Jitters might be the word I would describe the first quarter, particularly the kicking game. Missed extra points from both Jake Elliott and Stephen Gostkowski. A bad handle from punter Ryan Allen caused Gostkowski to miss a 26 yard field goal in the second quarter. Other than that, it was a very thrilling game that went down to the wire. It seemed like every drive was going to end up with points with the final being 41 to 33 Eagles. Only one punt was seen in the entire game. Gutsy calls on fourth down favored the Eagles while the Patriots attempt early in the game faltered.
Yards piled up to the point where Tom Brady had 400 yards passing before the fourth quarter started, and he ended up with 505. Both teams combined for 1,151 yards. This is a record ever for any game in NFL history, regular and postseason. Nick Foles had a very strong game, which we will get to in a short moment. He joins Doug Williams and Jeff Hostetler as the only guys to start three or less games and win a Super Bowl (Williams for Washington in 1987, Hostetler for the Giants in 1990) Each side ran for 100 yards combined from their ground game. Philadelphia dominated it with reaching 160 plus.
For the Eagles, they make the NFC East the first division to have all four teams as Super Bowl winners. Foles was unstoppable. Outside of the interception, he had just over 370 yards and three touchdowns. He made plays when he needed to and finished one of the finer postseasons for a player. LeGarrette Blount had a big game with 90 yards rushing and a touchdown. Nelson Agholor and Corey Clement were big contributors. Zach Ertz gave them the lead for good with his touchdown. Foles even got a receiving touchdown himself. Defensively, they did not let up, and it led to the only sack in the game being a big deal. Despite the points they gave up, they were relentless and played for 60 minutes, something most teams can't do against New England. A tough secondary and a front four group adds a lot more with their ability to stop most plays.
Regarding the Patriots, it is their third loss under Bill Belichick, all being NFC East teams during his tenure. (Two losses against the Giants) Not only that, but it is their fifth Super Bowl loss overall going back to their first one in 1985, which is a record in itself. There will definitely be some retooling come next year. The defense didn't give up much in points this year, but it was shredded in pass defense. Tonight was no exception. Their run defense wasn't abysmal, but it looked really bad against the Eagles. Their fourth down play early in the game didn't pay off. A pass to Brady as a receiver failed miserably. Gostkowski's missed kicks hurt them. James White and Dion Lewis didn't amount to anything tonight. Too many mistakes in every facet was very noticeable. With Josh McDaniels (though whether he takes the job as Colts coach as of now is now a big question) and Matt Patricia on the verge of leaving to be head coaches, a big question will be how the Patriots handle having new coordinators.
Something will have to give in Philly. Where does Nick Foles go? Does Carson Wentz still have the starting job? A lot of decisions have to be made if they want to repeat. In New England, it will be a matter of how much this Super Bowl loss will sting for Belichick and Brady. Judging by the benching of Malcolm Butler, something tells me that team is going to start ridding of players they think would hurt them. It wouldn't surprise me. After all, this is the same coach that cut Bernie Kosar in the middle of the 1993 season when he coached the Cleveland Browns. Anything can happen under Belichick. I would think they would rebound, but who knows.
Odds are the riots are going very strong in Philadelphia due to the city going nuts over this win. In a few days, I will discuss the Hall of Fame players that got their call this past weekend. Until then, savor one of the most entertaining Super Bowls in recent memory.
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