Tuesday 6 February 2018 20:50, UK
The Philadelphia Eagles claimed a first ever Super Bowl victory as they stunned the New England Patriots 41-33 in a high-scoring thriller at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Eagles again had an answer though, reclaiming their double-digit lead when Foles found Corey Clement for a contested TD - the running back brilliantly caught the perfectly-thrown ball in the back of the endzone, but replays suggested he may not have had both feet in bounds. However, after an official review, it was deemed there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the original call of a touchdown.
The Eagles again had an answer though, reclaiming their double-digit lead when Foles found Corey Clement for a contested TD - the running back brilliantly caught the perfectly-thrown ball in the back of the endzone, but replays suggested he may not have had both feet in bounds. However, after an official review, it was deemed there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the original call of a touchdown.
Back came the Patriots, with Brady this time finding the impressive wide receiver Chris Hogan - who, as well as Danny Amendola, had a 100-yard game - for a TD before the end of the third quarter.
A Philadelphia field goal on their next drive meant New England had the opportunity to forge ahead for the first time in the game, and they duly obliged, with Brady finding Gronkowski in the endzone for a second time.
The Eagles weren't done, and with two and a half minutes left on the clock, they re-took the lead - another somewhat contentious TD call, this time concerning whether Zach Ertz had controlled his catch all the way to the ground when crossing the endzone. Much to the delight of the vocal, and heavily-favoured, Philadelphia crowd inside the stadium, the score stood again.
But - trailing, with two minutes on the clock, and the chance to win a Super Bowl - these are the kind of situations Brady has built a legend out of. And, the usually fearsome Philadelphia defensive front hadn't been able to stop him all day.
In a game that until that point had no sacks at all, the Eagles were able to finally bring some pressure to the Patriots QB and Brandon Graham's strip of Brady all but gave them the game.
A further Jake Elliott field goal was scored off the turnover to see the Eagles lead by eight, the same advantage Atlanta held late in last year's Super Bowl, though this time there were to be no late Brady heroics - with a final-play Hail Mary pass defended - as Philadelphia claimed a first ever, and utterly unforgettable, Super Bowl win.
Earlier, Elliott had kicked the Eagles into a 3-0 lead following an impressive opening drive. The Patriots too put up three points on their opening possession with both defences bending, but not breaking.
Thereafter, however, there was to be a lot of breaking, as the expected defensive battle between these two teams never materialised, with 1,151 combined total yards of offense - an NFL record - put up in an utterly enthralling encounter.
Foles found Alshon Jeffery - a favoured first-half target - for the first touchdown of the game, with a stunning 34-yard strike, while LeGarrette Blount stretched that lead with a brutal 21-yard run into the endzone, the likes of which he did with regularity for the Patriots last year.
But, New England came back into the contest courtesy of a Stephen Gostkowski field goal and a 26-yard James White touchdown run following a Foles interception - the Eagles QB again looked for Jeffery, but was picked off as the ball deflected off his receiver's fingertips.
Foles made amends though, with his stunning receiving TD off a Trey Burton pass coming on a gutsy fourth-and-goal call before the break, and his composure in the second half seeing his team to victory.
Stay with us through the week for all the reaction and fall-out to Super Bowl LII and follow us @SkySportsNFL through the off season we track the Draft, Free Agency and get ready for a new season!
