Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offence have come alive entering the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, Minn.
The reigning champs cut the Eagles’ lead down to just three points heading into the game’s final frame, thanks to a pair of Brady passing touchdowns to Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan.
On the first drive of the second half, Brady had four straight completions to Gronkowski, the last one a 5-yarder for the touchdown that cut Philadelphia’s lead to 22-19.
The 75-yard drive got going on Brady’s 25-yard throw to Gronkowski, followed right away by a 24-yarder. After a 14-yard completion and 3-yard run by James White, Brady found his tight end again in the end zone on the opening drive of the second half.
But the Eagles had an answer.
WHAT IS A CATCH?! <a href=”https://t.co/k0OQ0fTjBh”>pic.twitter.com/k0OQ0fTjBh</a>
—@UPROXXSports
Nick Foles threw 22-yard touchdown pass to Corey Clement, and the Eagles restored their 10-point halftime lead, going up 29-19 on the Patriots.
Clement held the ball in his left arm as he took two steps, and a third step appeared to be just out of bounds. The scoring play stood after a video review.
Again, the Patriots drove down the field in response. This time, the drive culminated in Hogan grabbing a 26-yard score.
QBs pivotal in 1st half
In the first half, the two most pivotal moments were a catch and a drop by each team’s starting quarterback.
On their first drive of the second quarter, Brady botched an attempted over-the-shoulder catch on a throw from receiver Danny Amendola on a trick play. The Patriots went for it on fourth-and-5 after that play, and Brady’s throw to Rob Gronkowski was knocked away by Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Mills.
WR Nick Foles > WR Tom Brady<a href=”https://t.co/g8CJj1WOiN”>pic.twitter.com/g8CJj1WOiN</a>
—@LeadingNFL
Then, with 34 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Eagles decided to go for fourth and goal from the one-yard line. This time, tight end Trey Burton completed a pass to QB Nick Foles in the endzone to restore Philadelphia’s 10-point lead.
Foles and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota are the only quarterbacks to throw and catch a touchdown in the playoffs since at least 1950.
Earlier in the quarter, LeGarrette Blount scored on a 21-yard run. The 2-point conversion pass attempt by Foles fell incomplete, leaving the Eagles’ lead at 15-3.
The Patriots answered that score with a 26-yard rush by James White.
New England’s Brandin Cooks, early in the second quarter, stayed motionless on the field for about a minute after a hard blindside hit to the head from Malcolm Jenkins at the end of a 23-yard catch. It was announced that Cooks wouldn’t return.
🚨Trick play alert 🚨 <br><br>The <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Patriots?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Patriots</a> set it up perfectly, but Tom Brady can’t make the catch. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Eagles?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Eagles</a> still lead 9-3 in the second quarter. <a href=”https://t.co/S5vuJq12Ua”>pic.twitter.com/S5vuJq12Ua</a>
—@sportingnewsca
In the first quarter, the Eagles jumped on a shaky New England defence to begin building their early advantage.
After the teams traded opening drive field goals, the Eagles used two big plays to go down the field for the first touchdown of the game.
First, running back Blount burst past the Patriots line for a 36-yard rush. The next play, quarterback Nick Foles found Alshon Jeffery streaking down the sideline for a 34-yard bomb. However, kicker Jake Elliott missed the point after attempt.
For the Patriots, It’s the first time in eight Super Bowl appearances that they’ve scored in the first quarter with Brady and coach Bill Belichick. The key plays were Brady’s completions of 28 yards to Chris Hogan and 15 yards to running back White.
On the Eagles’ first drive, they picked up a first down at the 5 after Corey Clement’s 16-yard gain on a catch and run. But a penalty and two incomplete passes forced Philadelphia to settle for the field goal.
