BSJ Game Report: Eagles 41, Patriots 33 — Defense surrenders 538 yards, Nick Foles MVP taken at U.S. Bank Stadium (Super Bowl LII)

(Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)

Super Bowl LII

BSJ Game Report: Eagles 41, Patriots 33 — Defense surrenders 538 yards, Nick Foles MVP

By Greg A. Bedard

Feb 5, 2018 • 2:36 am

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MINNEAPOLIS — Everything you need to know from the Patriots' loss to the Eagles in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:


HEADLINES


Tom Brady strip-sacked with a chance to win the game: How many times have we seen it where the Patriots make just enough plays to get Tom Brady and the offense one more crack and they come through? It was setting up again in the final moments. Trailing by five points with 2:16 to play, Brady dropped back to pass, but was strip-sacked by Eagles DE Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett recovered. Patriots right guard Shaq Mason was beaten by Graham on the play. The Eagles burned clock and the Patriots' remaining timeout, and then kicked a field goal to push the lead to eight with about a minute left. The Patriots could manage only one Hail Mary and it fell incomplete.


Defense allows 538 yards, 373 by Nick Foles: The Patriots' propensity to give up yards and third-down conversions caught up with them in the Super Bowl, as the Eagles had their way with the Patriots, especially in the second half when the Eagles had drives of 11, eight and 14 plays to produce 17 points before the final field-goal drive. The Eagles converted 12 of 18 plays on third and fourth down, and they converted many of them with big plays. On third down, the Eagles had plays of 17, 15, 19, 26, 55, 17, 14, 22 (touchdown) and 11 (touchdown) yards. That's not good defense.


Malcolm Butler benched, never played on defense: Butler, the Super Bowl 49 hero and three-year, every-down starter, did not start the game and never got off the bench as the Patriots decided to start Eric Rowe and play Patrick Chung in the slot corner role. Even Jordan Richards and Johnson Bademosi played (poorly) on defense while Butler watched on the sideline. He wouldn't speak to reporters after the game, but he did tell ESPN: "They gave up on me. (Expletive). It is what it is. ... I don't know what it was. I guess I wasn't playing good or they didn't feel comfortable. I don't know. But I could have changed that game." Bill Belichick said Butler wasn't benched for a disciplinary situation. But Rowe said he didn't find out until today that he was starting, and that Butler had practiced in the packages all week.


TURNING POINT


Patriots had the game largely where they wanted it, with the ball and just over two minutes remaining. They had just mounted three touchdown drives of at least 70 yards and the feeling was the Eagles couldn't stop the Patriots. And then Graham swiped the hands of Mason (and Graham was probably aided by bumping into Cam Fleming or he might have been carried up the field), and then was able to get the ball out from Brady. Barnett recovered, and the Patriots needed a miracle at that point.


"I knew I had a one-on-one with the guard," Graham said. "I knew he liked to be aggressive, so I tried to act like I was pulling. I snatched it right off and Tom Brady’s arm was right there and I went for the ball.”





SECOND GUESSES


Benching Butler: It would have been much easier to swallow if Belichick just came out and said Butler violated a team rule and he had no choice. Or if Belichick benched Butler in December, when his play was sloppy. But to do it the day of the Super Bowl, after Butler apparently practiced all week, is certainly perplexing and will be talked about for some time. Sure, Butler has been far from perfect this season, but you he often plays his best on the biggest stage. Instead, Patriots fans had to watch Eric Rowe, Jordan Richards and Johnson Bademosi struggle in coverage for most of the day. "We put the best players out there and the gameplan out there because we thought it’d be the best to win," Belichick said.


Not having a better plan for Zach Ertz: The Patriots are famous for taking away the one thing an opponent does well, or a player the team likes to favor in certain situations. Everyone knew that Foles relies on Ertz in big spots, yet there he was catching passes of 19, 14, 7, 2 and 11 yards on third down, including the game-winning touchdown against Devin McCourty in man coverage. "Obviously, I didn’t do a good enough job here with the defense," Matt Patricia said. "Look, that is a great offense, they are extremely talented. I have been talking about it all week how good they are. They just played really well, and we didn’t get enough stops. I give them all the credit. They played outstanding."


