If you have a one-score lead against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, the last thing you want to see is Tom Brady with the football in his hand.
So Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham took the ball out of Brady’s hands with a sack and a fumble, recovered by Eagles teammate Derek Barnett, with a little more than two minutes left in the game.
Without that one last dose of Brady magic, the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots went down to defeat 41-33 Sunday night to the Eagles in Super Bowl 52.
Instead of a sixth ring for Brady, the championship went to Philadelphia, which captured its first Super Bowl trophy and fourth NFL title.
Of course, for Washington Redskins fans, this takes a weapon out of their hands to wield against their hated rivals in Philadelphia. When Eagles and Redskins fans would argue, those arguments would usually end with Washington fans pointing out the number of Super Bowl titles the Eagles had won — zero.
No more.
AUDIO: Former Washington Redskins Tight End Donnie Warren with Thom Loverro
They’ve got one now, and it will make the rounds up Broad Street, up the Art Museum steps and all around the city of Brotherly Love.
It was one of the most entertaining Super Bowls in recent memory, as both teams combined for a record 1,151 yards
It was a storybook performance by Eagles quarterback Nick Foles — a month ago the backup to Most Valuable Player candidate Carson Wentz. Foles went toe-to-toe with the champ, matching Brady’s poise and precision from the opening kickoff to the final gun.
Foles went 28 for 43 for 373 yards and three touchdowns in what was a record-setting offensive performance for both teams.
Foles had already guided the Eagles to the Super Bowl with impressive playoff wins over the Atlanta Falcons and then the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship before upsetting one of the greatest franchises we’ve ever seen in professional sports.
Foles even snagged a touchdown pass in the play of the game, a fourth down call near the Patriots’ end zone when he lined up in the shotgun, but the ball was snapped to running back Corey Clement.
Clement pitched it to tight end Trey Burton, who then found Foles as a receiver in the end zone to give Philadelphia a 22-12 lead in the final minute of the second quarter.
Foles was the first player in NFL history to both throw and catch touchdown passes in the game.
It was a remarkably gutsy call by Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who, in his rookie season last year, had fans calling for his firing, with one online poll giving him a 38 percent approval rating.
Now he is Rocky.
Foles is expected to return to his backup role next season when Wentz, coming off reconstructive knee surgery, is healthy — a strange circumstance for a Super Bowl MVP.
While the Eagles win is the emotional story of Super Bowl 52, the bigger story is the Patriots loss — greatness coming up short.
Under Brady, who threw completed 28-for-48 for 505 yards and three touchdowns, and coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have been to eight Super Bowls, and with a win Sunday would have captured six Super Bowl championships.
Even as the clock wound down to zero Sunday night in Minneapolis, you felt that perhaps Brady and Belichick would work their magic one more time to pull out the victory.
There are limits, though, to greatness.
One has to wonder if this is the limit for the Patriots, owner Robert Kraft, Brady and Belichick.
For the first time that anyone can remember, cracks showed in the Patriots unified front, with an ESPN report late in the season that there was divisiveness between the power trio, and speculation has since risen about how much longer Brady, at the age of 40, will play and whether or not Belichick would step down from the Patriots coaching job.
Brady, though, coming off his third NFL MVP season, shows no signs of slowing down, and it’s doubtful that Belichick would leave what he built in New England behind after a loss.
• Thom Loverro hosts his weekly podcast “Cigars & Curveballs” Wednesdays available on iTunes, Google Play and the reVolver podcast network.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.