Super Bowl LII Recap and Review 2018

Let’s take a quick look back at “expert” predictions heading into the 2018 Super Bowl.

Animals know their stuff. The rest leaned towards the all but predictable. But no, Tom Brady did not get his sixth Super Bowl title on Sunday, as the Philadelphia Eagles denied him of that after beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, 41-33. It is also the same reason why the city of Philadelphia is on fire right now – literally and figuratively. At long last, Philly has won a Super Bowl title, which also means that the Eagles are no longer the odd-team out in the NFC East division that now has all its teams winning at least one Super Bowl.

But let’s focus on the game itself.

The Patriots lost to Philly despite being the 5.5-point spread favorites. They have Tom Brady but not even the presence of arguably the greatest player to ever play the game of football under center for them did not prevent them from losing to Nick “Bleepin’” Foles. Foles, who was named the game’s MVP, connected on 28 of his 43 pass attempts for 373 yards and three touchdowns to go with an interception that was not really his fault. Foles’ exploits included an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz late in the game that put the Eagles ahead the rest of the way.

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Un-drafted rookie running back Corey Clement also became just the second rookie ever to amass at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in a Super Bowl contest. LeGarrette Blount and Chris Long are also now the only player in NFL history to win a Super Bowl while defeating a team that they won a Super Bowl with a year before.

The Patriots, on the other hand, had some questions to answer following the game. Perhaps the biggest of them all was why did they benched Super Bowl hero and cornerback Malcolm Butler. Butler did not play a single snap in the Eagles game with the Pats using him only for special teams purposes. Butler is headed for free agency, and if this game was any indication, it’s probably safe to assume that he will not be part of the Patriots starting next season.

Brady, meanwhile, still had a memorable performance despite the loss. The 40-year-old quarterback had 505 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also broke the record he set in last year’s Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons by throwing the most yards ever in a Super Bowl game.

Brady is not going anywhere next season. Although he failed to guide the Pats to another Super Bowl win, the 2017 NFL MVP had earlier said he is not going to hang up his cleats anytime soon, and next year’s odds to win the Super Bowl reflect that.