The New England Patriots are losing to Philadelphia against the expectations of most experts in Super Bowl LII. Though Tom Brady’s offense picked up speed in the second half, the Philadelphia Eagles could be stopped too seldom in the 33-41 defeat. In the end, when one of the brand name game winning drives was used, the protection collapsed for the first time and played a decisive role.
Once again everything seemed to be in order: fourth quarter, 2:21 minutes on the clock at five points behind and Brady gets his hands on the ball. We had all seen this movie before. Brady would once again introduce a game winning drive and once again make everything look like a plan that you never doubted in the Patriots camp.
But not this time. The offensive line, which didn’t allow a single bag all night long, collapsed on the second drive play. Defensive End Brandon Graham struck the ball out of Brady’s hand and in front of Derek Barnett’s feet. What was left behind was a Brady sitting in consternation on the floor, knowing that with the ball a realistic chance of winning the sixth title has slipped out of his hand.
It was one of the few really serious mistakes. But it was one too many.
“It’s pretty disappointing. Losing is shit,”said a visibly depressed Brady after his third defeat in a Super Bowl at the post-match press conference,”Losing is unfortunately part of the game. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose.”
Brady was well on his way to keeping the Patriots in the game even after a first half when New England didn’t have much to go on. Although they moved the ball down the field well, the drives usually ended at or around the Red Zone. And besides the problems to get the ball into the end zone, the kicking game also worked modestly.
“We had no control over the game. It just didn’t work out for us,”summarized Brady, who scratched the 300 yard mark during the break.
Brady ended the game with incredible 505 passing yards and three touchdowns, which is a clear indication of which side of the ball didn’t work with the patches. Super Bowl LII produced a new record with 1,151 offense yards, mostly because both defenses had no access and both quarterbacks delivered an excellent game.
But even before the game, in which bad tackling was only one of many reasons for the fragile defenses, there was a decision that is still under discussion. Malcolm Butler didn’t play a single defensive snap and spent all his time on the bench without being injured and not for disciplinary reasons,”They gave up on me,”said the hero of the Super Bowl three years ago, who might have been able to help as a slot-corner.
The Patriots Defense did not show up as in past games, greatly improved to the early weeks of the season. Although they managed to prevent the passes from the run pass options, there was no pressure on Nick Foles. He took advantage of this and often had easy possibilities to find free receivers. In fact, this defense looked stronger than the one that was overrun in the first month of the season.
It is one of the construction sites to be tackled in New England in the coming off-season. Matt Patricia is likely to become the new head coach of Detroit Lions, leaving a gap that Bill Belichick has left unfilled in the past, but this is unlikely to happen now.
Campaign Coordinator Josh McDaniels has also been talking for some time now about becoming the new head coach of Indianapolis Colts. And that’s not all: In an unquestionably emotional situation, superstar tight-end Rob Gronkowski also expressed doubts about a future in the NFL,”I’ll definitely be thinking about my future. We’ll sit together in the next two weeks and then we’ll see where I stand,”says Gronk, who was responsible for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
In addition to all this, there are always rumors about the status of Belichick and Brady himself. According to an ESPN report a few weeks ago, the Patriots dynasty is slowly starting to show the first cracks in the façade because Belichick was unhappy with the Garoppolo trade that took place during the season. Brady, on the other hand, is now 40 years old and he can’t let his father wait in front of closed doors forever. Both, however, are expected to return to the One Patriot Place next season.
And this is also fundamental to the success of the franchise. The Belichick-Brady era has seen eight trips to the Super Bowl in 18 years, including three in the last four years. Even though the third joint Super Bowl was lost, this is only a sign of how consistently and effectively the two of them work in old age. And the possibility of further titles, which is the most important thing for both of them, is nowhere greater than in New England in 2018.
With another MVP season Brady did not show any signs of a playful decline in any form. Despite a hand injury in the AFC Championship game, he once again played superbly and launched one of his typical comebacks in the fourth quarter. It was the 54th. This is the first time that he has succeeded in doing so in his career. After the first round in Super Bowl LII, the patriots hoped for number 55. In the end, however, it was simply not enough – the Eagles are too well-deserved winners.
Can the Pats launch another attack on the Vince Lombardi Trophy with all the upcoming changes? It’s hard to believe. The Pats were too dominant this season and their quarterback is still playing too well. Gronkowski’s statements need to be put into perspective for the time being. After such a defeat, you will only see a few players who still want to talk about football shortly after the match.
Furthermore, a Julian Edelman returns, who is already 32 years old at the start of the next season, but with his experience and athletic skills he can still provide urgently needed placements. Besides Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan also had a game with over 100 receiving yards. Amendola’s contract expires, but it would be a surprise if he were not to start up for New England next season, after he had already agreed to several salary cuts for a stay. Rather, a common future with Running Back Dion Lewis is in question.
New England will continue to be the favourite in the coming season if there are no more unexpected changes in personnel. Nevertheless, you will increasingly notice that the window is closing. The Pats must now draw the right conclusions from the lost Super Bowl. Especially when it comes to personnel decisions on the defensive side.
In addition, a new rival is also beginning to scrape on the doorstep of the AFC: the Jaguars have signed up impressively this season and can build on a defensive foundation that has been washed away. Other competitors besides Jacksonville and Pittsburgh – possibly Houston or Denver with a new quarterback – will also be in 2018. But as long as Brady stays healthy and doesn’t have a sudden drop in performance, the patriots have an important word to say at the top.
What nobody knows, however, is how many exactly there are left or how it goes on. And Patriots fans will be painfully aware of this idea for the first time after their defeat against Philadelphia, when Brady was one of the least likely to do so. The first upheaval begins now.