Follow along with us during the NFL championship game from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Kevin Hart couldn’t get past security to celebrate with the Eagles
Eagles defeat the Patriots 41-33 to win Super Bowl LII
The Philadelphia Eagles outplayed the New England Patriots to earn a 41-33 victory in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, earning the franchise’s first Super Bowl win.
The Eagles last won the NFL title before the Super Bowl era in 1960.
The Patriots took their first lead of the game, 33-32, with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter. It was shortlived as the Eagles marched down the field to recapture the lead, and then two plays after the ensuing kickoff forced a turnover and converted it into a field goal that provided the final margin.
Philadelphia won the NFL title with its backup quarterback, Nick Foles, who took over in Week 14 when Carson Wentz was injured during a game against the Rams.
Foles completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. His only turnover, an interception at the Patriots’ two-yard line, came off a pass that receiver Alshon Jeffrey juggled and then batted into the air. Foles also caught a TD pass from tight end Trey Burton out of the wildcat formation on a fourth-and-one play at the one-yard line during the first half.
Tom Brady, facing one of the best defenses in the league, passed for 505 yards and three touchdowns by completing 28 of 48 passes. His fumble late in the game was the Patriots’ only turnover.
The Eagles rushed for 164 yards, with LeGarrette Blount gaining 90 yards in 14 carries. Jay Ajayi added 57 yards in nine carries.
New England gained 113 yards on the ground. James White (45 yards) and Dion Lewis (39 yards) led the way.
Also having big games were Patriots receivers Danny Amendola (9 receptions for 152 yards), and Chris Hogan (6-128) as well as Rob Gronkowski (9-116).
Philadelphia’s receiving leaders were Corey Clement (4-100), Nelson Agholor (9-84), Jeffrey (3-73) and Zach Ertz (7-67).
Eagles force a turnover on second play after ensuing kickoff
On the second play of New England’s ensuing drive, Tom Brady had the ball stripped from him by Brandon Graham, with teammate Derek Barnett recovering at the 30-yard line.
Brady connected for an eight-yard gain on a pass to Rob Gronkowski to open the drive. The Patriots’ protection broke down on the next play, with Graham and Chris Long converging on Brady, who had the ball stripped from his hands by Graham.
After three runs netted four yards and took the clock down to 1:10, rookie kicker Jake Elliott converted a 46-yard field goal for a 41-33 lead.
Eagles reclaim the lead on a reviewed touchdown play for 38-33 lead
Nick Foles found Zach Ertz on a 12-yard touchdown pass as Philadelphia reclaimed the lead 38-33 with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter.
Ertz crossed the middle and reached high for the ball, which he briefly brought toward his chest before leaping over a defender and lunging into the end zone, where he lost control of the ball.
Officials ruled it a touchdown and the review was confirmed.
Foles converted a fourth-and-one play at the Eagles’ 44-yard line by completing a two-yard pass to Ertz with 4:52 left. On the ensuing set of downs, Foles rifled a pass through the middle of the secondary to Nelson Agholor for an 18-yard gain and another first down at the Patriots’ 34-yard line.
Foles hit Agholor for another 10-yard gain and a first down at the 14.
Patriots take first lead of game, 33-32, on Rob Gronkowski’s second TD
It appears the first team to get a defensive stop in the second half will win. There was only one punt in the first half and there have been nothing but scoring drives in the second.
New England picked up chunks of yards at a time, with Tom Brady completing a 75-yard drive in seven plays with a four-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, who now has two scoring catches.
Eagles drive for a field goal to extend lead to 32-26
Jake Elliott converted a 42-yard kick to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 32-26 early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles quickly advanced across midfield when Nick Foles completed passes of 24 yards to Nelson Agholor and 17 yards to Torrey Smith. They moved the chains again on a second-down pass of nine yards to Agholor.
Philadelphia’s drive stalled at the Patriots’ 16-yard line when a third-down swing pass to Agholor lost eight yards.
Back come the Patriots, cutting their deficit to 29-26
Less than four minutes after falling behind by 10 points, New England has cut Philadelphia’s lead to 29-26 with 3:23 left in the third quarter.
The drive covered 75 yards in eight plays, and Tom Brady completed three passes for 60 yards, culminating with a 26-yard touchdown strike to Chris Hogan.
