MINNEAPOLIS — With 9:22 left to play, the Patriots grabbed their first lead of the game.
It came on a 4-yard pass to Ron Gronkowski in the endzone and capped a 10-play, 75 yard drive, which included a 30-yard pass to Danny Amendola. The Patriots lead 33-32.
Brady has thrown for 457 yards and three TDs. Brady becomes the first QB in Super Bowl history with more than one 400-yard game. Last year, he threw for 466 yards, a Super Bowl record.
FG [...]
MINNEAPOLIS — With 9:22 left to play, the Patriots grabbed their first lead of the game.
It came on a 4-yard pass to Ron Gronkowski in the endzone and capped a 10-play, 75 yard drive, which included a 30-yard pass to Danny Amendola. The Patriots lead 33-32.
Brady has thrown for 457 yards and three TDs. Brady becomes the first QB in Super Bowl history with more than one 400-yard game. Last year, he threw for 466 yards, a Super Bowl record.
FG extends Philly lead
Jake Elliott's 42-yard field goal extended the Eagles lead to 32-26.
His kick capped an eight-play, 51-yard Philadelphia drive
Brady to Hogan, 29-26
The second half has so far shaped up as a shootout. This time, it's Tom Brady and the Patriots taking their shot, as he found Chris Hogan on a 26-yard touchdown pass to again pull within 3 points.
The pass capped a seven play, 75-yard drive to close the gap to 29-26 (after Stephen Gostkowski's made point-after).
Eagles extend lead
It didn't take the Eagles long to answer the latest New England touchdown, as Nick Foles led Philadelphia down the field and hit Corey Clement with a 22-yard pass in the endzone, which withstood an official review.
The pass capped an 11-play, 85-yard drive and - after a made point-after - extended the Eagles lead to 10 points (29-19).
Pats go to Gronk, close gap
On their opening drive of the second half, the Patriots relied on a familiar - and big - target to find the endzone.
Rob Gronkowski caught four passes as part of an eight-play 75-yard drive, capping it off with a 5-yard toss to Gronk for the touchdown. A Stephen Gostkowski made point-after closed the gap to 22-19 with 13:32 left to play in the third quarter.
Gronk was targeted five times, and gained 68 yards on the drive - including three first downs.
On the next Eagles possession, Patrick Chung left the game after a hard tackle of Eagles running back Jay Ajayi.
He was taken to the blue medical tent, as the Pats’ secondary woes continue.
Eagles up 22-12 at half
The Patriots defense is continuing to have issues and the Eagles are continuing to step up. Philadelphia leads 22-12 after another touchdown thanks to a trick pay.
The Eagles got the bulk of their yards on one play. On third-and-2, Corey Clement left Jordan Richards in the dust en route to a 55-yard reception. That set the Eagles up with a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line. They inched up to the 1-yard line, but on third and goal, couldn’t convert as Nick Foles pass was incomplete. Philadelphia, however, went for it on fourth down.
With 34 seconds left in the half, the Eagles ran a trick play as tight end Trey Burton threw a pass to Foles, who caught the 1-yard touchdown.
James White scores
The Patriots have a problem with their kicking game, but they’re inching closer after their first touchdown of Super Bowl LII. The Eagles lead, 15-12.
Duron Harmon came up with the first turnover of the game, intercepting Foles at 5:15 of the second quarter. The Patriots were able to take advantage of the turnover, thanks to Chris Hogan and James White. Tom Brady hit Hogan for a 43-yard pass play at the 26-yard line. White then took a handoff 26 yards for the score at 2:04 of the second quarter.
Stephen Gostkowski, however, missed the extra point. This comes after he missed a 26-yard field goal attempt earlier in the game.
Gostkowski hits field goal
The Eagles lead 15-6 after a Stephen Gostkowski field goal.
The Patriots drive looked promising as Rex Burkhead kicked things off with a 45-yard catch and run. The offense, however, has continually felt the pressure from the Eagles defensive line. The Pats moved two more yards before Gostkowski hit the 45-yard field goal at 7:24 of the second quarter.
Blount burns Pats
Looks like the Patriots are going to have to orchestrate another comeback in the Super Bowl. LeGarrette Blount ripped through the Patriots defense en route to scoring a 21-yard touchdown. The Eagles now lead 15-3.
