On Sunday, the 13-3 Philadelphia Eagles clashed with the 13-3 New England Patriots. The Patriots were favorites in this game, given their recent success in the postseason.

The Patriots defense struggled this season, after four weeks in the regular season. Their defense had allowed an average of 32 points per game and was ranked dead last in defensive yards given up. This showed in the Super Bowl, forfeiting 41 points to back-up Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.

Seven of these points came on one of the best trick plays I have ever seen. On fourth and goal, Trey Burton, a tight end in the NFL that played quarterback in college, managed to connect with Foles in the endzone for a score. 

The game was intense. A strong start from the Eagles saw them shoot off to 15-3. They saw a 22-12 lead after strong offensive efforts from LaGarrette Blount and Alshon Jeffery, resulting in huge touchdowns for the Eagles. Nick Foles flourished against a damaged New England secondary, in which star cornerback and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Butler was benched.

However, this lead dwindled due to a mid-game turnover by a tipped pass,  and the shootout began. Both quarterbacks came into the second half firing on all cylinders, setting NFL records for yards of total offense in the playoffs.

This was largely thanks to New England depending on  quarterback, Tom Brady, allowing him to throw the ball 48 times during the contest. Foles completed 28/43 passes; most of these yardage totals were found on deep plays, as the opposing defense struggled.

Entering the fourth quarter, the game was a tight 26-32. A well-placed pass to Rob Gronkowski put the Patriots in a 32-33 lead, and that’s where scoring stopped for the Patriots. A pass to Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz was taken in for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a 38-33 lead.

This situation is where Brady is supposed to be his best. With minutes left on the clock and two timeouts left, veteran edge rusher Brandon Graham got the jump on Brady and stripped the ball from his hands. As the ball fell, we saw rookie edge rusher Derek Barnett jump on the ball, securing it for the Eagles.

After this, the Eagles were able to burn the remaining two timeouts for New England, kicking a field goal in the dying minute of the game to seal the deal.

Even the supposed GOAT couldn’t save the Patriots, giving the Eagles their first ever Super Bowl trophy.

This was probably the best Super Bowl of my life, as seeing a pure shootout between a backup quarterback and one of the best to ever do it was extremely entertaining. Neither team managed to muster up a staunch defense, giving us a Super Bowl shootout for the ages.