, in the NFC championship game.
The Eagles joined the 2012 New York Giants as the only teams to defeat the Patriots in a Super Bowl in the 21st century. The Chicago Bears crushed New England 46-10 in Super Bowl XX in 1986.
Hours before they brought down the champion Patriots, Philadelphia policemen seemed to prognosticate the win. Officers were seen greasing traffic light poles in the City of Brotherly Love to prevent people celebrating the win by climbing them.
It took a bit of razzle-dazzle to cut the favorite Patriots down to size. Toward the end of the first half, the Eagles faced a fourth and goal at the 1-yard line and went for it.
Foles motioned out of the backfield and feigned that he was calling an audible, but then booked it to the end zone as his rookie, undrafted running back Corey Clement received the snap. Clement then handed the football off to the tight end Trey Burton who tossed it to Foles in the end zone, giving them a 22-12 lead at halftime.
The storied win for Philadelphia inspired rival New York to set its most recognizable landmark to go green.
New York City's Empire State Building went green moments after the victory was official.
