Les Carpenter on the Eagles' win in the cold light of day:
Here’s Les Carpenter on Nick Foles
Nick Foles is up and talking to the cameras now with his baby daughter. He thanks God first before paying tribute to his team-mates. He’s also been named Super Bowl MVP, with some justification.
Final thoughts
You know it’s a good game when even your web browser crashes at the end of it. Yikes. In any case, it was still more effective than the Patriots’ defense, which will probably be the story of the game, especially when the play of the game is that game-sealing strip of Tom Brady. Here we have the Guardian’s official game report for how everything went down. That will do it from here. Thanks to everyone for following along, especially everyone who contributed (apologies for not getting everyone in). Stay tuned for further Super Bowl coverage here at the Guardian in the next few days. Ciago!
You can read a full report from tonight’s game here:
Eagles win!
Eagles-Patriots 41-33, FINAL
The Patriots gets to midfield but their magic dust is running out. A last minute Hail Mary to Gronk is incomplete and that will do it. The Philadelphia Eagles are World Champions!
Field goal (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 41-33, 1:05, 4th quarter
Blount picks up three yards then loses two. Patriots take their third timeout of the game. And then the Eagles take their second timeout of the game. Elliot comes in to take a 46 yard field goal which is good.
Eagles-Patriots 38-33, 2:03, 4th quarter
Eagles are at the New England 31 and are about to wrap this up with a first down. Blount picks up 2 yards and that takes us to the 2 minute warning.
Eagles recover Patriots fumble!
Eagles-Patriots 38-33, 2:09, 4th quarter
Touchback. Patriots start at their own 25. Brady finds Gronk for 8 yards. On 2nd and 2, Brady gets hit and he loses the ball! Brandon Graham forces the fumble and Philadelphia recovers!
Touchdown, Failed Two Point Conversion (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 38-33, 2:25, 4th quarter
Eagles get to the NE 24, Agholor picks up 10 yards. Ajayi goes up the middle for 3 yards. They’re at the New England 11.Foles finds Erzt for what looks like a touchdown but of course it gets reviewed because everything gets reviewed.
It looks like the Eagles have scored a touchdown but of course there’s a review. Their two point conversion is no good however.
Eagles-Patriots 32-33, 3:25, 4th quarter
A gutsy decision to go for it there on 4th & 1. It might end up being the difference maker. Blount picks up a yard on 1st & 10. The Eagles are at their own 48. Foles keeps finding Agholor, the Eagles get into New England territory and it looks like Chung is hurt again.
Updated
Eagles-Patriots 32-33, 4:52, 4th quarter
Eagles at their own 36. Blount gets 2 yards. On 2nd and 8, Foles finds Clement for 7 yards. It’s 3rd and 1, and Devin McCourty tackles Smith for no gain.
4th and 1, Eagles keep the offense on the field. And they get the forward progress for a first down! Foles finds Ertz for a gain of 2. They’re at their own 47 with a new set of downs. Keeping this alive.
And the Eagles call a timeout.
Eagles-Patriots 32-33, 8:35, 4th quarter
Kickoff. End zone. Touchback. You know how this goes.
Well. Time for Nick Foles to just do it and become a legend, man. Eagles at their own 25. Ajayi picks up 4 yards. On 2nd and 6, Foles throws a really ugly incomplete pass very deep.
And a confused Patriots defense has to take a timeout. Coming out of it, Foles makes a third down throw to Ertz that’s just enough for a first down.
Touchdown (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 32-33, 9:22, 4th quarter
Brady finds Amendola again, they get to the Philadelphia 8. On 2nd & 1, White picks up another four yards. The Eagles lead is looking precarious.
On 1st & goal, Brady’s pass is… incomplete.
2nd & goal, Brady finds Gronkowski. This game is tied! And they could get the lead on an… extra point attempt.
Lot of things riding on this kick after. It’s good and the Patriots have the lead.
Eagles-Patriots 32-26, 10:57, 4th quarter
They’re gonna keep feeding Burkhead, he picks up 4 yards on first down. On 2nd & 6, Brady finally throws, he connects with Hogan or 3 yards. It’s 3rd and 3 at the New England 43. Brady eyes Amendola and… they keep the drive alive, Amendola gets the ball to the Philadelphia 47.
And on the next drive, Brady finds him again, Amendola goes off for 30 yards. The ball pops out, but it’s after his motion has been stopped. The Patriots are on the Philadelphia 17.
Eagles-Patriots 32-26, 13:43, 4th quarter
Elliott kicks. It hits the end zone. Touchback.
