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Patriots and Eagles Let Loose at Super Bowl LII Opening Night

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Thousands of fans and reporters flocked to the Xcel Energy Center with excitement and intrigue as Opening Night for Super Bowl LII got underway.

The star players and head coaches of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles each met with the media for an hour on Monday night, discussing a variety of topics from the hype surrounding the game to what it takes to get Bill Belichick to smile.

“Man, I have no idea,” Tom Brady said. “Navy. Lacrosse. Lawrence Taylor. Bon Jovi. Those four.”

“I’ve only seen him smile a couple of time and it’s usually late at night around this time of year after we win a Super Bowl.” said wide receiver Danny Amendola. “That’s how I plan on making him smile. I don’t have any idea how to get him to smile any other way.”

The Eagles, going up against one of the most successful dynasties in the history of the sport, know they’re heavy underdogs, but refuse to believe that’s a bad thing.

“We’ve had a chip on our shoulder the entire year,” said tight end Zach Ertz. “No one picked us at the beginning of the year. No one picked us after Carson got hurt. No one picked us first round, second round, the NFC Championship. We’re just excited to be here, the chip on our shoulder will never leave. I think being in the NFL you have to have one.”

Nick Foles, starting at quarterback in place of the injured Carson Wentz, welcomes his David vs. Goliath matchup with Brady: “He’s one of the greatest to play the game. I’m excited about the challenge. When you play this game, you want to play against the best, and you really want to play against the best of this stage. I’m glad, I’m excited to play in the Super Bowl this Sunday.”

Patriots 24, Jaguars 20: Late comeback sends New England to Super Bowl LII

The New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl. Again.

The Patriots’ 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game wasn’t pretty and required a late fourth quarter comeback, but Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and Co. are making their eighth Super Bowl appearance in 17 seasons, and that’s all that matters.

Initially, it was the Jaguars who looked like the team that had been here so many times before, jumping out to a 14-3 lead as the first quarter drew to a close. In the second quarter, with their offense struggling to gain momentum, the Patriots lost tight end Rob Gronkowski for the rest of the game to a concussion after colliding helmet-to-helmet with Jaguars safety Barry Church.

All the while, the Jaguars’ 25-year-old quarterback Blake Bortles was matching – if not outplaying – 40-year-old Brady, and rookie running back Leonard Fournette was carving through the Patriots’ defense.

The Patriots went into the half down 14-10, but by the time the second half began, it was clear the Jaguars were in serious trouble. 

Matt Patricia’s defense sprung to life and paralyzed the Jaguars’ running game, leaving Bortles with no choice but to keep throwing the ball. He never found the endzone again, instead settling for two field goals.

Brady then connected with Danny Amendola late in the fourth quarter, putting the Patriots on top for good.

When they take the field for Super Bowl LII, the Patriots will be looking to become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since, well, the Patriots, in 2004 and 2005. They’ll face off the Philadelphia Eagles for the championship title on February 4.

For any other team in any other city, making it to the Super Bowl would be a huge deal. For the Patriots and Boston, however, it’s business as usual.