In a David versus Goliath matchup, an underdog versus the superpower, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots played in Super Bowl LII, one of the most entertaining Super Bowl games in recent history.

On Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, franchise history was made for both teams. The Eagles won their first ever Super Bowl title in franchise history, and the Patriots broke double digits in the number of Super Bowls they’ve played in with 10 appearances. With a halftime performance by Justin Timberlake, new intriguing commercials, and a nail-biting final score of 41-33, Super Bowl LII was one hell of a show.

The Eagles started off the scoring in the first quarter with a 25-yard field goal by their kicker Jake Elliott. The Patriots quickly answered back with a field goal of their own to tie the game at three. On the next drive, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles threw a 52-yard pass to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to give the Eagles a 9-3 lead ending the first quarter.

Foles, who originally started the season as the backup quarterback to 25-year old Carson Wentz, found himself as the starting QB after Wentz suffered a season ending ACL injury in the 13th game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Patriots started off the second quarter with the ball of their offensive nine yard line on a 3rd & 2. In an almost awesome play, Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks attempted to leap over Eagles safety Rodney McLeod which resulted in him being lifted off up in the air, and thrown on the ground. This wasn’t the last time Cooks would receive a massive physical punishment from the Eagles defense, as he was clobbered by Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins in the Patriot’s next drive. Cooks would leave the game after being knocked unconscious.

It would take over half of the second quarter for scoring to start up again, as Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount finished off a 21-yard run into the endzone for their second touchdown of the game. The Patriots would answer back after a 45-yard successful field goal. Towards the end the quarter, Patriots’ running back James White had a 29-yard run into the endzone for their first touchdown of the game. In response, the Eagles came back all the way down the field to their offensive 2-yard line. On fourth down, the Eagles ran a trick play which showed tight end Trey Burton tossing a short pass to quarterback Foles for a touchdown. The Eagles added another touchdown to their lead with some spunk, ending the first half ahead of the Patriots by a score of 22-12.

After winning the coin toss at the beginning of the game, the Patriots elected to defend first, giving them rights to the ball at half time. They quickly took advantage of that possession and scored a touchdown just two minutes into the second half with four passes to veteran tight end Rob Gronkowski. However, as they had been all game, the Eagles answered right back. Foles sent a 32-yard pass to running back Corey Clement to extend their lead to 29-19. To end the third quarter, the Patriots scored once more off of a 24-yard pass from Brady to wide receiver Chris Hogan, shortening the scoring deficit to a three point lead, with the Eagles still on top 29-26.

The Eagles started the fourth quarter at a 3rd & 3 in possession of the ball on their offensive 16-yard line. After a lossage of yards on their attempted 3rd down conversion, Elliot kicked another field goal to give the Eagles a 32-26 lead. The Patriots would then get the ball back and started a march towards the end zone that took a little over five minutes out of the fourth quarter. They eventually scored off of a touchdown by Gronkowski at the 9:22 mark of the fourth, making the score 33-32, giving the Patriots the lead for the first time in the game. Following that long rush, the Eagles got the ball back and pulled off the most controversial play of the entire game. Off a pass from Foles at the 11-yard line, Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz caught the ball, dove into the endzone, lost possession of the ball but eventually caught in while laying on his back, and scored a touchdown. After a long review by the officials, it was determined that the play was a legal touchdown and the Eagles took a lead of 38-33 following an unsuccessful attempt at a two point conversion.

With 2:11 left in the game, Brady and the Patriots began their rally back into the game. On 2nd & 2 at their defensive 33-yard line, Brady was pressured, sacked, and fumbled football. The Patriots defense stepped up on the next rush and kept the Eagles on that 33-yard line, forcing them to attempt a field goal. In a nail-biting attempt, Eagles’ kicker, Elliot, kicked a successful field goal that gave them an even bigger lead with 1:05 left in the fourth. With a strong attempt to tie the game, Brady fired a massive hail mary pass from his defensive 44-yard line towards the end zone, which was eventually batted through the air, and deemed incomplete. The game was over, the Philadelphia Eagles had won the Superbowl for the first time in their franchise history.

The game itself held home to many records, including the most combined total yards in any game in NFL history with 1,151. Other records include most points scored by the losing team in a Superbowl game, most combined passing yards in NFL postseason history, and most combined punts in Super Bowl history with just one. This, personally, was one of the most exciting and intense Superbowl games that I’ve ever seen, and I’m super happy to see the Eagles take down the Patriots.