Burkhead starts off the Patriots drive. He picks up 5 yards. He gets the ball the next time around, he picks up 9 yards, good for a first down at the NE 39.
Field goal (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 32-26, 14:09, 4th quarter
On 3rd and 3, Foles throws to Agholar, who gets taken for a loss of 8 yards! Big play by Marquis Flowers. Elliott is up to kick a field goal, which he makes. There’s a penalty on the Patriots, but the Eagles decline.
Eagles-Patriots 29-26, end of the 3rd quarter
Foles at the New England 23, throws incomplete on 1st and 10. The Patriots could use a few more of those from him. Instead he finds Smith for a 7 yard gain. That’s 3rd and 3 on the New England 16 and the Eagles just let the quarter wind its way down.
@HunterFelt Anyone knows what, and when, was the highest number of yards combined in the superbowl game? Have a feeling this game might break it #BBCSuperBowl
— Feroze Hussain (@ferozemj) February 5, 2018
Not a defensive masterclass, this one.
Eagles-Patriots 29-26, 2:04, 3rd quarter
Patrick Chung is still in the game. This is good news for Philadelphia as he’s completely lost on a Foles throw to Agholor, good for 24 yards and the Eagles are already almost at midfield.
And Foles finds Smith for 17 yards. They’re at the New England 34. On the sidelines, a limited Malcolm Butler is just itching to jump in for the Patriots.
Eagles-Patriots 29-26, 3:23, 3rd quarter
Yeah. This game is going down to the wire. Did anyone have any doubt? Gostkowski’s kick is a touchback. This is a rough game for anyone who loves punting.
Touchdown (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 29-26, 3:23, 3rd quarter
Another great play by Hogan. Brady finds him and they advance all the way to their own 47. Lewis gets them to midfield and then sets up a 3rd and 1 at the Philadelphia 44. Key moment this.
Brady throws to Amendola, who gets separation, and gets 18 yards to the 26 yard line of Philadelphia. And on the next play, Brady finds Hogan deep, a 26 yard touchdown. The extra point (New England exhales) is good.
Eagles-Patriots 29-19, 6:37, 3rd quarter
If they had reversed that catch, and I’m on the record on having given up on what counts as a catch in the NFL, it would have spawned SO MANY Patriots cheating conspiracy theories.
Patriots start on their own 25 after the kickoff. Lewis picks up a yard. On 2nd & 9, the Eagles pick up a holding penalty.
Touchdown? Yes, Touchdown! (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 29-19, 7:18, 3rd quarter
The Patriots can’t seem to stop the Eagles on 3rd down. Ertz picks up 14 yard on the next play. On 3rd and 6, at the New England 22, Foles throws what looks like a touchdown pass to Clement but the play is under review.
And it stands. And the extra point is good.
Eagles-Patriots 22-19, 9:20, 3rd quarter
Blount picks up 5 more yards. He’s been a key weapon for Philadelphia. And as I type that, he picks up 10 yards and he gets into New England territory. Foles throws the ball away on 1st & 10. On 2nd & 10, Ajayi gets nine yards. After the play, New England’s Patrick Chung gets taken off the field.
Eagles-Patriots 22-19, 11:27, 3rd quarter
Blount picks up 4 yards. Devin McCourty breaks out Foles’s pass to Nelson Agholor. It’s 3rd and 6, Foles targets Agholor again and he completes the pass, Agholor picks up 17 yards and that will put them at their own 36.
Eagles-Patriots 22-19, 12:15, 3rd quarter
That’s exactly what the Eagles didn’t want to see: a quick New England touchdown and Brady and Gronk re-discovering their rhythm. Let’s see how they respond here.
Gostkowski’s kickoff is fielded by Barner. There’s a penalty on the return, an illegal block on the Eagles. That will put them on their own 15.
Touchdown (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 22-19, 12:15, 3rd quarter
On 3rd and 7, Brady finds Gronk again. Okay safe to say that they’re in rhythm again. He gets them to the Philadelphia 8.
White gets them to the Philadelphia 5 where Brady finds… I’ll give you one guess. Yes Rob Gronkowski is in for a touchdown and Gostkowski’s extra point is… (waits to hit send) good.
Eagles-Patriots 22-12, 14:10, 3rd quarter
Patriots at their own 25. Brady to Gronk is incomplete once again. It feels like he’s forcing it. On 2nd and 10, however, they finally connect for a gain of 25 yards. Maybe it’s not forced.
