If you were sitting on a barstool in South Philly during the fall of 2017, the mood was... tense. Hopeful, but tense. Carson Wentz was playing like an MVP, tearing up the league with a swagger the Eagles hadn't seen in decades. Then, the knee gave out in Los Angeles. The season was over. Or so we thought. But football is a weird, chaotic game, and that's exactly how we ended up asking who is playing in 2018 Super Bowl LII. It wasn't just a game; it was a collision between a dynasty and a group of "dogs" wearing literal latex masks.
The matchup was set: the New England Patriots vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.
On one side, you had the inevitable. Tom Brady. Bill Belichick. A franchise that treated the AFC Championship trophy like a common paperweight because they had so many. On the other side, a Philly team led by Nick Foles—a backup quarterback who had considered retirement just a year prior. It was the "Evil Empire" against a city that climbed greased light poles for fun. This game, played on February 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, would go down as one of the highest-scoring, most offensive-heavy spectacles in the history of the sport.
The Dynasty Returns (Again)
New England’s path to Super Bowl LII felt almost scripted. They finished the regular season 13-3. Standard stuff for them. Brady was 40 years old, yet he was still carving up defenses like a teenager playing Madden on "Rookie" mode. People were tired of them. Honestly, the fatigue was real. Every year it felt like the same silver helmets hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
But they weren't invincible. The Patriots had a defense that was, frankly, a bit "bend-but-don't-break" that year. They relied on Brady to outscore whatever problems they had on the other side of the ball. In the AFC Championship, they had to claw back against a ferocious Jacksonville Jaguars defense. They did it, because that’s what they do. Danny Amendola turned into a superhero in the fourth quarter, and just like that, the Patriots were headed to their tenth Super Bowl appearance as a franchise.
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The Rise of the Philly Underdogs
Philly was different. The Eagles were the #1 seed in the NFC, but the moment Wentz went down with a torn ACL against the Rams, the national media wrote them off. "Nick Foles can't win a playoff game," they said. "The Eagles are the worst #1 seed in history," they claimed.
The team leaned into it. Lane Johnson and Chris Long started wearing underdog masks. Literally. Rubber German Shepherd masks. It became a movement. They beat the Falcons in a defensive slugfest. Then, they absolutely dismantled the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship. It was a bloodbath. Foles looked like he had been possessed by the ghost of Joe Montana. Suddenly, the question of who is playing in 2018 Super Bowl had a very surprising answer: a backup QB with a "nothing to lose" attitude.
The Roster Breakdowns
Let's look at the actual personnel because it matters. The Patriots had the names you know: Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, and James White. Their offensive line was anchored by Nate Solder. Defensively, they had Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. It was a "pro's pro" roster.
The Eagles? They were deep. It wasn't just Foles. They had a "three-headed monster" at running back with LeGarrette Blount (a former Patriot!), Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement. Their defensive line was a rotating door of monsters: Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Chris Long, and Vinny Curry. They didn't just have starters; they had waves of pressure that could exhaust an offensive line by the third quarter.
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The Philly Special: A Play for the Ages
You can't talk about who is playing in 2018 Super Bowl without talking about the play that defined it. Fourth and goal. The end of the second quarter. Most coaches take the points. They kick the field goal and go into halftime happy. Not Doug Pederson.
Foles walked up to the line, shifted his position, and the ball was snapped to Clement. Clement flipped it to Trey Burton—a backup tight end who played QB in high school. Burton threw it to a wide-open Nick Foles in the end zone. The "Philly Special." It was audacious. It was borderline disrespectful to do that to Bill Belichick. And it worked. It gave the Eagles a 22-12 lead and shifted the entire energy of the stadium.
Why This Matchup Shattered Records
Usually, Super Bowls are tight, defensive battles where every yard is a struggle. This wasn't that. This was a track meet.
- Total Yardage: The teams combined for 1,151 yards. That is the most in any NFL game ever—regular season or playoffs.
- Tom Brady's Stats: Brady threw for 505 yards. Five hundred and five. In a loss. That’s a Super Bowl record that might never be broken.
- Lack of Punting: There was only one punt in the entire game. One. The punters basically had the best seats in the house for free.
The game was a back-and-forth masterpiece. Every time Philly scored, Brady would march down the field and answer. It felt like whoever had the ball last was going to win. Zach Ertz caught a late touchdown that survived a controversial "surviving the ground" review—Philly fans still hold their breath during those replays.
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The Strip Sack Heard 'Round the World
With just over two minutes left, the Patriots had the ball. They were down 38-33. Everyone in the world had seen this movie before. Brady was going to drive down, score a touchdown, and crush the hearts of another fan base. It was inevitable.
Then Brandon Graham happened.
He got a finger on the ball as Brady was cocking back to throw. The ball popped loose. Derek Barnett recovered it. The stadium, filled with green jerseys, erupted so loud it probably registered on seismographs in St. Paul. That was the moment. The Eagles tacked on a field goal, and a desperate Hail Mary from Brady fell incomplete as time expired. The Eagles were champions, winning 41-33.
Practical Takeaways for Football History Buffs
If you're looking back at this game to understand why it matters for today's NFL, keep these points in mind:
- Roster Depth vs. Star Power: The Eagles won because their 2nd and 3rd stringers (like Corey Clement and Trey Burton) played like starters. In modern salary-cap football, depth often beats top-heavy star power.
- Aggressive Coaching: Doug Pederson proved that being "mathematically aggressive" (going for it on 4th down) is the only way to beat a legendary quarterback.
- The Backup QB Value: This game changed how teams value their backup quarterbacks. Having a "starter-capable" backup isn't a luxury; it's a necessity.
The 2018 Super Bowl remains a masterclass in momentum and fearless play-calling. It proved that on any given Sunday, even a GOAT like Tom Brady can be out-dueled by a guy who was just happy to be there.
To dive deeper into this specific era of football, your next step should be watching the "NFL Mic'd Up" from Super Bowl LII. Hearing the sideline conversations between Pederson and Foles before the Philly Special provides a raw look at the psychology of high-stakes sports that a box score simply can't capture. You might also want to look up the "Philly Special" statue outside the Eagles' stadium; it's one of the few times a single play has been immortalized in bronze.