Super Bowl LII: Another Game for the Ages

Super Bowl LII, live from Minneapolis.  In the pro football department, I have only watched the NFL Playoffs this year, with the exception of the Week 16 Cardinals-Giants game that I attended and the Week 17 Cardinals-Seahawks game that I watched on TV.  I moved in September and was going to catch up and write about games, but the National Anthem fiasco soured me to everything.

Anyway, I like this matchup.  Both #1 seeds made the Super Bowl.  My alma mater – the University of Arizona – has four representatives in this game, two for each team: Eagles QB Nick Foles[1], Eagles Special Teams Coach Dave Fipp, Patriots linebacker Marquis Flowers, and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The Patriots are in their tenth Super Bowl – eighth under the tenure of Head Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.  A win here will tie them with the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins – six.[2]  This will be the Eagles’ first Super Bowl win, if they can pull it off, and it is their third appearance.

I have to say that I love the humor of the Eagles playing the Super Bowl in the home stadium of the team they just smoked in the conference championship game.  That had to be sweet justice for the Eagles.

Pregame

• I liked the way that NBC did the on-screen player introductions as the teams were getting set to exit the locker rooms. I paid better attention, and it didn’t take away from the actual game.
• Leslie Odom Jr. sounded great with “America the Beautiful.”[3]
• I didn’t like P!nk’s performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She had pitch problems throughout.

First Quarter

The Eagles took the opening kickoff and came out throwing.  Foles looked comfortable passing.  The Patriots, however, have a “bend-but-don’t break” defense, and the Eagles’ drive stalled at the Pats’ 8, leading to them settling for a 25-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 7:58 left.  Foles threw for 61 yards, with six completions on nine attempts.  The Eagles looked much better passing than running, as they only ran for 11 yards on four carries.

New England responded with an eight-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal.  They also looked much better in the air than they did on the ground, gaining only four yards rushing while gaining 58 yards through the air.  This can’t last forever.  SOMEBODY is going to run well.

On Philadelphia’s ensuing drive, LaGarrett Blount finally busted a big run, gaining 36 yards on the second play of the drive.  On the ensuing play, Foles threw a beautiful bomb that Alshon Jeffery hauled in with a gorgeous leaping grab for a 34-yard touchdown.  Jake Elliott missed the extra point wide right, giving the Eagles a 9-3 lead with 2:34 left.

HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  On third-and-seven on the Patriots’ ensuing drive, Brady scrambled right to escape pressure and fired a laser beam to the left sideline to a wide-open Danny Amendola for a 50-yard gain.  That came after an eight-yard run up the middle, a false start,[4] and an incomplete pass.  After another pass, the Pats took to the ground, running for nine yards before Gostkowski missed a kick that wasn’t his fault.  (Second quarter started here.)  The final running play was entertaining: Brandon Cooks ran around the right end and tried to leap for a first down, but Eagles safety Rodney McLeod caught him out of the air and tackled him powerbomb-style.[5]  On the field goal, the snap was bad.  It was a miracle that the holder – punter Chris Hogan – even got the ball down.  The ugly kick helicoptered toward the left, initially looking like it would be well wide, but it sliced back and smacked the upright.

Second Quarter

The Eagles’ next drive stalled after only two yards and ended with a 41-yard punt to New England’s 37.  The first play for the Patriots was a beautiful 23-yard pass to Brandon Cooks, which ended with a helmet-to-helmet hit by safety Malcolm Jenkins that knocked Cooks unconscious.[6] [7]  After that, the Patriots managed a five-yard run and three incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs.  The penultimate pass was a double-reverse-pass that Amendola threw toward Tom Brady in the right flat.  Brady was WIDE OPEN, but the ball sailed just past his outstretched hands.[8]

Running plays showed up more for the Eagles on the next drive.  Jay Ajayi lost a yard and then gained four, bringing up third-and-seven on the Eagles’ 38.  Foles found tight end Zach Ertz over the middle for a 19-yard gain.  After an incomplete pass, Alshon Jeffery made an impressive diving, over-the-shoulder catch for a 22-yard gain.  On the ensuing play, Blount broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run.  The Eagles went for two and missed, making the score 15-3.  Multiple missed PATs tend to cost teams down the road.  I have to wonder if this will make a difference tonight.

New England took over at their own 25 with 8:48 left in the second.  The only play of note was the first: Rex Burkhead caught a short pass from Brady and ran for a long gain.  I thought he would take it all the way, but the speedy Corey Graham caught him from behind at the Eagles’ 29-yard line.  Three more passes followed, gaining a total of two yards.  Gostkowski ended the drive with a 45-yard field goal that was right down the pipe, making the score 15-6.

Philadelphia’s offensive clinic looked to continue on the next drive.  After a one-yard run by Corey Clement, Foles completed a 10-yard pass to Torrey Smith, and Jay Ajayi rattled off a 26-yard run to the right.  Then Foles threw a long pass to the right corner that Jeffery dove for and nearly caught.  He tipped it into the air, where Duron Harmon snatched it out of the air and returned it eight yards to the Pats’ 10.

