Foles-to-Ertz TD key play as Eagles earn 1st Super title
MINNEAPOLIS — The Eagles’ flight from last to first ended up with a Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night.
In a record-setting matchup between Philadelphia’s Nick Foles and New England’s Tom Brady, the Eagles’ backup quarterback led a pressure-packed 75-yard drive that culminated with a game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass to Danville native and Stanford alum Zach Ertz as the Eagles beat the defending-champion Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII.
Ertz’s touchdown grab with 2:21 left gave Philadelphia a 38-33 lead and rookie Jake Elliot’s 46-yard field goal — after a Brady fumble — with
1:05 remaining added breathing room for the Eagles. They didn’t secure victory until Brady’s Hail Mary pass from midfield fell to the ground as time expired.
Philadelphia’s players, including injured starting quarterback Carson Wentz, came bolting off the sideline to celebrate the team’s first Super Bowl win in three appearances.
“We’ve played this game since we were little kids, we dreamed about this moment,” Foles said. “There are plenty of kids watching this game right now dreaming about this moment and someday will be here.”
“If there’s a word, (it’s) called everything,” said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, whose team finished last in the NFC East in 2016. “That’s what it means to Eagles fans everywhere. And for Eagles fans everywhere, this is for them.”
Foles, the Super Bowl MVP, orchestrated the victory with the type of drive Brady has mastered. A 14-play march that ended with Ertz’s dive into the end zone included a fourthdown conversion.
“I felt calm. I mean, we have such a great group of guys, such a great coaching staff,” Foles said. “We felt confident coming in, and we just went out there and played football.”
The Eagles had a few anxious moments after Ertz’s grab as the play was reviewed because the ball popped into the air after Ertz landed in the end zone.
“If they would have overturned that, I don’t know what would have happened to the city of Philadelphia,” Ertz said. “But I’m so glad they didn’t overturn it.”
The touchdown call stood — and so did thousands of greenclad Eagles fans who weren’t going to mind the frigid conditions outside US Bank Stadium once they headed out to celebrate. But not before a rousing rendition of “Fly Eagles Fly” reverberated throughout the stands once the trophy was presented to Lurie. Later, fans danced along with “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme from “Rocky,” the city’s best-known fictional underdog.
The Patriots, who entered the game as 4½-point favorites, seemed ready to take their sixth championship with Brady and head coach Bill Belichick in eight Super Bowls. Brady threw for a game-record 505 yards and three TDs, hitting Rob Gronkowski for a 4-yard score before Stephen Gostkowski’s extra point gave New England its first lead, 33-32 with 9:22 remaining.
Then Foles made them forget Wentz — at least for a while — with the drive of his life. A 2-yard throw to Ertz on 4thand-1 from the Eagles’ 45 prolonged the possession.
“We couldn’t make a play to give the ball back to the offense,” New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore said.
Foles has been something of a journeyman in his six pro seasons, but was spectacular in this postseason. After throwing for 352 yards and three touchdowns against the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, Foles was 28for-43 for 373 yards and three TDs against the Patriots.
The combined 1,151 yards in Super Bowl LII were the most in any modern NFL game, and Brady’s 505 were the most in any playoff game. The 40-yearold finished 28-for-48 and picked apart the Eagles until the final two series.
It was such a wild game that Foles caught a touchdown pass, and Brady was on the opposite end of a Danny Amendola throw that went off Brady’s fingertips.
Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson brought home the championship in his second year in charge. Belichick is 5-3 in Super Bowls.
After trailing 22-12 at halftime, Brady and the Patriots looked more like five-time champions by opening the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Gronkowski was unstoppable, grabbing four passes for 69 yards, including the 5-yard score that trimmed Philadelphia’s lead to 22-19.
The Eagles didn’t flinch, responding with an 85-yard touchdown march. Foles’ touchdown pass to Corey Clement over double coverage, a 22-yarder, capped the 11-play drive. The rookie’s reception was upheld by review, and the Eagles were back on top by 10.
Brady shrugged and, getting protection from his offensive line, went over 400 yards passing on the next TD drive. Chris Hogan scored from the 26 as he turned around safety Rodney McLeod.
When all the Eagles could manage was Elliott’s 42-yarder for a 32-26 lead, it seemed inevitable the Patriots would go in front, then become the first repeat Super Bowl winner since they did it in the 2004 and ’05 games.
And though New England did take the lead, Foles, Ertz, and — at last — a revitalized defense kept the Patriots at bay.
After Ertz’s touchdown catch, Philadelphia defensive end Brandon Graham beat guard Shaq Mason off the line and reached Brady just before he was set to throw. Graham knocked the ball loose and the Eagles’ Derek Barnett recovered the fumble.
“Tom Brady’s arm was right there and I went for the ball,” Graham explained.
Philadelphia’s defensive backfield then made the last play, keeping Gronkowski from catching the game’s final pass in the end zone.
“We stuck together,” Philadelphia defensive lineman Fletcher Cox said. “Nobody panicked. We knew what we had to do to stop (Brady). We knew it would come down to a couple of plays. We’ve been through the situation before. Guys just stepped up and made plays.”