Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz scores past New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz scores past New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 52 football game Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As their delirious fans sang their theme song and their owner lifted the Lombardi Trophy, the Philadelphia Eagles finally could breathe freely.

Yo, Philly, you really did beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a thrilling Super Bowl that rewrote the offensive record book.

Nick Foles guided the drive of a lifetime, Zach Ertz made a bobbling touchdown catch that had to survive replay review, and an exhausted defense came up with two stands in the final moments Sunday for a 41-33 victory. For the first time since 1960, the Eagles are NFL champions.

“Fly Eagles Fly,” indeed.

“We’ve played this game since we were little kids, we dreamed about this moment,” game MVP Foles said. “There’s plenty of kids watching this game right now dreaming about this moment and someday will be here.”

In a record-setting shootout between backup QB Foles and five-time champ Brady of the favored Patriots, Foles led a pressure-packed 75-yard drive to the winning touchdown, 11 yards to Ertz with 2:21 to go .

Then Brandon Graham strip-sacked Brady and Derek Barnett recovered, setting up rookie Jake Elliot’s 46-yard field goal for an 8-point lead.

Brady got his team to midfield, but his desperation pass fell to the ground in the end zone.

“For us, it was all about one stop we had to make. We went out here and made that one stop,” Graham said.

The underdog Eagles (16-3), even injured starting quarterback Carson Wentz, came bolting off the sideline in ecstasy while Brady sat on the ground, disconsolate.

It was the first Super Bowl title for Philadelphia (16-3), which went from 7-9 last season.

“If there’s a word (it’s) called everything,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said. “That’s what it means to Eagles fans everywhere. And for Eagles fans everywhere, this is for them.”

Super Bowl MVP Foles orchestrated the victory with the kind of drive NFL MVP Brady, a five-time champion, is known for. The drive covered 14 plays, including a fourth-down conversion.

“I felt calm. I mean, we have such a great group of guys, such a great coaching staff,” Foles said. “We felt confident coming in, and we just went out there and played football.”

The Eagles had to survive a video replay because ball popped into the air as Ertz crossed the goal line.

“If they would have overturned that, I don’t know what would have happened to the city of Philadelphia,” Ertz said. “But I’m so glad they didn’t overturn it.”

The touchdown stood — and so did thousands of green-clad Eagles fans who weren’t going to mind the frigid conditions outside US Bank Stadium once they headed out to celebrate. But not before a rousing rendition of “Fly Eagles Fly” reverberated throughout the stands once the trophy was presented to Lurie. Later, fans danced along with the “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme from “Rocky,” the city’s best-known fictional underdog.

The Patriots (15-4) seemed ready to take their sixth championship with Brady and coach Bill Belichick in eight Super Bowls. Brady threw for a postseason record 505 yards and three TDs, hitting Rob Gronkowski for 4 yards before Stephen Gostkowski’s extra point gave New England its first lead, 33-32.

Then Foles made Eagles fans forget Wentz — at least for now — with the gutsiest drive of his life.

“We couldn’t make a play to give the ball back to the offense,” Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore said.

Foles has been something of a journeyman in his six pro seasons, but he has been spectacular in four career playoff games. He finished 28 of 43 for 373 yards and three TDs.

The combined 1,151 yards were the most in any modern NFL game. The 40-year-old Brady finished 28 of 48 and picked apart the Eagles until the final two series.

Brady indicated he will return for a 19th season even as Gronkowski was hedging on his future.

“I mean it’s 15 minutes after the game ended, so I’d like to process this a little bit,” Brady said. “I wouldn’t see why I wouldn’t be back.”

Gronkowski, who has played eight superb but injury-riddled years, said “I am definitely going to look at my future.”

It was such a wild game that Foles caught a touchdown pass , and Brady was on the opposite end of a Danny Amendola throw that went off his fingertips.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson brought home the championship in his second year in charge. Belichick is 5-3 in Super Bowls, most of them decided by less than a touchdown.

So this one was in keeping with that trend: breathtaking and even a bit bizarre.

Brady and the Patriots looked ready for another comeback by opening the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Gronkowski was unstoppable, grabbing four passes for 69 yards, including the 5-yard score.

Philly didn’t flinch, answering with a precise 75-yard march with three more third-down conversions. The Eagles finished 10 for 16 on third. The last was a perfect pass by Foles to Corey Clement over double coverage, and the rookie’s reception was upheld by review, putting the Eagles up 10.

Brady shrugged and, getting steadfast protection, connected with Chris Hogan from the 26 for another touchdown.