On 1st and 10 at midfield, Brady finds Gronk yet again. A gain of 24 yards to take them to the Philadelphia 24.
Second half starts!
Eagles-Patriots 22-12, 15:00, 3rd quarter
The Eagles kickoff to start the second half. Elliott’s kick hits the NE end zone so that will be a touchback.
@HunterFelt this has an exhibition match feel to it
— Feroze Hussain (@ferozemj) February 5, 2018
No he is not!!! Is this the crappiest start to a Superbowl half time show ever??? Very underwhelming! @HunterFelt
— Feroze Hussain (@ferozemj) February 5, 2018
Updated
They did the Prince hologram. They LIED TO SHEILA E.
UPDATE: Sheila E. saves the day https://t.co/vZ2T2kPV9c
— Consequence of Sound (@consequence) February 4, 2018
Meanwhile, we have full coverage of the halftime show here. Which means I can mute JT right? Right?
Glenn Harmon on the Trump factor:
I can’t fathom why right minded folks hate NE because of the Trump connection when none of the six NE states voted for him but Pennsylvania did. They don’t call it Pennsiltuckey for nothing.
I can confirm that there are a huge number of us in New England who are super not happy with the Trump/Patriots connection but the fault lies mostly on Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for that.
Halftime
I can’t say everything is going right for the Eagles, the missed extra point and the second quarter interception still loom, but they’re absolutely in control of this game. Unfortunately for them, the Patriots have an earned reputation for making second half comebacks in Super Bowls.
In otherwise: stay tuned, this is going to be a fascinating second half.
End of the first half!
Eagles-Patriots 22-12, end of the first half
The Patriots scramble to try to come up with a score here at the bottom of the first half and can’t figure out anything. The Patriots do have the ball to start the second half, which is one of the few positives they have after the first half.
Touchdown (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 22-12, :34
Foles throws for Jeffery and it’s incomplete. Eagles want a flag. Eagles don’t get one. They keep the offense on the field and then take a timeout.
And they have a trick play ready. Tight end Trey Burton throws to Foles for a 1 yard touchdown! It’s a bit like the play the Patriots tried to run with Brady and Amendola earlier and failed.
AND we have an actual successful extra point attempt! That’s the real crazy part of this touchdown.
Eagles-Patriots 15-12, :41
1st and goal, Clement makes it to the New England 2. The Patriots take their first timeout. 2nd and goal for the Eagles, now just two yards away. On 3rd and 2, Clement picks up an extra yard. Patriots take their second timeout.
Eagles-Patriots 15-12, 1:46
Barner takes the Gostkowski kickoff to the Philly 30. Foles throws to Ertz who picks up 7 yards. The Eagles have all three timeouts. Foles’s next throw to Smith is ruled not a completed catch, not that I can tell these days. On 3rd and 3, Clement makes a 55 yard gain to the New England 8. Whoa.
Touchdown, missed extra point (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 15-12, 2:04, 2nd quarter
Lewis picks up 5 yards to the NE 24. On 2nd and 5, he picks up 7 and that’s good for a new set of downs. It’s 1st and 10 at their 31. Brady throws to Gronk again, once again nothing doing. 2nd and 10, Brady throws to Hogan who is having a game isn’t he. He picks up 43 yards total, taking the Pats to the Philadelphia 26.
And in the next play, White runs it all the way in for a touchdown. Gostkowski comes is for the extra point, and HE misses it. What a weird game.
Eagles-Patriots 15-6, 4:19, 2nd quarter
Potential game-changer there. Dion Lewis picks up 4 yards on 1st down. Brady and Gronk get crossed up yet again, they’re oddly out of synch. On 2nd & 6, Brady throws to Hogan and are the benefit of a holding call against the Eagles. That’s an automatic first down.
Eagles-Patriots 15-6, 5:15, 2nd quarter
The Eagles drive nearly stalls in a 3rd down & 4 situation, but Ajayi goes off for 26 yards, dodging tackles to the Ne England 43.
On the next play, Foles’s pass gets intercepted by Duron Harmon who takes it to the New England 10!
Eagles-Patriots 15-6, 7:24, 2nd quarter
Bad news for Philadelphia: Jenkins is apparently out with a head injury. Meanwhile, Gostkowski’s kickoff hits the end zone for a touchback.
