The Philadelphia Eagles capped off their improbable dream season in dramatic fashion on Sunday Feb. 4, defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in the Super Bowl LII in Minnesota.
As was the case with the rest of the season, this game was not without its drama and excitement. Regardless of what team one roots for, this championship game is considered one of the most exciting as of late.
One of the most intriguing storylines of this Super Bowl—and the playoffs as a whole—was the injury of Philadelphia’s star quarterback Carson Wentz, forcing backup quarterback Nick Foles to take over the starting job. This caused many of the teams and analysts alike to count them out for the rest of the season, as they were underdogs for every game that followed.
Clearly, being the underdog is a position the Eagles have grown comfortable taking on.
Foles—who took home the Super Bowl MVP—told the media after the game about his journey as a player and how he had been very close to quitting football at one point.
“A couple years ago, there was a time where I was thinking about hanging up the cleats,” Foles said in his post-game press conference. “I thought about it and I prayed about it, and I’m happy I made the decision to come back here and play.”
Faith plays a huge role in Foles’s life, he says, and he holds that if it were not for his beliefs, he would not have had the strength to perform the way he did.
It seems like the Eagles did have some divinity on their side, as it looked as though they were able to out coach one of the greatest coaching dynasties in the history of the game. The weight fell on the shoulders of the Patriots’ defense, which let up an uncharacteristic 41 points.
Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was supposed to move into the head coaching position in Indianapolis, but the decided to stay with the Patriots after a team meeting, adding to their “villain” allure.
Perhaps the Patriots’ defense could have performed better had they been with their star, pro-bowl caliber cornerback Malcolm Butler. Butler found himself on the bench for the entirety of the game in what looked like a coaching decision rather than an injury.
There has been speculation that Butler violated team rules involving curfews and marijuana usage, as well as getting into a verbal altercation with coaches. What is clear, however, is whatever Butler did to get him benched for the entire Super Bowl must have been pretty serious.
Despite losing the game, Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady put together another incredible performance, throwing for 505 yards. Unfortunately for Brady, this was not enough to put that sixth ring on his finger.
It is very clear that the Eagles won this game for their city. The city of Philadelphia rallied around their new quarterback and their underdog team despite all odds. Philly celebrities were scattered all throughout the stadium supporting the Eagles including Bradley Cooper and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” stars Rob McElhenny, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito.
While watching this game and witnessing the Eagles win their first Super Bowl in franchise history, however, they were not celebrities. They were simply like everyone else: Philly natives and Eagles fans.
The Eagles go into the 2018-19 season looking to continue making noise throughout the league, as Foles is now a prized possession and Wentz is poised to make his triumphant return