When all the Eagles could manage was Jake Elliott’s 42-yarder for a 32-26 lead, it seemed inevitable the Patriots would go in front, then become the first repeat Super Bowl winner since they did it in the 2004 and ’05 games.

Foles, Ertz, and — at last — a revitalized defense said otherwise.

The weird image of Brady ambling downfield on a pass pattern came three plays after New England lost receiver Brandin Cooks to a concussion on a vicious but clean hit by Malcolm Jenkins in the second quarter. Amendola’s pass required an over-the-shoulder grab and the ball fell off Brady’s outstretched hands.

Brady got back to passing after a wild interception. Alshon Jeffery nearly made a spectacular catch near the Patriots’ goal line, only to juggle the ball into the air. Duron Harmon picked it off at the 10. Moments later, Brady was connecting with Chris Hogan for 42 yards.

James White broke several tackles with a brilliant 26-yard run and it was 15-12. That gave White seven touchdowns in his past three postseason games, including the overtime winner in last year’s Super Bowl.

But the Eagles still had 2:04 left in the half — and some more magic in their bag.

A short third-down throw Clement turned into a 55-yard gain to the Patriots 8. Philly got to the 1 and on fourth down, and it was Foles’ turn to morph into a receiver.

He did better than Brady. On fourth down, Clement took a direct snap, pitched to tight end Trey Burton, and the former Florida QB hit an uncovered Foles. The Eagles were up 22-12 at halftime, the most points New England has allowed in the opening half of a Super Bowl under Belichick.

Each kicker had issues, with Elliott missing an extra point, his fifth miss this season. Then Gostkowski hit the left upright with a 26-yard field goal after holder Ryan Allen mishandled the snap. Gostkowski also missed an extra point.

When LeGarrette Blount, who won the title last season with the Patriots, scored on a 21-yard burst, Pederson went for 2, but the pass failed, making it 15-3.

The Eagles and Pederson brushed it off and stayed with their usual aggressive approach. Breathtakingly, it eventually paid off.

___

More AP NFL: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</s>Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII to claim their first championship, holding off favored Patriots 41-33 in a game that shattered records. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who was named Super Bowl MVP, became the first player in NFL history to throw and catch a touchdown in Super Bowl.</s>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Nick Foles threw the go-ahead 5-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz with 2:21 to go and the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl by outscoring Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 41-33 on Sunday night.

The most prolific playoff game in terms of combined yardage in NFL history was then decided on a defensive play when Brandon Graham stripped Tom Brady and rookie Derek Barnett recovered with 2:09 to play to set up a field goal by Jake Elliott and prevent another late Super Bowl comeback by the Patriots.

The Eagles blew a 12-point lead in the high-scoring matchup before rallying behind their backup quarterback who will go down in Philadelphia lore after throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns and catching another on a fourth-down trick play to give the Eagles their first championship since 1960.</s>The Philadelphia Eagles held on to claim a first-ever Super Bowl crown at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday with a thrilling 33-41 victory over the New England Patriots.

Quarterback Nick Foles came out on top in a monumental duel with his New England rival Tom Brady to lead the Eagles to glory in Super Bowl LII.

The win prevented the Patriots and their 40-year old quarterback from a record-equalling sixth Super Bowl while delivering a first ever trophy for the City of Brotherly Love.

It also capped a fairytale run for Foles, the 29-year-old Texan was only drafted in to replace injured first-choice quarterback Carson Wentz three games from the end of the regular season.

Brady, meanwhile, will be left to reflect on the loss despite passing for 505 yards – a new Super Bowl record.

An action-packed game saw the sides exchange early field goals before the Eagles drew first blood with a touchdown after Foles found Alshon Jeffrey from 34-yards out to give the green team a 3-9 lead.

The Patriots next drive saw Stephen Gostkowski strike the post with a field-goal attempt before the Eagles extended their lead to 12 points as LeGarrette Blount ran the ball into the end zone from 21 yards.

A Gostkowski kick reduced the arrears before the Patriots hit back to within three points with a James White touchdown after being handed an automatic first down following a holding penalty.

The Eagles then pulled off a surprise move to extend their lead to 12-22 just before halftime as Foles caught a short pass to become the first quarterback to throw and catch a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Then it was over to Justin Timberlake for the half-time show.

The Patriots got the second half underway and immediately hit back, Brady finding Rob Gronkowski from five yards out for a converted touchdown to make the scores 19-22 to the Eagles.

The relentless scoring continued as the Eagles drove back down the field to re-establish their 10-point lead as Corey Clement was awarded a score upon review after there was doubt that he got his feet down in time.