Brady had one incompletion, but there was a holding penalty on the Eagles that gave the Patriots a first down. Brady then completed a 14-yard pass to Hogan for another first down and found Danny Amendola with an 18-yard strike to set up the scoring pass.
Eagles respond to Patriots’ scoring drive with one of their own for 29-19 lead
Eagles rookie running back Corey Clement is fast becoming the talk of Super Bowl LII after making a 22-yard touchdown reception.
Quarterback Nick Foles had plenty of protection and took his time before delivering a pass down the left sideline and just beyond triple coverage. Clement made the catch before stumbling and falling out the back of the end zone. The play was reviewed and the touchdown call confirmed.
Key plays on the drive included a 17-yard pass to Nelson Agholor, a 10-yard run by LeGarrette Blount and a 14-yard pass to Zach Ertz, each for a first down.
Clement had 93 yards receiving and eight yards rushing. He had a 55-yard catch-and-run in the first half to set up a touchdown.
Rob Gronkowski helps Patriots cut deficit to 22-19
Tom Brady’s first pass of the second half was an incompletion targeted for Rob Gronkowski. Seven plays later, they connected for a five-yard scoring strike to cut the Patriots’ deficit to 22-19 after the conversion kick by Stephen Gostkowski.
In between, Brady connected with Gronkowski three times, including back-to-back completions of 25 and 24 yards that took the ball to Philadlphia’s 26-yard line.
The drive took 2 1/2 minutes. Gronkowski’s receptions accounted for 68 of New England’s 75 yards.
Slide show: Photos from Super Bowl LII
Al Michaels says California Angels and twitter loses its mind
Al Michaels’ slip of the tongue didn’t go unnoticed to Southern California baseball fans.
As the NBC telecast showed Philadelphia Eagles fan and baseball superstar Mike Trout, Michaels referred to him as California Angels outfielder instead of how the team is now known as the Los Angeles Angels.
Social media blew up over the slip of the tongue insinuating that Michaels made a subtle jab at the team using Los Angeles in their name even though they play in Anaheim.
Michaels lives in Southern California and could have been an honest mistake, or a not-so-silent protest to owner Artie Moreno’s decision to change the name several years back.
The Angels social media team didn’t miss the opportunity to correct the mistake.
Checking the stats at halftime
Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles has kind of stolen the show, not with his 215 yards of passing, including a touchdown throw and an interception that wasn’t really his fault, but because he hauled in his first career reception for the final score of the first half.
Foles has completed 13 of 22 passes. His one-yard touchdown catch came out of the wildcat formation when running back Corey Clement sprinted left, tossed the ball on a reverse to tight end Trey Burton, who found Foles all alone at the goal line on the far right.
The Eagles have also used big running plays, with LeGarrette Blount gaining 58 yards in four carries, including a 21-yard scoring run, and Jay Ajayi rushing for 41 yards in six carries. Philadelphia has 107 yards rushing.
New England quarterback Tom Brady completed 12 of 23 passes for 276 yards. He does not have a touchdown throw or an interception. And he was targeted once on a trick play, but Danny Amendola’s pass was just out of reach.
The Patriots have rushed for 74 yards. James White has 34 yards in four carries, including a 26-yard TD run. Dion Lewis has 29 yards in five carries.
New England’s Chris Hogan leads all receivers with 83 yards on three catches. Amendola has three catches for 75 yards.
Philadelphia’s Alshon Jeffrey has three receptions for 73 yards. Clement has two catches for 71 yards, including a 55-yarder that set up a score.
Eagles use fourth-and-goal trick play to extend lead to 22-12
Philadelphia responded to New England’s scoring drive with a march of their own, propelled by a 55-yard pass play from Nick Foles to Corey Clement.
Speaking of Foles, he caught a one-yard touchdown out of a wildcat formation when tight end Trey Burton took a pitch from running back Corey Clement and found Foles wide open at the goal line.
The Patriots had 2:38 to try to answer back, or at least get into field-goal range, but stalled near midfield.
On the final play of the half, on third and four at the 50-yard line, Tom Brady threw a wide-receiver screen to Danny Amendola, who had a few blockers in front of him but was brought down at the Eagles’ 27-yard line.