Dion Lewis saw more of the ball on the next drive.  The Pats decided to run more, and Lewis took the first three carries, running for 16 yards.  After Gronkowski dropped a pass – in his defense, the ball popped loose on a hit – Brady bombed a 43-yard pass to Chris Hogan.  James White followed with a 26-yard touchdown run, but Stephen Gostkowski – who missed a PAT in last year’s Super Bowl – shanked the extra point wide left, making the score 15-12 instead of 15-13.

Kenjon Barner returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to give the Eagles the ball on their own 30 with 1:59 left.  The Eagles marched the ball down to the Pats’ one with 38 seconds left on a drive highlighted by a 55-yard pass from Foles to Corey Clement.  On fourth-and-goal, and after a timeout, the Eagles ran one of the all-time trick plays.  Foles started in the shotgun, then slowly moved toward the line to give instructions to the right tackle.  He stopped, lining up off the line behind where the tight end would be.  The ball was snapped directly to the running back, Corey Clement, who began to run left, but tossed to tight end Trey Burton, who was running right.  He, however, did not continue with the reverse, but instead threw to a WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open Nick Foles in the right flat for an easy touchdown.[9]  Elliott tacked on the extra point to make the score 22-12.

New England made a valiant effort to score on the final drive of the half, but they were stopped at the Philadelphia 27 on their final play of the half.

Halftime Show

It wasn’t an earth-shattering performance, but Justin Timberlake did well.  I liked the tribute to Prince.  It was touching to see that in his hometown.  I also liked that Justin went up into the stands on his closer.

Third Quarter

New England started the second half on their own 25.  The second and third plays were completed passes to Gronkowski for 25 and 24 yards, respectively.  After a four-yard run to the left by James White, Brady threw incomplete and then hit Gronk with a 14-yard pass to the left to bring the Pats to the Eagles’ 8.  White then ran for three before Brady ended the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Gronk.  Gostkowski’s extra point made it a 22-19 game.

Before describing Philadelphia’s ensuing drive, I have to give credit to their offensive line.  They have done a fantastic job protecting Foles so far, giving him plenty of time to throw.  The Eagles’ drive went as follows: run, incomplete pass, pass, run, run, incomplete pass, run, pass, run, incomplete pass, and touchdown.  Blount ran for 23 and Jay Ajayi ran for nine.  The final play of the drive was a 22-yard touchdown pass to Corey Clement.  Elliott made the extra point to make the score 29-19.

I disagreed with the touchdown call.  Clement did not appear to have full control of the football in time to get both feet in.  He had both hands on the ball, put down his left foot, bobbled and then tucked the ball away, put down his right foot, and then put his left foot down on the end line.[10]

That seemed to anger the Patriots.  They responded with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that saw Brady complete three out of three passes for 60 yards.  The first completion was a 16-yarder to Chris Hogan, the second was an 18-yarder to Amendola, and the last was a 26-yard touchdown to Hogan.  The extra point made it 29-26.

Philadelphia’s ensuing drive gave this game the Super Bowl record for the most total offensive yards by the two teams combined.[11]  They started on their own 25, and Foles continued his successful throwing.  The first two plays were a 24-yard pass to Nelson Agholor and a 17-yard pass to Torrey Smith that gave the Eagles first-and-ten on the Pats’ 34.  Two runs that combined for 11 yards made it first-and-ten on the 23.  After an incomplete pass and a seven-yard pass, the third quarter ended with the Eagles facing third-and-three on the Pats’ 16 and holding a 29-26 lead.

Fourth Quarter

The first play of the fourth quarter was a pass from Foles to Agholor for an eight-yard loss.  Elliott then nailed a 42-yard field goal to extend the Eagles’ lead to 32-26.

New England took their first lead of the game on the next drive.  Burkhead began the drive with three runs of nine, four, and three yards.  Brady then dumped a three-yard pass to Hogan and a seven-yard pass to Amendola for a first down.  Brady followed with two more passes to Amendola – one for 30 and the other for nine, giving New England first-and-goal on the eight.  After a four-yard run by White and an incomplete pass intended for White, Brady found Gronk for a four-yard touchdown pass.  The extra point made in 33-32.

After NBC announced that the MVP voting was open online (WAY too early…Al Michaels even said so), Philadelphia began their possession on their own 25.  A couple of runs and several passes nickeled-and-dimed the Eagles’ way to fourth-and-one on their own 45.  Foles found tight end Zach Ertz for a leaping two-yard gain for a first down.[12]  After an Eagle timeout – which wasn’t their last, since Andy Reid left several years ago – Blount gained one yard by way of run, and then Foles hit Agholor for 10, 18, and 10.  Ajayi then ran for three before the Pats called timeout.  After an incomplete pass, Foles completed a pass to the tight end, Zach Ertz.  Ertz caught it around the five and was hit at the two.  He lunged for the end zone and got the ball over in the air.  When he hit the ground, the ball popped out.  Collinsworth kept saying, “I don’t know…” over and over again, but I felt strongly – before the replay – that it was a touchdown.  The replay confirmed it.  The Eagles’ two-point attempt failed, as the pass to Corey Clement on the right sideline was broken up, making the score 38-33.