Patriots not going for it on 4th-and-1 at the Philadelphia 8-yard line on the second play of the second quarter. Patriots were at third and 2 and picked up just 1 yard on a jet sweep to Brandin Cooks. After a run, you figured the Patriots were setting up to go for it. Instead, they trotted out Stephen Gostkowski, who missed the 26-yarder.


Patriots deciding that Jordan Richards should play defensive snaps. He got used and abused every time he was on the field to the point that they brought in Bademosi, who didn't fare much better.


THREE UP


Tom Brady: What else can you say about a guy that was headed towards his fifth Super Bowl MVP before the hand of Graham intervened? Brady was far from perfect in this game, especially in the early going, but he was sensational in the second half and ended up throwing for a Super Bowl-record 505 yards (28-for-48, three touchdowns, 115.4 rating).


Rob Gronkowski: Set game-highs with nine receptions, including two for touchdowns. When the Patriots decided to use the big boy in the second half, he was terrific.


Stephon Gilmore: It took awhile, but once the Patriots finally wised up and put their $13-million cornerback on the Eagles' best receiver, the defense took hold. Gilmore was all over Alshon Jeffrey and helped force the Patriots' one takeaway by Duron Harmon.


THREE DOWN


Matt Patricia/Bill Belichick: Their strategy, starting with the decision to bench Butler, was extremely curious and they didn't do much to take Ertz away. Not sure why it took them so long to put Gilmore on Jeffrey, but he caught a big touchdown before it happened. The Patriots also put Patrick Chung on Nelson Agholor, who caught nine passes for 84 yards, instead of Ertz, who had five third-down conversions, including the game-winning touchdown. They decided Richards was a better option there, instead of Butler on Agholor. But, in general, anytime you give up 538 yards, 63 percent third downs and allow Foles to be Super Bowl MVP with 373 yards and three touchdowns, the plan had at least some flaws in it.


Interior defense: Hard to tell who was responsible but when the Eagles run for 164 yards and average 6.1 yards per rush, it wasn't good enough so that falls on Malcom Brown, Lawrence Guy, Ricky Jean Francois, Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy.


Jordan Richards: He looked as lost as he usually is in coverage, and then time it cost the Patriots to the point they had to bring in Johnson Bademosi. I mean, the Patriots seriously can't find a fourth safety that can give them more when needed in coverage?


INJURIES


Cooks left with a head injury in the second quarter and did not return. Phillip Dorsett took over some of his plays.


Chung left the game twice after being shaken up, and did not return after the final time.


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THREE TAKES BEDARD WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER


This is not the end of anything for the Patriots: Things definitely feel ... what's the technical term ... weird right now with the Patriots. There's a possible shift in power coming with Robert Kraft ceding to Jonathan Kraft (could be this year, could be five years from now), an undercurrent between Brady and Belichick, Butler getting benched in his final game which was definitely noticed in the locker room, two coordinators leaving and Gronkowski being coy about his future. But I think once everyone gets a little distance from the season, things will settle down and everyone will be in their correct places to mount another title run. But it's definitely tenuous right now. Kraft needs to tell everyone to take a vacation and clear their heads, then they all need to get together and hash this stuff out.


I'm not going to rip the offense: Yes there were definitely some curious decisions in this game as far as play calls (pass to Brady? Not going hurry up more early and often) but at the end of the day they had 612 yards of total offense should have won this game if the defense could have stopped anybody.


Time to retool a little on defense: Sure, the Patriots didn't execute all that well on defense, but if you have talent, you can overcome that. The Patriots needed more top-line talent on defense at the end of this game, and when you have special teamers like Marquis Flowers and Bademosi out there, and Trey Flowers dropping into coverage and not rushing the passer, you're going to have some issues on defense. Flowers needs pass-rushing help, and the Patriots could definitely use some athletic upgrades at linebackers. The Eagles wore out the Patriots because they were just more talented.

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