Patriots cut their deficit to 15-12 with 90-yard drive
New England almost made the most of its interception. The Patriots drove 90 yards in eight plays, capped by James White’s 26-yard touchdown run.
After picking up two first downs, Tom Brady completed a 43-yard pass to Chris Hogan to move the ball to the Eagles’ 26.
The Eagles had a chance to make it a two-touchdown deficit before the interception. They still lead by a field goal because Stephen Gostkowski, who earlier missed a field-goal attempt, pushed the extra-point try wide left.
Patriots catch a break after Eagles drive across midfield
Jay Ajayi burst 26 yards down the field to set up Philadelphia at New England’s 43-yard line with 5:55 left in the second quarter, but the next play was an ill-fated one.
Nick Foles tried to connect with Alshon Jeffrey down the right sideline. Jeffery attempted a juggling, one-hand catch, but the ball popped into the air long enough for Duron Harmon to intercept it at the one-yard line.
Harmon returned the ball to the 10-yard line.
Patriots use a big play to set up a field goal, cutting deficit to 15-6
New England cut its deficit to 15-6 with 7:29 left in the second quarter.
A screen pass from Tom Brady to Rex Burkhead gained 47 yards to put the Patriots at the Eagles’ 29-yard line.
A two-yard pass to Danny Amendola was sandwiched by two incompletions, setting up a 45-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.
Something is not right
Eagles open 15-3 lead midway through second quarter
Philadelphia takes advantage of New England’s inability to convert on fourth down and marches 66 yards in six plays to take a 15-3 lead with 8:48 left in the second quarter.
LeGarrette Blount capped the drive with a 21-yard run. The Eagles attempted a two-point conversion, but Nick Foles’ pass to the corner of the end zone to Alshon Jeffery was incomplete.
Patriots move across midfield quickly, then drive stalls
New England started its next possession with a 23-yard pass from Tom Brady to Brandin Cooks, who was leveled while trying to spin away from defenders at the Philadelphia 40-yard line.
Cooks was down for a few minutes and has been ruled out for the rest of the game.
After an incomplete pass, Dion Lewis gained five yards and then the Patriots attempted a reverse pass, with Danny Amendola just overthrowing a wide-open Brady.
On fourth and five from the 35, Brady’s pass down the right sideline to Rob Gronkowski was incomplete.
Eagles go three and out
After two scoring drives, Philadelphia picks up two yards on a run by Jay Ajayi before Nick Foles throws two incomplete passes.
The Patriots are back in business after a 41-yard punt and a fair catch by Danny Amendola at the 37-yard line.
Patriots march back into the red zone but fail to score
The Patriots failed to take the lead after driving inside the Eagles 10-yard line.
Stephen Gostkowski missed a 26-yard field goal after a low snap was not handled by punter Ryan Allen. The mistimed kick helicoptered left and struck the upright.
Tom Brady connected with a wide-open Danny Amendola for a 50-yard gain on a third-and-seven play to move New England to Philadlephia’s 29-yard line.
After a 12-yard completion to Chris Hogan and two runs by James White, the Patriots had a first down at the nine-yard line, but an ill-fated jet sweep by Brandin Cooks picked up only one yard to set up the field-goal attempt.
Eagles strike quickly on second drive to take 9-3 lead
After Kenyon Barner returned the kickoff to the 23-yard line, Philadelphia moved across midfield quickly and scored the game‘s first touchdown on a 34-yard strike to Alshon Jeffrey, who beat two defenders deep down the seam.
Jake Elliott misses the extra point, though, and it’s a 9-3 game with 2:34 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles moved to the Patriots’ 34-yard line on a 36-yard run by LeGarrette Blount.
Patriots also fail to convert in red zone, then tie score with a field goal
The Patriots took over at the 25-yard line after no return on the kickoff.
Tom Brady connected with running back James White on a swivel route for 15 yards and first down.
Back-to-back completions by Brady to Chris Hogan for four yards and and Rob Gronkowski for nine yards move New England into the red zone.
New England ties the score on a 26-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski after a third-and-goal pass play from Brady to Gronkowski is broken up at the goal line by Philadephia’s Jalen Mills.