Philadelphia had solid field position after the Patriots incomplete pass on fourth down. The Pats defense got them to third down, but Nick Foles hit Zach Ertz for 19 yards. Next, Foles hit Alshon Jeffery for 22 yards. Blount scored on the next play at 8:48 of the second quarter.
The Eagles 2-point conversion failed.
Brandin Cooks ruled out
The Patriots have lost Brandin Cooks for the game due to a concussion.
Cooks was on the receiving end of a helmet-to-helmet hit by Malcolm Jenkins after catching a 23-yard pass at 13:11 of the second quarter.
The Pats drive after that did go well. On third-and-5, the Patriots executed a trick play, which saw Danny Amendola throw a pass to Brady. Brady dropped the first down. The Pats went for it on fourth down, but Brady’s pass fell incomplete giving the Eagles solid field position.
Gostkowski misses kick
The Patriots looked like they were inching closer to a score, instead the Eagles have grabbed momentum. We started the second quarter with the Eagles up 9-3 after Stephen Gostkowski missed a 26-yard field goal at 14:18 of the second.
Things for the Patriots started on a third-and-7. A blown Eagles coverage led to Danny Amendola hauling in a 50-yard pass from Tom Brady at the 27-yard line. On the next play, Brady moved the chains, hitting Chris Hogan for 12 yards. On third-and-2, from the 9-yard line, Cooks ran for a yard. That’s when Gostkowski came out and missed the kick.
Eagles go up, 9-3
It didn’t take the Eagles long to start flying. It took Philadelphia three plays to travel 77 yards and score Super Bowl LII’s first touchdown to take a 9-3 lead over the Patriots.
LeGarrette Blount started things off with a 36-yard run on the second play in the series. On the very next play, Nick Foles hit Alshon Jeffery for a 34-yard touchdown at 2:34 of the first quarter. Jeffery was matched up with Eric Rowe, who’s starting over Malcolm Butler, and beat the cornerback 1-on-1 for the touchdown. Jake Elliott missed the extra point.
Patriots tie game, 3-3
The Patriots made quick work on their opening drive and we’re tied, 3-3, in the first quarter of Super Bowl LII.
Tom Brady came out firing. He hit James White for 15 yards and then Chris Hogan for a 28-yard gain to move the ball downfield. The Pats inched closer with short and medium gains and got to the 6-yard line. Brady’s attempt on third-and-4, however, was deflected by cornerback Jalen Mills.
Stephon Gostkowski then came out and hit the 26-yard field goal at 4:17 of the first quarter.
Eagles start with 3-0 lead
The Eagles are off to a fast start in Super Bowl LII and hold a 3-0 lead over the Patriots.
The Patriots defense got the Eagles to third down multiple times on the opening drive, but couldn’t stop Nick Foles. On third-and-4, The Eagles quarterback hit Alshon Jeffery for a 17-yard gain. Then on third-and-12, Foles connected with Torrey Smithy for 15 yards.
Philadelphia ended up with a first-and-goal from the 5 after a Corey Clement 16-yard reception. A false start moved them back and on third-and-, from the 7-yard line, Eric Rowe deflected Foles pass. Kicker Jake Elliot then made a 25-yard field goal at 7:55 of the first quarter.
Patriots inactives
The Patriots Super Bowl LII inactives are full of veterans, but there aren’t many surprises. Inactive for the Patriots is Alan Branch, Mike Gillislee, David Harris, Cole Croston, Kenny Britt, Jacob Hollister and Bernard Reedy.
Branch came into this season as a projected started, but fell down the depth chart when the Patriots added veteran Ricky Jean Francois. Likewise, Gillislee started this season as a projected starter and although he played plenty through eight weeks, the back found himself on the outside looking in. Gillislee was inactive for seven of the last eight games of the season and didn’t play in the playoff.
Veterans Harris and Britt also didn’t appear in the playoffs. Britt was a late addition this season. Harris provided leadership inside the locker room, but hasn’t played since Week 15.
Welcome to Super Bowl LII
Welcome to Super Bowl LII. We’re here at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis where the Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Everything is on the line for the Patriots tonight. This is a chance for the franchise to capture their sixth Super Bowl championship. Tom Brady has a chance to become the first MVP winner to win the Super Bowl since Kurt Warner accomplished the feat during the 1999 NFL season. Brady could also become the first 40-year-old starting quarterback to win a championship.
