Doug Pederson and Nick Foles did something Sunday night (Feb. 4) at U.S. Bank Stadium that they couldn’t do during their time with the Kansas City Chiefs: They won a Super Bowl.
Pederson, a former assistant to current Chiefs coach Andy Reid, wrapped his second season as an NFL head coach by leading Philadelphia to a 41-33 Super Bowl LII win on Sunday over New England. The win gave the Eagles their first Super Bowl-era NFL championship and their fourth league title overall.
Talking to sportscaster Dan Patrick during the championship trophy presentation, Pederson thanked his players, calling them “a resilient group.” Others he thanked included his coaching staff, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and the team’s fans.
“Not only do we have the best fans in the world,” Pederson said. “We now have the best team in the world.”
Foles, a former backup quarterback with Kansas City, was Philadelphia’s starting quarterback and was named Most Valuable Player. Foles suggested during his interview with Patrick that his teammates and coaches were key in his ability to manage the offense – and thus, win the award.
“We felt confident coming in, and … we just went out there and played football,” he said.
Foles completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception, in the NBC-televised showdown to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl. His 11-yard TD pass to tight end Jack Ertz with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a 38-33 lead and helped force the Patriots to stage two ill-fated comeback attempts. The first attempt ended when Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham forced a fumble that teammate Derek Barnett recovered.
“I was just so happy to get there,” Graham told NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya.
The turnover set up Jake Elliott’s 46-yard field goal with 1:05 remaining, which gave the Eagles an eight-point lead. Following the field goal, the Patriots drove from their own 9-yard line to their 49. On the final play, New England quarterback Tom Brady threw for tight end Rob Gronkowski in the end zone. The pass was knocked incomplete, capping a performance by New England that Patriots coach Bill Belichick felt was lacking in all phases.
“(We) didn’t play good enough defense, didn’t play good enough in the kicking game,” Belichick said during his postgame press conference. “It just wasn’t quite enough against a good team like Philadelphia.”