The Patriots take the field
Eagles march down the field and take a 3-0 lead
The New England Patriots won the toss and deferred to the Philadelphia Eagles, who will receive the kickoff.
Corey Clement took the kickoff at the goal line and returned it 26 yards before he was forced out of bounds by New England’s Patrick Chung.
On a third-and-four play, Nick Foles finds Alshon Jeffrey in the flat to pick up the game’s initial first down.
The Eagles have now marched into Patriots territory on a 15-yard pass from Foles to Torrey Smith. Philadelphia is at New England’s 38-yard line.
Philadelphia is in the red zone after a 16-yard run by Clement. First down at New England’s six-yard line.
The Eagles fail to get a touchdown but open the scoring on a 25-yard field goal by Jake Elliott. It culminated an opening drive of 14 plays that took nearly half the first quarter.
The Patriots forced the field goal by successfully defending two pass plays inside the 10-yard line after a short gain on first down.
The Eagles take the field
Protesters removed from light-rail line
Police in Minneapolis have removed protesters who locked themselves across a light-rail line near U.S. Bank Stadium, temporarily halting trains carrying fans to the Super Bowl.
Live footage from the scene Sunday showed police working to unlock or cut locks the protesters had used at the stop near the University of Minnesota’s West Bank station. That’s about a half-mile from the stadium.
The footage showed protesters in zip ties waiting to board a bus to be carried from the scene.
Protesters blocked the line shortly after 2 p.m., saying they were protesting police brutality as well as the light-rail line being turned over to Super Bowl fans for the day.
Metro Transit was busing fans the rest of the way to the game.
Philly’s fans are in a booing mood
The Times’ crew is in place
For those not in the know, you are looking at (from right) Sam Farmer, Gary Klein and Bill Plaschke. Each will be filing a story moments after the Super Bowl is over. Stay tuned.
A look at the coin that will be tossed for Super Bowl LII
Sam Farmer takes you on a tour of the press box at U.S. Bank Stadium
Protesters shut down Minneapolis’ light-rail line
A small group of activists protesting police brutality have shut down a light-rail line carrying fans to the Super Bowl in Minneapolis.
About 30 activists walked onto the city’s Green Line at the Stadium Village stop shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday, stopping trains in both directions.
The line runs from downtown St. Paul to the heart of Minneapolis, and is a main way some fans are getting to the game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
Chinyere Tutashinda, a spokeswoman for the activists, says some chained themselves along the track.
Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla says the agency has contingency plans to get riders the rest of the way to U.S. Bank Stadium. He says he’s confident they’ll be there for kickoff.
Time for some appreciation — for Janet Jackson
Kenny Britt among the inactive Patriots for Super Bowl
Eagles’ have 7 players inactive for Super Bowl
Early indications: Eagles fans are out in force
The Eagles have landed, or at least arrived
A bird’s-eye view at U.S. Bank Stadium
Three key guys you should know and must come through for Eagles and Patriots in the Super Bowl
Here are three key guys you should know and three guys who must come through for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots in Super LII:
EAGLES YOU SHOULD KNOW
Jake Elliott
Eagles vs. Patriots: How they match up in the Super Bowl
How the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots match up in Super Bowl LII:
Eagles run offense vs. Patriots run defense
The Eagles have three backs — Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement — and use them all. Blount has an NFL-best 10 touchdowns in the postseason since 2013. He’s dangerous if he can get to the second level but doesn’t do a great job slipping through tight holes at the line of scrimmage. Ajayi is a complete back, and Clement, an undrafted rookie, has been a pleasant surprise. New England’s run defense was respectable in the AFC championship game, holding Leonard Fournette to 3.2 yards per carry. Former Pittsburgh star James Harrison has been a good addition to a run defense that has some stout stoppers in Lawrence Guy, Malcom Brown and Trey Flowers.
Former Rams receiver Kenny Britt goes from winless Browns to Super Bowl with Patriots
A trip to the Super Bowl seemed like a long shot for a player on a winless Cleveland Browns team.
But Kenny Britt, a former Rams receiver, has a chance to win a championship ring after the New England Patriots signed him late in the season.
“It’s been a whirlwind, to tell you the truth,” Britt said this week. “With the change, coming from L.A. to Cleveland to here now, it’s been all good since I’ve been here.”