On the Patriots’ first play from scrimmage on their ensuing possession, the first sack of the game by either team[13] forced Brady to fumble.  Derek Barnett recovered for the Eagles and fell on it, giving the Eagles the ball at the Pats’ 31.  Blount ran for three yards on the first play, forcing the Pats to use their final timeout.  Blount then ran for a hard-fought three yards to make it third and five on the Pats’ 26 at the two-minute warning.[14]  After another short run by Blount, Elliott kicked a 46-yard field goal[15] to give the Eagles an eight-point lead with 1:10 left, 41-33.

The ensuing kickoff saw a head-scratching call.  The Pats took it on the 10 and attempted a reverse that almost ended in disaster.  New England began their possession on their own nine.  The first play was a long out route toward Chris Hogan that fell incomplete.  The second play saw Brady scramble to his right and fire it to his left incomplete.  Third down saw Brady nearly get sacked before he fired incomplete up the middle.  Fourth down was complete over the middle to Amendola to bring the ball to the 22.  Brady then spiked the ball on first down to stop the clock with 26 seconds left.  Gronk then caught a pass and ran out of bounds at the 33 with 20 seconds left.  The next play was another pass to Gronk, who ran out of bounds at the Pats’ 49.  After the Eagles’ final timeout, Brady threw incomplete to his left, making it second-and-ten with nine seconds left.  Brady then launched a Hail Mary to the right side of the goal line, where Gronk nearly made a leaping grab and then nearly caught the ball as it fell to the ground.

WOW.  WHAT.  A.  GAME.  They haven’t announced the MVP vote yet as I write this sentence, but my vote is for my boy Nick Foles.[16]  This game was well-played, except for three special teams plays.[17]  The kickoffs were excellent.  Both offenses played extremely well.  I can’t say the defenses were bad – the offenses were just super-good.  But, in the end, it felt like the Eagles controlled most of the game, and they fully deserved this win.  Good for them, and good for Philadelphia.[18]

A special congratulations to my very good (and long-time – more than 20 years) friend Alan Carrico and to Erik Goodwin, a former student of mine who was an absolute delight to teach.  They are the biggest Eagle fans I know, and I guarantee you that they are so overjoyed that they can barely speak as I post this.  You guys have been through a lot of grief through the years.  Enjoy this!

Sunday, February 4, 2018, 8:30 pm MST

P.S.  Foles did get the MVP.  He completed 28 passes on 43 attempts, gaining 373 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.  He also caught a one-yard touchdown pass.  What a day from a guy who nearly left the league a few years ago.

[1] Foles was the first University of Arizona quarterback to be drafted by an NFL team since John Conner, who was drafted in 1985 by the Seattle Seahawks.  This is something football-related that my ASU friends do NOT taunt me about.  Probably because they haven’t heard of him.  I hadn’t, either, until I looked this up.

[2] Four of the Steelers’ six wins came before I was born.  The Patriots’ first Super Bowl win came while I was in my 20s.  Don’t know if that means anything, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

[3] A few minutes later, my wife and I tried to remember his name.  She said, “Leslie Clark, Jr.”  I said, “Omar Mann, Jr.”  As you can see, I was close.

[4] This was the Patriots’ first offensive penalty of the postseason.

[5] It was straight out of the WWE.  The Undertaker got mad at him for stealing his move.

[6] Even though it was helmet-to-helmet, it wasn’t a foul because Cooks was a runner and not a defenseless receiver.  Give me a break.  There is no place in football for leading with your helmet.  Period.  Do not buy for one second that the NFL cares about head injuries, because this would have been a penalty if they did.

[7] I am not saying that Jenkins was trying to hurt Cooks, because I do not at all believe that he was, but I think it was careless and should have been a penalty.

[8] Chris Collinsworth – a retired receiver – said something along the lines of “that’s why Brady’s a quarterback and not a receiver.”  Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the ball was overthrown, Chris!!!!!!!!!!  Brady isn’t Inspector Gadget!!!!!!!

[9] This made Nick Foles the first quarterback to catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.

[10] Chris Collinsworth said, “I give up.”

[11] The previous record, 929, was held by Super Bowl XXII, where the victorious Washington Redskins gained 602 yards and the Denver Broncos gained 327.  Final score: 42-10.  Score at the end of the first: Denver 10, Washington 0.  Score at halftime: 35-10.

[12] The Patriots’ assistant coach in the background cracked me up.  The officials spotted the ball perfectly, yet the coach was in the background giving a washout signal and yelling “NO!”  Then he pointed a yard behind the sticks.  The tunnel vision that I’ve seen coaches get – in pro sports, high school sports (I referee high school soccer), and youth sports – is mind-boggling.  What, did he think it’s like basketball, where your positioning is determined by the last place you touch the floor?

[13] The sack was by Brandon Graham.

[14] The break actually happened with 1:56 left.

[15] Never mention the words “46-yard field goal” and “Super Bowl” to a Buffalo Bills fan in the same sentence.

[16] He’s “my boy” because he’s an Arizona Wildcat.

[17] The two missed extra points and the missed field goal.

[18] Their fans will still find something to boo about, mark my words.