It came down to the final play, and the ball was in the possession of Tom Brady.
If the New England quarterback could throw a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown, the Pats could follow it up with a two-point conversion and go into overtime in the Super Bowl.
Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles, surrounded by the tight end Gronkowski, knocked the ball to the ground and gave the New England Patriots, suffering a long team, their first ever victory in the biggest game in the NFL. However, there would be no play for the Patriots.
The Green Bay Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-13 in the NFL Championship Game, marking the first championship victory for Philadelphia since 1960 when they were defeated by Vince Lombardi’s team. The Eagles now possess Lombardi’s trophy, which bears his name.
The Philadelphia Eagles took a 9-3 lead at the end of the first quarter after Nick Foles, the eventual Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery. This came after Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots matched Jake Elliott’s field goal, and the Eagles dictated the pace of the game.
In the final 34 seconds, Foles received a one-yard pass from tight end Trey Burton and scored. By halftime, the Eagles expanded their lead to 22-12, but that narrowed the advantage Philadelphia had to 15-12. The Patriots countered with another field goal by Gostkowski and a 26-yard touchdown run by James White, but LeGarrette Blount’s 21-yard run in the second quarter increased the lead to 15-3.
In addition, the Eagles gave a psychological advantage to the Patriots by extending their lead with a scoring play on the edge of something. The Patriots also attempted to pass the ball to their quarterback, Danny Amendola, rather than relying on the 40-year-old quarterback, Brady, who could not hang on to the pass.
Hogan Chris completed a 26-yard touchdown pass as the game approached the end of the third quarter, with Brady throwing the ball. However, the Patriots were still trailing behind the Eagles, but Corey Clement, a rookie, responded with a touchdown pass from Foles. In the opening of the third quarter, the Patriots scored a touchdown with Brady throwing the ball to Gronkowski.
Although it was a rather thrilling turn of events, Foles would not allow the drama to unfold. The Philadelphia Eagles had a 29-26 lead after three quarters, although they were expected to belong to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.
The advantage increased to 32-26 following an Elliott field goal of 42 yards, Gronkowski and Brady connected for another touchdown, and the Patriots took a 33-32 lead following the successful extra point.
The quarterback threw an 11-yard touchdown pass during the go-ahead drive led by Foles, but the Eagles could have given in at that moment.
The officials ruled it as a touchdown and Ertz appeared to cross the goal line before the ball hit the ground, popping it up. He dove into the end zone and took two steps after catching the ball. The Eagles failed to convert the two-point conversion, but the call was confirmed upon review.
The Patriots had a chance to regain the lead as Ertz came down with a touchdown catch after a recovered fumble by Barnett, a forced pass by Graham, and a catch by Brandon, the Eagles’ first-down pass-rusher, on Brady’s throw to Gronkowski.
The Eagles couldn’t make a first down, but Elliott contributed another field goal and the Eagles held a 41-33 advantage.
Brady was able to drive his team near the midfield and pass it to the Patriots. They were gasping on the Gurney, but the Patriots still had life.
However, the Hail Mary prayer was not answered and the Philadelphia Eagles, playing in their home city, began a massive celebration as they won their first-ever Super Bowl title in franchise history.