An unsettling development: Tom Brady is not so easy to hate anymore
The cheater talks lovingly about his children. The smug one proclaims the greatness of his parents. The robot spins yarns about spending summers on a Minnesota farm.
Something really strange is happening this week on this Super Bowl’s frozen plains.
Tom Brady is thawing out.
Eagles fans might seem crazy, and they are nuts — about their team
You’ve seen the greased light poles. They climbed them anyway.
You’ve heard about the police horse getting punched. It happened twice.
The toughest bunch of folks at Super Bowl LII will not be on the field, but in the stands. Yeah, it’s those Philadelphia Eagles fans, who were welcomed to town this week by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in a video honoring their celebratory acumen.
Patriots vs. Everybody: A look at why New England is the most-hated team
A simple slogan captures the spirit of Super Bowl LII:
Patriots vs. Everybody.
It’s on T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats here, and it’s not unique. Other teams have used the phrase to reflect their us-against-the-world ethos, including the Philadelphia Eagles, who are also playing in the game.
Here’s my painful Super Bowl pick (sorry, Eagles fans)
Before digging into another Super Bowl prediction column that is surely going to bury me, I offer this disclaimer.
I’m really, really, really rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles.
I love that Nick Foles, the backup quarterback who wiped away tears when talking about his family, can be a hero. I love the desperate loyalty of fans so rowdy that this week they were threatened with ejection from the Mall of America. I love that their new team symbol has become a dog mask.
Friendship with former USC star Conway helped Agholor get his stride with the Eagles
The two receivers played in different eras at USC.
Curtis Conway was the seventh player chosen in the 1993 NFL draft and, after some initial struggles adjusting to the pro game, went on to enjoy a 12-year career.
Nelson Agholor was selected 20th in the 2015 draft, but failed to live up to expectations during his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Neal Dahlen, 77, has 77 cents in his pocket — and seven Super Bowl rings
The rings are tucked away. Slipping them on would require Neal Dahlen driving to the bank near his home in Aurora, Colo., and retrieving them from a safe-deposit box.
Dahlen isn’t the type to show off. The retired NFL executive would prefer to stay in the background as a living, breathing — and golfing — Trivial Pursuits answer.
He’s the answer to question: Who is tied with New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick for the most Super Bowl rings, with seven?
Can’t decide on a Super Bowl pick? Let these animals decide for you
Can’t decide which team to back in Super Bowl LII this Sunday between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles? Let some animals make that tough decision for you.
April the Giraffe, Ozzy the Bear, Bubbles the Elephant, Fiona the Hippo, Florian the Skunk, Jimmy Fallon’s puppies and Walter the Camel all had to make the difficult choice. But there was almost unanimous agreement on which team will hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.
First off, April was all in for Tom Brady and the Patriots banking the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl victory.
Eagles look to fly in Super Bowl when many signs pointed to their grounding this season
The themes of this NFL season could be told in snapshots.
Injured superstars watch from the sidelines. Next-generation coaches refashion crummy teams to contenders. Smothering defenses set the tone. Backup quarterbacks get their chance. Protests and the push for social change dominate the headlines.
The Philadelphia Eagles check all those boxes. In a sense, they are the perfect Super Bowl team — and they have kept alive a surprising trend: They’re the third consecutive NFC champion who finished .500 or worse the year before, following Atlanta last year and Carolina in 2015.
What time does Super Bowl LII between the Patriots and Eagles start?
What time does Super Bowl LII start?
The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, who are both 15-3 after winning their respective conference championships two weeks ago, are scheduled to kick off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST. That’d be 3:30 PST.
The game will be televised on NBC. Although sometime around 6 a.m. on game day a host of channels will begin their countdown shows for the game.
The recently built U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will be the site of the Super Bowl. The game will come to Los Angeles in 2021, when it will be hosted at the as-yet-to-be-built stadium in Inglewood
The indoor facility will be needed in Minneapolis since daytime temperatures have been below freezing there, and the overnight temperatures have dipped below zero.
The Patriots opened as a 5 1/2-point favorite, although enough money came down on the Eagles that oddsmakers (and probably a lot of bookies) have now reduced that line to 4 1/2 points.