Again the Patriots replied, Brady connecting with Chris Hogan to make the scores 26-29 heading into the final quarter.

A field goal for the Eagles extended the lead to six points before Gronkowski caught his second of the half to put the Patriots in front for the first time at 33-32.

But that was to be the end of the scoring for New England as the Eagles scored again with just 2:21 remaining, Zach Ertz diving into the end zone to give a Philadelphia a 38-33 lead.

Brady was then sacked for the first time in the match, losing the ball to Brandon Graham in the crucial play of the game as the Eagles kicked a field goal to extend their lead to eight points with around a minute.

The Eagles then hung on, thwarting the Patriots’ attempts to drive back down the field as they held on for a famous win in one the most-thrilling Super Bowls in recent memory.</s>The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles will play in Super Bowl LII in just a few hours, with the winner hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy as champions of the NFL.

The Patriots are gunning for their sixth championship and third in the last four seasons. A win Sunday would tie them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins in league history.

The Eagles are making just their third Super Bowl appearance. They are 0-2 so far, and their most recent appearance came in 2004 when the Patriots beat them 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Will it be dynasty of destiny? Here’s all you need to watch every minute of Super Bowl LII.

When: Sunday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET

 Where: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

 TV: NBC

 Live Stream: FuboTV</s>The New England Patriots may have lost Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles in dramatic fashion, but the AFC champions have already opened as the favorites for Super Bowl LIII next season.

According to OddsShark.com's Joe Osborne, the Patriots have 7-2 odds of rebounding from Sunday's loss and winning their sixth Super Bowl title. They're followed by the Green Bay Packers (8-1) and Eagles (17-2).

The Pittsburgh Steelers (10-1) and Minnesota Vikings (12-1) rounded out the top five.

The fact the Patriots have the best odds to win the Super Bowl next year wasn't a huge surprise. New England finished the regular season 13-3 and was the top seed in the AFC. Tom Brady threw for a league-best 4,577 yards and added 32 touchdowns en route to earning his third NFL MVP award.

History isn't on the Patriots' side, though. The Buffalo Bills are the last team to reach at least three straight Super Bowls, having won four AFC titles from 1990 to 1993.

And for as well as Brady played in 2017, he will turn 41 in August. According to Pro Football Reference, Warren Moon and Vinny Testaverde are the only quarterbacks in NFL history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in their age-41 season.

The Patriots could be without one of their best offensive players as well. Tight end Rob Gronkowski opened the door to retiring this offseason, per the Patriots Wire's Henry McKenna:

Making things even more difficult, the two teams right behind New England will have their starting quarterbacks healthy in 2018. The Packers will get Aaron Rodgers back and the Super Bowl champion Eagles will likely look for Carson Wentz to unseat Nick Foles despite Foles' postseason heroics.

As much as people called 2017 the end of the Patriots' dynasty—only for New England to once again reach the Super Bowl—this could be when the franchise's fortunes start turning the other way.</s>After two weeks of waiting, the Super Bowl is here!

The New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night with the Vince Lombardi trophy up for grabs.

The Patriots were inspired by Tom Brady to secure their place in American football's showpiece event, coming from 13 points back in the final quarter against the Jaguars to win the AFC Championship.

Nick Foles led the Eagles to victory over the Vikings, who were denied the chance to become the first-ever team to play the Super Bowl in their own stadium.

After the Vikings took the lead on their first drive, the Eagles plundered 38 unanswered points - the sort of performance that Foles will have to produce again if he wants a Super Bowl ring.

Here's everything you need to know about the big game:

The Patriots will represent the AFC, while the Eagles are heading to Minneapolis on behalf of the NFC.

When and where is the game?

The game will be played on February 4, kicking off at 11:30pm GMT in Minnesota.

Where is the 2018 Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LII will be held at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

It is the sixth Super Bowl to take place in the city.

How can I follow the big game?

Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports Action will show the game with coverage from 10:00pm, with the BBC's action starting at 11:20pm on BBC One.

It's on talkSPORT live with coverage from 10:00pm, while Mirror Sport will have you covered with a live blog, scooping up all the action, analysis and social reaction.

Pink will be singing the national anthem.

Justin Timberlake will be playing at half-time.

Who is hosting the 2018 Super Bowl?

Regular host Bob Costas was expected to remain host for his seventh Super Bowl next month, but after stepping down last February he will not be returning again this year.

