It was an offensive show, with both teams combining for 1151 rushing yards, the most in Super Bowl history. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for 505 yards, which is also a record.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who until recently was an understudy to starter Carson Wentz before his season ended due to injuries, threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. For that, he was named the Super Bowl MVP. Oh yes, and he's also going to Disney World.
The Eagles are pretty much no-names next to the Patriots, but they did their job--keeping Brady out of the end zone with the game on the line in the final seconds, which is something he's done so many times before. It's also not easy to outcoach the Patriots' Bill Belichick, but that's just what Eagles coach Doug Pederson did.
In the grand scheme of things, the Eagles are a one-season wonder, coming back down to Earth next season. The Patriots, having won five Super Bowls in the first two decades of this century, will likely be remembered for as long as football is still played.
But for now, let the Eagles soar.
Among other things . . .
- There were a couple of plays in which receivers made spectacular catches in the end zone, but the excitement dissipated as they were subject to seemingly endless and nitpicky video reviews of whether or not it really was a catch. This kind of thing has been going on all season, wasting everyone's time. Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he's in favor of modifying the "catch/not a catch" rules. Over 103 million of you watched this year's NBC telecast of the Super Bowl, which is the lowest audience since 2009. Paralysis by video analysis may be one reason why some folks are tuning out.
- You've heard this before, but it bears repeating with the country in the middle of a flu epidemic: Can we please end the ritual of the Vince Lombardi Trophy going through the gauntlet of players from the winning team fondling and kissing the trophy before it gets to the podium? Gross!
- Justin Timberlake's halftime show didn't bring much of anything back, much less sexy. It was just meh. He tried to perform with a giant video image of Prince on what looked like the world's largest bedsheet, which only made him look and sound small. And there was no Janet Jackson, the woman whose career he helped ruin the last time he played a Super Bowl by uncovering her nipple on live TV. But Timberlake did mention several times that he was in Minneapolis, so there's that.
- The commercials that companies spent tons of money on to be broadcast during the Super Bowl weren't that great, though the ones from Amazon (celebrities subbing for an ailing Alexa) and the NFL (Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants spoofing "Dirty Dancing") came close. But the people who run the estate for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. must have been hard up for money when they sold one of his speeches to Ram Trucks for use in a commercial. Isn't money also the reason why we haven't heard the full version of King's "I Have a Dream" speech?
- The Twin Cities declared itself a success in hosting this carnival intended for the rich and famous. But it will mainly be remembered as the coldest Super Bowl ever, and visitors just couldn't wait to get out fast enough. Over to you, Atlanta.
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