Despite being heavy underdogs, the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history on Sunday, beating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl 52. Nick Foles won the Super Bowl MVP, completing 28/43 passes for 373 yards, three touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. Tom Brady went 28/48 for 505 yards with three passing touchdowns in the upset loss. This Super Bowl broke many offensive records, with the two teams combining for 74 points and 1,151 yards of total offense.

 The game was a back and forth affair, with the Eagles starting the scoring off with a field goal, and the Patriots responding with one of their own. The game then quickly escalated as the Eagles took a 22-10 lead into halftime. The second half was more of the same: plenty of offense and minimal defense. However, late in the fourth quarter with the Eagles up 38-33, Eagles defensive end, Brandon Graham, created a rare defensive play, strip-sacking Tom Brady, which caused a fumble and allowed his team to run out most of the clock.

 The Eagles were dominant throughout the regular season, going 13-3 and giving them the number one seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost their franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, to a torn ACL late in the season and were forced to turn to their backup quarterback, Nick Foles, to lead them to a Super Bowl. NFL History states that when you lose an MVP candidate at quarterback like Wentz, you typically do not go far in the playoffs. However, with one of the deepest rosters in the NFL, the Eagles were able to run the table and win a championship, despite being an underdog in every single postseason game.

 New England also went 13-3, achieving home field advantage through the AFC playoffs. The Patriots rode the hot hand of their future hall-of-fame quarterback Tom Brady, who, despite losing his top wide receiver in Julian Edelman to a torn ACL in the preseason, went on to win the regular season MVP for the third time in his career. Brady put on a heroic effort in his third Super Bowl loss, throwing for 505 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Unfortunately, his team’s defense was unable to stop Nick Foles and the rest of the Eagles offense, letting his effort to go to waste.

 Eagles fans have been up in arms, as the championship drought, which lasted 55 years (they last won a championship in 1960, three years before the Super Bowl was created), finally ended. Senior Tyson Jackson, a longtime Eagles’ fan, said, “The win feels good; I’ve been waiting all my life to witness the squad get a ring. Glad it finally happened.” There will be a championship parade in the City of Brotherly Love, and it will be massive, especially since it was against all odds.