After taking a few days to reflect, Super Bowl LII was a crazy bout between two teams that possess solid defenses and incredible offenses, the New England Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The result of the game – Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33- does not surprise me, nor does it make me feel upset. It was a fun game to watch. Though I was on the couch, dealing with a sickness, I could still enjoy the game and stay engaged because it was fast paced, well coached, and close.
As I was still trying to take in the strip sack, the poor late game execution and coaching, and the excellent commercials (especially Tide, you’re the real MVP), I noticed a short list of things that made the big game one of the most exciting and fun to watch.
So here it is, because frankly I’m not the best hype man when it comes to the New England Patriots.
The game was simply historic.
You can’t question a game’s greatness when it makes history, especially when it’s the Super Bowl. There were more offensive yards gained in this game (1,151) than any Super Bowl, playoff, or regular season game.
Along with that amazing statistic, here’s a short list of other records that were set.
- First player to throw and receive a TD pass in the Super Bowl (Nick Foles)
- Most passing yards in a Super Bowl by a player (Tom Brady, 505)
- Total passing yards in a Super Bowl (874)
- Touchdowns by a QB/Receiver duo (Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, 12, tied Joe Montana and Jerry Rice)
Those are just 4 of the many records set that night.
History is an element of the game that many chase. At the end of the day, everyone is trying to write their own legacy. This game shows a perfect example of history being made in an exciting way.
Big players make big games
This seems a little obvious. The way that the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots exchanged big plays was electrifying to even the most defensive minded of football fans. It is not often that you see a game the caliber of the Super Bowl be so high scoring. Before that game, you would be lucky to see a team make a play over 50 yards. Offenses were so methodical before.
This year’s Super Bowl thoroughly showcased the change in pace this game is witnessing. It matches the transition in pace that are being seen in other sports. Basketball games now often end in the 120’s. Baseball games will now end closer to double digits, with ERA’s usually resting in the 3’s and 4’s for starting pitchers. Hockey games will now end in scores of 7-4 or 5-2 on a regular basis, with some games going to 6-5.
What does this say about Super Bowls to come? No one can be sure. Games of this magnitude have a history of being completely unpredictable.
Bill Belichick was outcoached, and the strategic duel was mesmerizing.
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Bill Belichick is [arguably] the greatest coach of all time. We all expected for him and his staff to trigger the same late game chess match that has won him a lot of games. Doug Pederson recognized this, and he didn’t let the Pats get into his team’s head. He retaliated with his notoriously aggressive playcalling, and New England got burned because they couldn’t match the tempo.
This was very interesting to me. It is the first time I’ve ever seen Belichick’s sit back and observe mentality actually backfire. The big reason why seems to be the inability for his team to capture momentum.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll continue to say it: establishing and keeping control of momentum is the most important part of winning a game. Philadelphia did the better job of that, and Brady and Belichick couldn’t get back in the game because of it.
When looking back at this game, the New England Patriots really didn’t deserve this win. Philadelphia had them beat. But I will say, it was still probably the best game I’ve witnessed to this day.
Next: Patriots gridiron news: Dion Lewis looking to get paid in 2018
It has been a full week since it was played, and I’m just now taking it all in. No other game has ever left me as shocked and as awe struck.