Instead, Dan Patrick and Liam McHugh will host the pregame show, which will also include Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Mike Florio and Chris Simms.
• Sky Sports is showing Super Bowl LII live on 4th February. The NFL is part of a schedule of sport on Sky Sports Action and Arena that also includes rugby union, rugby league, darts, netball, tennis and boxing.</s>One of the most breathless bouts in 52 installments of the Super Bowl ended with the Philadelphia Eagles dethroning the New England Patriots 41-33 on Sunday.

MINNEAPOLIS — The most breathless bout in 52 installments of the Super Bowl, a game whose frantic chase of NFL yardage records turned a Justin Timberlake halftime performance into a community choir recital by comparison, was down perhaps to its final round.

Tom Brady strided onto the field. Two minutes and 21 seconds remained. He was 75 yards and six points short of a sixth career championship.

What happened next, any Raiders fan can appreciate.

A New England Patriots dynasty built on maybe the most controversial play in NFL postseason history — an apparent Brady fumble in the 2002 AFC Championship Game that was ruled an incompletion at the Raiders’ expense — took a fitting turn. Brady was strip-sacked early in the throwing motion. The Philadelphia Eagles recovered and ultimately rode to a thrilling 41-33 win.

White and midnight green confetti snowed onto the turf at the indoor U.S. Bank Stadium, as the Eagles celebrated their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

“It hasn’t really sunk in, but I’m so excited for that locker room,” said coach Doug Pederson, whose team lost franchise quarterback Carson Wentz to an ACL tear on Dec. 10. “For (owner Jeffrey) Lurie to give me the opportunity to coach this team and then everything we’ve been through this season, to get to this point — a lot of people counted us out, but that locker room believed.”

Until the non-Tuck Play, the Patriots were unrelenting.

The Eagles, willed by Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles, crushed blows onto the defending champion’s chin only to have them returned like a “Rocky” movie. By the end of the third quarter, the teams combined for 962 yards of offense, already a Super Bowl record. They set an NFL postseason record with 1,151 yards by game’s end.

Brady became the first player in NFL history — regular season or playoffs — to lose a game in which he recorded 500 yards passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He totaled 505 yards, breaking the Super Bowl record of 466 he set one year earlier in a defying comeback from a 28-3 deficit over the Atlanta Falcons.

For a moment, the stage for more magic was set.

Again, New England trailed for the brunt of this one. Its first lead came when Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 4-yard touchdown, pushing the Patriots to a 33-32 advantage with 9 minutes, 22 seconds remaining. Foles responded with an 11-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Ertz. After a failed two-point conversion, Brady took the field.

This was it.

He hit Gronkowski underneath for an 8-yard gain on the possession’s first play. On the second, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham bull rushed right guard Shaq Mason, ripped past his outside shoulder and then reached out with his left hand to smack the football from Brady’s grasp.

“We just had to make sure we got off the field,” Graham said. “For us, it was all about one stop we had to make. We went out here and made that one stop. We knew we were going against the best. How much sweet is it that we beat the best today? I’m just glad I was able to be a part of it.”

Said defensive end Chris Long: “It takes a lot to dethrone them. It’s amazing they came two minutes away from repeating.”

There were 21 possessions throughout the game. Only one concluded with a punt. The back-and-forth slugfest carried across all 60 minutes, as the first and third quarters each produced three scores and the second and fourth quarters each featured four.

The brawl was decided to the Raiders’ satisfaction.</s>No one on the Eagles wants to win the Super Bowl more than rookie running back Corey Clement.

The Glassboro, N.J. native is all-too-familiar with the Eagles' lack of success in the Super Bowl.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE PHOTO GALLERY OF EAGLES FANS AT THE GAME.

Super Bowl LII is the team's third appearance in the Super Bowl. The Eagles lost Super Bowl XXXIX to the New England Patriots and Super Bowl XV to the Oakland Raiders.

Check out Clement warming up before Sunday's game against the Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. in the video at the top of this story.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.</s>The Southern California News Group’s team of NFL reporters and columnists have emerged from their film rooms, reviewed their notes, and sifted through all the statistics.

Kickoff of Sunday’s Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles is approaching. It’s prediction time:

Vincent Bonsignore: Eagles have overcome plenty. They’ve got this

In an NFL season marked by a seemingly endless string of injuries to major stars, it’s only fitting that one of the last two teams standing has survived an almost unfair amount of afflictions to key players.

That the Philadelphia Eagles have managed to reach Super Bowl LII in spite of losing their MVP-candidate starting quarterback, their Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle and a starting running back and linebacker to season-ending injuries is a testament to just how well built and resilient they are under the leadership of General Manager Howie Roseman and Coach Doug Pederson.

