For the second year in a row, quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots played in the Super Bowl. For the first time in 13 years, the Philadelphia Eagles were back in the Big Game.
In 2017, the Patriots took on the Atlanta Falcons, winning the game after a huge fourth-quarter comeback pushed the game to overtime.
The Eagles have not been in the Super Bowl since 2005, when they lost to the Patriots.
Before that, they had only made one other Super Bowl appearance in 1986, when they lost to the Oakland Raiders.
The members of the Chavez house chose to root for Philadelphia, with my personal choice stemming from my love of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Before the game even began, the tension was already building both in Minnesota and the Chavez house.
As the pre-game show went on, the announcers seemed more focused on the Patriots and Tom Brady than on anything else. Eyes rolled in the Chavez house and the TV was ignored until the starting lineups were announced.
Fans in attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota made it clear as the teams and lineups were announced that the majority in attendance were rooting for the Eagles.
The Eagles were welcomed with cheers as they headed out of the locker room.
As the Patriots took the field, more boos seemed to be heard than cheers, even though the
Eagles had just beaten the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship just two weeks before.
As the first quarter got underway, the food that was prepped all day was served up.
Paper plates were doubled up and filled with shrimp, pineapple chipotle chicken wings, eight-layer dip and chips. The feast lasted through the first quarter before everyone was comfortably stuffed.
Lucky we finished when we did. It is hard to cheer with a plate of food on your lap.
Both teams had traded field goals earlier in the quarter, but with just under three minutes left, the Eagles scored a touchdown. They missed the extra point and took a 9-3 lead into the second quarter.
They scored again right around the nine-minute mark and attempted a two-point conversion. It failed, but the touchdown gave them a 15-3 lead.
The Patriots kicked a field goal and about four minutes later, intercepted the ball. They headed back down the field and scored a touchdown, but missed the extra point.
Just before the end of the quarter, Philadelphia scored another touchdown, this time making the extra point and taking a 22-12 lead into halftime.
Justin Timberlake was the halftime performer, but I was not really watching the show as I was decorating a brownie I had made for dessert. Meanwhile, a Nerf football was being thrown around in the house, getting close to my brownie on a couple occasions.
New England scored a touchdown early in the third quarter, but still trailed 22-19. However, the Eagles took it right back on the next drive, making the score 29-19.
The Patriots’ next drive got them right back into the game as they scored their second touchdown of the quarter, bringing the score to 29-26 with three and a half minutes left in the quarter.
Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, the Eagles scored a field goal to pad their lead, 32-26.
With nine and a half minutes left in the game, the Patriots scored a touchdown, tying the game at 32. They made the extra point and took a 33-32 lead, their first of the game.
The one point lead would not be enough for the Patriots to win back-to-back titles. The Eagles scored a touchdown with 2:25 left, giving them a 38-33 lead and went for their second two-point conversion, which failed again.
The Patriots got the ball back, but Brady was sacked and the Eagles were able to recover the fumble. They took advantage, scoring a field goal to bring the final score to 42-33.
Brady sent the ball back down the field, but an incomplete pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski was the final play as the clock hit zero, giving the Eagles their first-ever Super Bowl win.
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