It was 2:21 left in the game with the Patriots trailing 38-33 in an all too familiar Super Bowl moment. Tom Brady had a great chance, just over two minutes, to drive his team down the field and capture his sixth Super Bowl ring, once again in dramatic fashion.
Last year, he brought the Pats back from a 25-point deficit to snatch a Super Bowl from the claws of the Atlanta Falcons after surviving a suspension for Deflategate. He finished Sunday’s game with a Super Bowl record 505 yards passing and three TDs in an offensive lovefest that saw more offensive yards gained than any in history. For Brady, that’s usually a recipe for success, but not on Sunday.
USA TODAY Sports on Twitter
Tom Brady finished with 505 passing yards, taking down his own record for single-game passing yards in a Super Bowl. https://t.co/KrPNomI6HU
The drive began with a completed pass to Rob Gronkowski who already caught two TDs on the day and then the Eagles came up with their first sack of the day by by defensive end Brandon Graham. He rushed Brady, sack-stripped him and forced the first turnover at the most crucial time.
Sports Illustrated on Twitter
With a strip sack of Tom Brady, Brandon Graham became an Eagles legend https://t.co/KbAWeXRRVH
Philly got the ball back and went up 41-33 and returned the rock to Brady again with about 1 minute left. Patriots haters hoped the game was over, but nobody was actually ready to concede victory with The GOAT still ready to let em’ rip. A last gasp Hail Mary to Gronk hit the Minnesota pavement as a mob of Philly funksters made sure he would not be catching anything on that last play.
The rest, as they say, is history. The Eagles win their first Super Bowl and the unbeatable Patriots fall to 5-3 in Super Bowls during the Brady-Belichick era.
With the upset loss behind them, now the focus switches to the future of the Pats. This is the last time, as they say, the old gang will be together. If the Pats do get back to another Super Bowl, the team will look much different, especially at the coaching positions.
Put aside the rumors of Belichick wanting to leave to coach another squad and his rocky relationship with Brady. Lets even ignore Gronkowski’s post-game interview in which he says he wont commit to playing next season yet.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will move on to coach the Indianapolis Colts and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia seems set to take over the Detroit Lions. Other assistant coaches may also be on the way out.
For 18 seasons Brady and Belichick have rewritten the NFL history books. Their run is already twice as long as anyone could have ever imagined, but all empires eventually fall over egos, age and often personality conflicts. There was a stretch from 2005-2013,where it seemed that the Dynasty was over, Brady was running low and the Pats would never win another Super Bowl. The Killer Bs rebounded to make Super Bowl appearances in 2015, 2017 and 2018, winning two more.
“Losing sucks, Brady said after leaving it all on the field. But you show up and try to win and sometimes you lose and that’s the way it goes…It sucks.
To defeat a team as sound and unrelenting as the Patriots, you have to make all of the crucial plays. Offense ruled the day for most of the game, but defense won it for Philadelphia. The total team game of football was on display in Super Bowl 52, once again, dispelling the myth that one player can win a football game. Brady performed like Jordan in Game 7. His passing performance was the equivalent of dropping 75 points, but it wasnt enough to stop the destiny of Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The New York Times on Twitter
Nick Foles, who started the season as a backup quarterback, outplayed Tom Brady to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl https://t.co/SntVpAYNOP
The loss doesnt do anything to tarnish the legacy of Brady either. Hes had his share of fortunate breaks throughout his five Super Bowl victories and on Sunday night, they surprisingly didn’t fall his way in the end.