And it makes them hard to best against, even while sharing the field with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

The Eagles didn’t blink an eye after losing Carson Wentz, Jason Peters, Darren Sproles and Jordan Hicks to season-ending injuries this season on their way to winning their division, earning home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs and beating the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings to reach the Super Bowl.

A clever, balanced, sophisticated offense has enabled Nick Foles to seamlessly take over for the fallen Wentz, and a dominant defensive front backed up by an underrated linebacking corps and a deep, talented secondary has smothered opponents.

And while Brady and the Patriots represent the Eagles’ biggest postseason challenge, their ability to play balanced offense combined with a front four that can get pressure on Brady and a secondary that can blanket his receivers will be too much for the Patriots, who didn’t exactly look like a dominant team in getting here.

It’s tough picking against the greatness of Brady and Belichick, but the Eagles have all the necessary components to beat them.

Rich Hammond: We all know what’s coming, don’t we?

There’s just something coldly impressive about the Patriots. They looked lost in the AFC championship game, down 10 points and without Rob Gronkowski, but they never wavered and rallied to win. Expect something similar to happen in the Super Bowl. The Eagles’ season did not end, as many expected, when Carson Wentz tore up his knee at the Coliseum in December. The Eagles adjusted and they’ve gotten more out of quarterback Nick Foles than anyone could have expected.

It’s not unreasonable to think Philadelphia could score three or four touchdowns on a New England defense that has looked wobbly against the pass at times. Philadelphia’s defense allowed a total of 17 points in playoff victories over Atlanta and Minnesota, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Eagles jump out to a lead in this game, and perhaps even hold it deep into the second half.

But everyone knows how this story ends, right?

The Patriots won’t be phased by anything. Tom Brady’s five Super Bowl victories have come by a combined total of 19 points. The Patriots no longer are a dominant machine. They’re not particularly impressive in any statistical category, but they learn and adjust during games, and Brady’s savvy will be enough for a sixth Super Bowl ring.

Ryan Kartje: The Eagles are the more complete team, but …

The Eagles are the more complete team in just about every facet of this game. Except for one. Without Carson Wentz, Philly’s Super Bowl fate rests on the shoulders of Nick Foles, and while his NFC championship game performance will go down in the record books, repeating that performance against a team that’s had two weeks to prepare will be no easy feat.

Foles won’t necessarily have to outduel Tom Brady to win, but with the Patriots likely to stack the box to stop the run, daring him to beat them, Foles is going to need to make plays in crucial moments and avoid mistakes at all costs for Philadelphia to have a chance.

Creating pressure with the front four is crucial to slowing down Brady and the Patriots offense, but while the Eagles’ front seven is dominant against the run, it still ranked in the middle of the pack at pressuring the quarterback this season. If Brady has time, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which the Patriots don’t methodically wear down the Eagles’ defense, using a combination of no-huddle and short, dink-and-dunk plays.

Philadelphia should keep it close, thanks to its ferocious defense and a game plan designed to keep New England’s worse-than-you-think defense on the field. But the gap between Foles and Brady just seems too wide for the Eagles to overcome.

Jack Wang: This is what Brady and the Patriots live for
• Kartje: Philadelphia Eagles have enough talent to complete their Super Bowl run
• Super Bowl LII: Who has the edge between New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles?
• These 198 players were selected before Tom Brady in 2000 NFL draft
• What time is the 2018 Super Bowl? TV info, viewer’s guide, halftime entertainment and more On one hand, what Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have achieved in New England stands as one of the most remarkable runs in recent sports history. On the other – can this dynasty please, please end?

Last month, ESPN hinted at fractures within the Patriots organization, a prospect likely welcomed by any football fans outside of New England. Such is the nature of consistent, overwhelming success: Everyone starts to turn against Goliath.

But giants aren’t felled easily, and no franchise is as comfortable with the scale of this moment as the Patriots. Brady is about to appear in his eighth Super Bowl — and was so confident last year that he prerecorded a Boston-area commercial of himself holding a fifth ring. The 40-year-old has 27 career playoff victories; only one other quarterback, Peyton Manning, has even started that many postseason contests.

The New York Giants did beat New England in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, pairing a fearsome pass rush with Eli Manning. But the younger Manning will likely have a spot in the Hall of Fame. The Eagles might have enough juice on defense, but they remain alive thanks to backup quarterback Nick Foles’ unlikely heroics. The journeyman looked like a star in the NFC title game, but the Patriots defense has had two weeks to prepare.
The Philadelphia Eagles win their first Super Bowl, defeating the New England Patriots 41–33. It is their first championship title.