Sunday night was one of the biggest nights of the year for millions of people across America: the Super Bowl. It’s a night of celebration with friends and family for one lucky city, and a night of grave disappointment for another. Unfortunately, on Sunday night that unlucky city was Boston.
The New England Patriots fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 41-33 Sunday night, giving the Eagles their first Super Bowl win and holding New England back from claiming its sixth. Tom Brady had one of the best games of his career, going 28 of 48 for 505 total yards, which is the most yards by a quarterback in any playoff game. Ever.
Still, though Brady was his usual calculated and excellent self, the Eagles’ offense was able to pull through and come out victorious with a late touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game. Nick Foles, QB for the Eagles, went 28 of 43 for 373 yards. An impressive performance for a backup quarterback, but not as impressive as Brady’s record-setting performance. Foles was awarded the MVP of the game for leading his team to victory.
The First Quarter:
Photo credit: Los Angeles Times
The Eagles started off receiving the ball after New England won the coin toss and elected to defer the kickoff. Philly opened the game with a strong drive that led to a field goal for three points. New England answered with a field goal of their own to tie the game. The Eagles then marched down the field for a touchdown, but they missed the extra point afterward.
The first quarter ended with a score of 9-3, Eagles.
The Second Quarter:
Photo credit: NBC
After a lot of quick back and forth drives between the teams with no points scored, the Eagles struck again with a touchdown. They tried for a two-point conversion but didn’t get it, meaning they only got six points from the play. Eagles led by twelve. Brady responded with a quick drive downfield for another field goal, chipping into Philadelphia’s lead. After a huge interception against Foles by the Patriots defense, Brady got the ball back. The Patriots scored a touchdown, but they missed the extra point. The Eagles end the quarter with another touchdown.
The second quarter ended with a score of 22-12, Eagles.
The Halftime Show:
Photo credit: Deadline
Let me start this off by saying Justin Timberlake is a great performer, but Sunday night’s halftime show fell a little bit flat. JT’s dancing was great and he played a lot of his best hits, but his performance, as a whole, didn’t really wow anybody. There was nothing wrong with it per se, but Justin’s routines and sets were not all that captivating. I’m actually pretty sure most people I was with tuned out at some points. He also used a projected image of Prince as a tribute to the late icon, but Prince fans were not pleased with this as Prince had explicitly said in the past that he did not like when artists used other dead artists for performance. Overall, this halftime show was fine but it won’t be remembered as one of the greats.
The Third Quarter:
Photo credit: NFL
The third quarter opened with the Patriots receiving the ball, resulting in one of the Patriots’ most classic plays at the end of the drive. Brady to Gronk. Touchdown. The Eagles responded with another touchdown, making it a ten point game once again. In true shootout fashion, the Patriots came back and scored on the third touchdown drive in a row. The quarter ended with the ball in the Eagles’ possession.
The third quarter ended with a score of 29-26, Eagles.
The Fourth Quarter:
Photo credit: Boston Herald
The final fifteen minutes of play opened up with a field goal for the Eagles. The Patriots responded with a touchdown drive, and the extra point by Stephen Gostkowski gave New England its first lead of the game. The Eagles fired back with a controversial touchdown, but the officials ruled that it was good—obviously a widely unpopular decision in New England. The Eagles don’t convert for the extra points, giving them a five-point lead. Philly then made one of the best plays of the game on defense by strip sacking Brady, causing a fumble that gave the Eagles the ball again. They scored a field goal, increasing their lead to eight. Brady gets the ball with 1:05 left in the game, but it isn’t enough time.
The fourth quarter ended with a final score of 41-33, Eagles.
Heartbreak spread throughout New England instantly. Brady fought until the very last second, but ultimately, the Eagles edged out the Patriots by the skin of their teeth. Philadelphia’s fans get to enjoy this victory for the coming year, but the Patriots Nation can be rest assured that New England and Tom Brady are still #NotDone. Tom said it himself.
For full video highlights of the game, click here.
Cover photo credit: Variety Magazine
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