Field goal (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 15-6, 7:24, 2nd quarter
Elliot’s kick goes into the end zone for a touchback. Patriots start on their own 25, but not for long. Rex Burkhead goes for a huge run and makes it to the Eagles 29. Patriots go no huddle… and fall into a 3rd down situation almost immediately once there. They get to the Philadelphia 27. Gostkowski comes in for a field goal and this 45 yard attempt is good. At this point they’ll just take the points.
Touchdown, failed 2 point conversion (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 15-3, 8:48, 2nd quarter
Foles makes another fantastic throw, to Jeffery this time, for a 22 yard gain that puts them at the NE 21. On the next drive, Blount runs in for the Eagles’ second touchdown. They aim for a two-point conversion here to make up for the missed extra point, but Foles’s pass to Jeffery is incomplete.
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 9:45, 2nd quarter
The Eagles are on their own 35. And now 36, after Ajayi takes a one yard loss. Hope I didn’t jinx him. Well, he picks up an additional four yards on the next down. On 3rd & 7, Foles finds Zach Ertz for a 19 yard gain that puts them back in Patriots territory.
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 11:58, 2nd quarter
Brady throws incomplete to White. On 2nd and 10, White picks up 5 yards before Jenkins stops him. 3rd and 5: Amendola plays QB but his pass to Brady is just short.
The Patriots keep the offense on the field. Brady throws to Gronk but not even Gronk can make that catch. It’s a turnover on downs.
Not an ideal first half for New England so far.
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 12:59, 2nd quarter
Brady throws to Cooks for a 23 yard gain, but Malcolm Jenkins crushes him at the Philadelphia 40 and we’re going to get an injury timeout. Brady was also hit during the play, but he’s staying on the field.
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 13:11, 2nd quarter
Eagles start from their own 20. And go three and out. The Patriots needed that after their empty possession. And here comes the game’s first punt. Amendola calls for a fair catch at the New England 37. Decent starting position for them.
Updated
Missed field goal (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 14:18, 2nd quarter
It’s 3rd and 2 on the Philadelphia 9 for the Patriots. Brandin Cooks gets tackled before the first down marker. Gostkowski comes out for a 26 yard field goal and It’s NO GOOD. Huge turn here. The Patriots come out of this situation with zero points.
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, end of the 1st quarter
Brady finds Hogan for 12 yards. The Patriots are at the Philadelphia 17. White picks up 6 yards. He picks up 2 more yards and that takes us to the end of the first quarter. A lot of action to start things off.
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 1:41, 1st quarter
Dion Lewis takes Elliott’s kickoff to the Patriots 18. He then picks up 8 yards on 1st & 10. And there’s a false start penalty on Gronk. That’s 5 yards on New England. Brady’s throw to Hogan is incomplete. Brady is trying to argue here for a call on the Eagles but it’s not happening. On 3rd & &, Brady finds a wide open Danny Amendola for a 50 yard gain. Patriots are at the Eagles 29.
Touchdown and missed extra point (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 9-3, 2:34, 1st quarter
Kenon Barner takes the New England kickoff to the Philadelphia 23, where they will start their second drive. On 2nd and 3, former Patriot LaGarrette Blount goes off for a 36 yard run to the New England 34. On the very next down, Foles throws deep to Alshon Jeffrey for a 34 yard touchdown!
The extra point is no good, but no matter, the Eagles score the game’s first TD!
Updated
Field goal (Patriots)
Eagles-Patriots 3-3, 4:17, 1st quarter
The Patriots go shotgun and start marching into the Eagles red zone. They get to the Philadelphia 8 where their drive stalls. On 2nd and 4, James White gets stuffed for no gain. On 3rd and 4, Brady throws incomplete to Rob Gronkowski.
So the Patriots settle for a field goal. Stephen Gostkowski’s 26 yard field goal is good and we’re tied.
Eagles-Patriots 3-0, 6:45, 1st quarter
The Patriots start at their own 25. Brady’s first pass is incomplete. Brady’s second pass is a short one to James White who picks up 15 yards. On the next pass, White picks up 4 and Philadelphia picks up a holding penalty enforced that will cost them 5 yards. It’s 1st and 5 at the NE 45 and Brady finds Chris Hogan for a massive gain. That’ll put them at the Philadelphia 27.
Eagles-Patriots 3-0, 7:55, 1st quarter
Elliott’s kick hits the end zone or a touchback.
Good run for London’s Jay Ajayi in the opening drive, even if the Eagles had to settle for a field goal. Catch up on everything you need to know about the running back here.
