Eagles’ defense delivers at the end
MINNEAPOLIS — The stage was set for another dramatic Super Bowl comeback for Tom Brady and the Patriots.
That’s when Brandon Graham delivered one of the few defensive highlights in the most prolific offensive game in NFL history, ripping the ball out of Brady’s hands for a fumble that gave the Eagles their first Super Bowl title with a 41-33 victory Sunday night.
“When the fourth quarter came, we had to go out there and make a stop,” Graham said. “As a defense, we hadn’t been doing it all game. The offense carried us all the way through. At the end of the day, we kept coming.”
Rookie Derek Barnett recovered the loose ball and Eagles fans began celebrating their first title since winning the 1960 NFL championship in what proved to be a surprise ending.
Brady has made the lategame comeback a specialty in winning a record five Super Bowl titles, including last year’s rally from 28-3 down to beat Atlanta in overtime. He also led late game-winning scoring drives to beat the Rams, Carolina and Seattle.
The Eagles showed no sign of slowing Brady on Sunday as he threw for a playoff-record 505 yards and three touchdowns, carving up the defense at will. The Patriots did not punt and did not commit a turnover until Brady’s late fumble with New England on its 33 with just more than two minutes remaining and poised for a comeback.
That’s when Graham beat Shaq Mason off the line and reached his left hand out for Brady just before he was set to throw. Graham knocked the ball loose.
“I knew I had a one-on-one with the guard,” Graham said. “I knew he likes to be aggressive, so I tried to act like I was pulling. I snatched it right off and Tom Brady’s arm was right there and I went for the ball.”
Barnett landed on it in what will go down as one of the most memorable plays in Philadelphia history.
“BG made the play to win it,” Barnett said. “It was a good bounce. Right into my hands.”
The fumble set up a field goal that gave the Eagles an eightpoint lead and then the game ended when Brady’s desperation heave for Gronkowski in the end zone fell to the turf, sending green and white confetti to the field, emotional Eagles pouring in from the sideline and Brady resting on the ground in frustration.
The Eagles’ defense had offered little resistance for the first 57 minutes as the Patriots moved the ball on every drive, getting stopped only on a missed field-goal try by Stephen Gostkowski and a failed fourth-down attempt one play after Brady just missed a pass from Danny Amendola on a trick play.
The Patriots had scored three straight touchdowns to open the second half to take their first lead of the game at 33-32 and still were in position to win after Nick Foles gave the Eagles a 38-33 lead on a TD pass to Zach Ertz.
“We stuck together,” Philadelphia defensive lineman Fletcher Cox said. “Nobody panicked. We knew what we had to do to stop him. We knew it would come down to a couple of plays. We’ve been through the situation before. Guys just stepped up and make plays.”
Graham was the one who delivered, providing a defensive exclamation point in a game that featured a record 1,151 yards of offense, including 613 for the Patriots.
“They made one good play at the right time,” Brady said.