Four years today, the Philadelphia Eagles did the unthinkable. They were able to overthrow Tom Brady and the Patriots to bring home the Lombardi Trophy in a way that truly encapsulated the once-in-a-lifetime feel about that team. It’s only fitting that we take a trip down memory lane one more time to recap the four most memorable moments from the iconic matchup.
Dreams and nightmares
One of my favorite Super Bowl 52 memories happened before the game had even started. The Eagles stood at the tunnel entrance, ready to embark on what would be a defining moment for everyone in that room. Then ‘Dreams and nightmares’ hit.
The team sprinted onto the field charged up with energy and making a hostile environment their playground. The song had become their playoff anthem after the win over Atlanta. The anthem was just as synonymous with the team as underdog masks and hearing it blare so obnoxiously around U.S Bank stadium made it impossible not to get goosebumps. The Eagles were going to enjoy this moment. They were going to harness all of that underdog energy that had been building for weeks, and nothing was going to stop them.
The jersey of Jason Peters being hoisted into the air was a heartfelt gesture that touched just about every Eagles fan watching that night. This team went from 0-1000 in the blink of an eye and there was no looking back.
What made it even sweeter was the Patriot entrance. New England came out to ‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy Osbourne, as per. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a banger, but it pales in comparison to Meek Mill, and Brady and crew looked notably unsettled in comparison to the fired-up Eagles who burst onto the field with an infectious amount of energy.
Corey Clement’s acrobatics
Corey Clement’s NFL career dwindled after the 2017 season, but if we’re being honest, nothing he could ever do would come close to how brightly he shined that night.
The Wisconsin product had a fairly productive rookie campaign as a UDFA who worked behind the likes of Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount. I don’t think anybody would’ve bet on the fact he’d end Super Bowl 52 with 100 receiving yards on 4 catches, including one of the most remarkable touchdown catches imaginable where he dove like a Dolphin towards the back of the end zone.
On top of that, he was of course the man who took the snap on the ‘Philly Special’, but we’ll get to that later.
The strip sack
With the Eagles barely hanging on to a five-point lead over Tom Brady deep into the fourth quarter, cheeks were clenched across the globe. Brady and the Pats had been an offensive juggernaut all game long and to this day, many question how he was able to muster 505 passing yards and somehow find a way to lose.
Well, we can attribute a lot of that down to Brandon Graham, who burst past Pats RG Shaq Mason when the team needed him most. He hit Tom Brady, forcing the ball out of his hands and giving the Eagles an opportunity to expand their lead to 8. Jake Elliott converted with just over a minute left, and it was all on Brady to pull off a miracle.
Luckily for the Eagles, the footballing Gods had already dealt their cards on this night, and that 8-point lead would be enough to secure the Lombardi Trophy.
Philly Special
Is there a more iconic play in Super Bowl history? Potentially. But franchise history? Absolutely not.
What made the play so magical wasn’t just the balls from Doug Pederson to call something so outlandish down at the goal-line on 4th down at the end of the first half, but the way in which it was called.
It wasn’t until after the game that we all saw the now legendary ‘you want Philly Philly’ discourse between Nick Foles and Doug Pederson. A two-lined conversation that etched its way into the history books and eventually, a statue outside the Linc.
Corey Clement taking a direct snap, pitching it to former collegiate QB Trey Burton, who gently tossed it into the hands of a wide-open Nick Foles, is something so poetically perfect that it never gets old. Nobody saw it coming and the entire City erupted upon the completion of the pass. It’s hard not to get goosebumps just writing about it. Everything about that moment was so special and will ultimately go down as one of the truly legendary moments that this sport has ever seen.
What was your favorite Super Bowl 52 moment? Let us know in the comments!
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