Field goal (Eagles)
Eagles-Patriots 3-0, 7:55, 1st quarter
The Eagles get it to the New England 2 and then get hit with a false start penalty. It’s 2nd & goal at the New England 7. Foles’s pass attempt is… incomplete. 3rd and goal. He throws it… incomplete again. Eagles gonna settle for a field goal. Jake Elliot makes the 25 yard field goal.
Eagles-Patriots 0-0, 9:07, 1st quarter
Eagles keep on marching. Jay Ajayi gets two straight carries that gets him to the New England 21. Foles finds Clement on 2nd and 4, a 16 yard conversion and it’s first and goal at the New England 5.
Eagles-Patriots 0-0, 11:47, 1st quarter
The Eagles quickly get it near midfield after a 3rd and 4 completion. The Patriots force a 3rd and 12, but yet again, the Eagles convert. A pass from Foles to Torrey Smith gets them to the New England 38
Opening kickoff!
Eagles-Patriots 0-0, 15:00 1st quarter
We have begun! Eagles start at their own 26 after a Corey Clement kickoff return.
Coin toss
Patriots win the coin toss and will defer, the Eagles will get the ball to start the game (and the conspiracy talk begins, presumably).
National Anthem
A solid job by an under-the-weather Pink. 7 out of 10.
Updated
US Bank Stadium is all but packed to the corners as the teams take their positions in the tunnel with 20 minutes to kickoff. First, the Eagles sprint onto the field to the ever-flammable bars of their (controversial) unofficial anthem: Meek Mill’s Dreams and Nightmares (Intro). They’re shortly followed by tonight’s designated home team, the Patriots, who emerge to Ozzy’s Crazy Train. Make no mistake: this is an Eagles crowd, 70-30 by my unscientific estimate. Though as mentioned earlier, an advantage in crowd support wasn’t enough to lift them over the final hurdle last time they were here, also opposite a New England team going for a second straight title and third in four years.
Updated
As my esteemed editor points out, there’s something appropriate to the Eagles are coming out to hip-hop (Meek Mill) and the Patriots coming out to classic rock (Ozzy).
My only comment on Carrie Underwood will be “Happy Janet Jackson Appreciation Day.”
And a succinct email from Patricia Sealy:
Foles has this!
If quarterback Nick Foles can pull off a similar performance like he did last game, the Eagles have a very good chance of pulling off a victory today.
Some memories from Kenneth A. Miller:
The Battle of Yorktown, maybe, but probably the Phillies 1980 celebration. I was there. I didn’t join in on the lamppost climbing, but I had to walk home from the Vet because traffic all up & down Broad St was blocked by a surging sea of fans. The Stanley Cup Flyers celebration of the early ‘70’s was pretty crazy too, but @ least I was able to drive around(albeit slowly)in my convertible. BTW, I really enjoyed your World Series coverage & was very happy see you would be doing the Super Bowl.
Thanks for the compliment. Best of luck to the Eagles, it’ll certainly be something to see should Philadelphia pull this off.
And from Steve Jenkins (in Kuala Lumpur):
I lived in Wilmington DE for 3 years in the early ‘90s and adopted the Eagles in the absence of any other sporting teams of interest. Those were the days of QB Randall Cunningham and the awesome Reggie White leading a killer defensive unit. Would love to see them finally win, but it’ll take some luck and skill to achieve it. Sadly I’m heading to the airport here in KL for a business trip up to Seoul and will miss the bloody game ! Maybe time to test the inflight WiFi and the limits on my credit card.
And our man Paolo with an annual Guardian tradition:
How much does a beer cost at the Super Bowl (2018 edition)? #SB52 https://t.co/3kVqDcU5bW pic.twitter.com/3HYdAVA7FX
— Paolo Bandini (@Paolo_Bandini) February 4, 2018
And a soft focus interview with Tom Brady tries to make him seem like a normal human being. Of course this happened a few hours ago:
brady looks like the overconfident european assassin who dies in the last twenty minutes of an action movie pic.twitter.com/dXvX47xtxS
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) February 4, 2018
The Patriots do have support outside the New England region however. From Rob S.:
Just a couple words from Canada. GO PATS GO. Cant wait!
Updated
Email from Hugo D. “Hi, SNL funny sketch about the Super Bowl. Perfect timing. Saturday Night Live sketch, more than 1 million views in 16 hours…”
It’s a good sketch, a play on the whole “both teams lose” meme, but I’d rather not inflict Natalie Portman’s Boston accent attempt on the audience by linking to it. Well, OK then:
Updated
Hey everyone this is Hunter, liveblogging here from Somerville, MA. I promise that despite my location I will remain neutral. Honestly, all I ask when I liveblog is for a good game and that everything ends on time. (Last time around, er, one of those things happened. Not so much the second.)