This year’s team also marks the end of an era. This will likely be the last time Bill Belichick coaches alongside coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia. This upcoming week, McDaniels is reportedly set to join the Indianapolis Colts and Patricia the Detroit Lions as head coaches. The Patriots could reportedly also lose special teams coach Joe Judge, whose contract will expire, and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who could retire.
The Patriots are healthy heading into this matchup. In Friday’s last practice, the Patriots had no players on the injury report for the first time all season. The Pats had a brief scare as Rob Gronkowski started Super Bowl week in the concussion protocol, but the tight end ended the week healthy and ready to play in the Super Bowl.
Brady to keep playing
Tom Brady isn’t going anywhere.
The quarterback appeared on the Westwood One pregame show with Jim Gray and proclaimed that he was indeed coming back for another season. The 40-year-old currently has two years left on his contract, but has said publically he wants to play until he’s 45.
"Yeah, you’re going to see me playing football next year," Brady said. "I don’t envision not playing. You’re at the end of the race but you’ve got your biggest mountain to climb right at the end. Hopefully all the lessons we’ve learned have allowed us to be at our very best for this moment and that’s what it’s going to take and that’s what we’re prepared for and that’s what I go out and expect our team to do."
Brady, Belichick and Kraft to meet
The Patriots season wrapped up on Super Bowl Sunday, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t business to handle this upcoming week. According to the NFL Network, a meeting will soon take place between Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, after Super Bowl LII, to smooth out certain issues.
This season, Brady’s trainer and friend, Alex Guerrero, was banned from the team sideline on game days and team plane on road trips. That reportedly caused tension between Brady and Belichick.
It’s also expected that the Patriots will approach Brady about a contract extension/restructure. The quarterback has two years left on his deal, but his cap hit goes up to $22 million.
“It is expected to be this week, although of course let’s say there is a parade maybe on Tuesday, they might have to back things up a little bit," Ian Rapoport said Sunday on NFL Gameday Morning. "There still are issues from my understanding to work out in New England.
"First of all, from everyone that I have spoken to, and I have talked to several sources involved in the situation, the belief is Bill Belichick will be back, Tom Brady will be back and of course Robert Kraft will be as well. But things to work out include what to do about Alex Guerrero, Tom Brady’s trainer, how to get over some of the angst involving the trade of Jimmy Garoppolo — who is now about to sign a long-term deal with the 49ers -- and then does Tom Brady get a contract extension? He has two more years left. They think he’s going to play two more years. Do they let him play it out, or do they try to get him to cash in one more time?
"All of those things they hope will be sorted out this week."
Alan Branch to be inactive
Alan Branch’s season didn’t play out like many thought it would. After signing a two-year contract extension with the Patriots last offseason, the defensive tackle ended the 2017 playoff run as a healthy scratch.
Prior to the team heading to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Branch was seen eating Panda Express in the Mall of America. There he told the Boston Globe he was disappointed that he would be inactive for Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Branch was the Patriots best interior defensive lineman a year ago. Branch finished the 2016 season with career-best numbers (49 tackles in 16 games, all starts). This year, however, things didn’t start off well as Branch got a late start in the summer due to conditioning issues. Things didn’t get much better this season as the veteran was left at home during the Patriots Week 5 road trip to Tampa. He played in 12 games, making six starts and finished with 12 tackles this season.
Branch ended up suffering a knee injury later in the season, which is when the Patriots brought Ricky Jean Francois back. In the end, Jean Francois bypassed Branch on the depth chart.
Branch has one year left on his contract, but at this point it’d be a surprise to see the Patriots bring the veteran back. He would be on the books for $4.55 million. If the Patriots cut him, they’ll save $3.55 million off their salary cap.
The next Patriots series was also troublesome as the Pats lost Brandin Cooks, who was on the receiving end of a helmet-to-helmet hit by Malcolm Jenkins. Then, on third-and-5, the Patriots executed a trick play, which saw Danny Amendola throw a pass to Brady. Brady dropped the first down. The Pats went for it on fourth down, but Brady’s pass fell incomplete.