Super Bowl LII was the perfect culmination of the 2017 NFL season


The Philadelphia Eagles are World Champions. That is a sentence that has never before been typed in the Super Bowl era. The night of February 4 proved to be the third time lucky for the Eagles, as they knocked off the dynasty that has ruled over the NFL for 16 years: the New England Patriots.

It was a glorious display of football. Enjoying the game as a neutral was a blessing as it lived up to all of the hype of the Super Bowl. Even considering recency bias, this game has to make an immediate claim to be one of the top ten or better Super Bowls. Dare I say it was better than the Patriots’ victory last year?

The Eagles ultimately prevailed, 41-33, thanks to one of the only big defensive plays of the game. Brandon Graham and Chris Long pressured Brady, enough to allow Graham to get the first sack and the first Patriots’ turnover of the day. The Eagles took over with just over two minutes left and hit a field goal with just one minute and five seconds remaining. The Patriots, who had no timeouts, couldn’t produce the same magic they did one year ago. A Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete and Philadelphia went crazy.

The key difference between this year’s game and last year’s is that it was intoxicating from the opening kickoff. The first three quarters of last year’s game were poor. The Patriots were getting blown out, that isn’t entertaining, no matter how much you hate the Patriots. Granted, the fourth quarter was unlike anything many had ever seen, and no-one had ever seen on that stage, but the vast majority of that game was a snooze-fest.

Though the Eagles twice had ten point leads and at one point a 12 point lead, this game was close and hard fought throughout. It was THE Super Bowl for any fans of offense. Nick Foles – yes, that Nick Foles – was going head to head with Tom Brady in a shootout and was not only holding his own, he was winning.

The defenses seemed to have no answer to anything. The Pats did get an interception, but it was hardly anything they did. Foles launched a bomb down the sideline which reached Jeffrey, Jeffrey had it in his hands, but a bobble and then bat into the waiting hands of Duron Harmon gave the Patriots one positive on their defensive report. Even the great Eagles defense was struggling for stops as Brady picked them apart in signature fashion.

The offenses played so well, in fact, that the two teams combined for the most combined total yards in NFL history. Part way through the third quarter the teams eclipsed the Super Bowl record for total yards, breaking the 930-yard mark. By games end the teams combined for 1,151 yards, 874 of which were passing yards (a Super Bowl record), and 505 of which were provided by Tom Brady (another Super Bowl record).

Those weren’t the only records/milestones recorded in this game. Nick Foles became the first QB to catch a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl and simultaneously became the first player to catch and throw a touchdown in a Super Bowl. There were other records, but these really spoke to this games quality.

Super Bowl LII was a masterpiece. It should be remembered as one of the best Super Bowls of all time.

Aside from entertaining us, it served another purpose. As every Super Bowl does, it tied a bow on the prior 332 games. And Super Bowl LII did it beautifully. I found this game so completely satisfying and representative of the season.

It all came down to the two best teams in the league, both of whom had overcome some serious obstacles in the form of injuries, something the 2017 season will be remembered by.

In a game that was dominated by offense, it was defense that prevailed. The Patriots started the season with a woeful defensive performance, only to slowly improve and seemingly fix their issues. But ultimately, their defense let them down where the Eagles didn’t. Though over the course of the game the defenses had no answers, the Eagles’ unit came through with the one big play necessary. This game brought the season full circle, and produced a deserving winner. The most talented team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Enjoy it Philly and Eagles nation, soak it in. You deserve it.

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