This should be a close, exciting game even if most of America kinda would prefer if both teams lost. The very first Meteor Super Bowl as it were (as in, “I’d rather root for a meteor to hit the stadium.”) The popular pick, of course, is for the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the New England Patriots as Tom Brady and the Patriots have won their fair share of them over the last two decades or so.
As always we welcome your commentary throughout today’s NFL action. Send us your thoughts, questions, predictions, rants, jokes and what-have-you, either via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt). It’s the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. The game starts at 6:30pm EST, but we’ll be back well before then.
Updated
Random sporting figure with free tickets to the game: England soccer/football/let’s not get into that little debate manager, Gareth Southgate:
If the Eagles can spring the upset and bring home their first ever Super Bowl, it would kick off the biggest party in the streets of Philadelphia since, well, the Battle of Yorktown, probably. To get a sense of how starved this city is for the catharsis of a title, consider the precautions taken by local authorities last month for the aftermath of the second-biggest game of the year, which included Philadelphia police coating the light poles with Crisco to deter revelers from scaling them in celebration.
Intrepid fans made a mockery of those plans and on Tuesday the police commissioner announced they wouldn’t even bother for Super Bowl Sunday. Turns out the cops were sitting on a secret weapon: hydraulic fluid. Bio-Bottle Jack Hydraulic Fluid, to be specific, which is said to be more resistant to moisture and extreme weather conditions.
Philadelphia pole climbers: meet your match tonight. As predicted, no Crisco on the poles. Instead, police are using hydraulic fluid. And it's water resistant, too, they said, so this afternoon's rain won't make it any easier for you to climb. pic.twitter.com/5GvI9BRhaQ
— Caitlin McCabe (@mccabe_caitlin) February 4, 2018
If it feels like a dare to Eagles fans, there’s only one possible outcome.
Some sad news elsewhere in the NFL. The Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson has been killed in a car accident on Sunday. The driver of the car that struck him is believed to have been intoxicated. Jackson was 26.
No team has ever played in a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Two played in their home markets – the San Francisco 49ers won Super Bowl XIX at nearby Stanford Stadium while the Los Angeles Rams lost Super Bowl XIV across town at the Rose Bowl – but true home-field advantages are practically non-existent with the game having become a corporate affair staged at neutral sites. But the scenes inside US Bank Stadium more than three hours before kickoff of Super Bowl LII suggested Philadelphia will enjoy an healthy advantage in crowd support for tonight’s showdown with New England.
Pockets of green were already expanding in the swaths of empty purple seats and the familiar staccato of E-A-G-L-E-S chants rang through the concourses. The biggest sign of all came at 2.27pm local time when the JumboTron cut away from Sting’s performance at a pre-game concert to a feed of Tom Brady entering the stadium followed by Bill Belichick, prompting a shockingly loud cacophony of boos from a stadium that appeared to be 95% empty. Those catcalls turned on a dime to rapturous cheers when the picture cut to Nick Foles, the back-up quarterback who will be handed the keys to the city if he can spirit the Eagles to their first championship since the Eisenhower administration. That stands to reason: the Eagles make it to a Super Bowl once every generation or so, while this marks the Patriots’ eighth appearance in the title game since 2001.
To say New England’s fans have Super Bowl fatigue may be overstating it, but it’s fair to deduce Patriots fans may be less apt to take out second mortgages to attend a game that’s remarkably become routine. That said, it will take more than vocal supporters to lift Philadelphia to their firstever Super Bowl title. Their fans outnumbered New England’s at Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, too.
Updated
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s are our writers’ predictions for today:
The winner will be ...
Paolo Bandini: I honestly think we’ll look back on this and marvel at the idea that the Eagles were ever able to convince us they were the underdogs, despite a 13-3 record and a 31-point win in the NFC title game. Yes, they lost Wentz. But we’ve seen enough since to conclude that this is still an excellent team. Eagles 24, Patriots 21
Bryan Graham: All seven of New England’s Super Bowls in the Belichick/Brady era have been decided by six points or less and there’s little reason to believe the eighth will be any less touch and go. The Eagles will race out to a half-time lead and whether they can hold off New England’s inevitable rally, as an entire city chews their fingernails to nubs, will determine who comes away with the trophy. It says here they will on a late Jake Elliott field goal. Eagles 27, Patriots 24
You can read the full list of predictions here:
