# Iggles Beat Patriots!



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The Philadelphia Eagles (Philleffia Iggles) stunned the hitherto invincible New England Patriots in a game that will be long remembered and much talked about. Go Birds!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like the Giants but as I don't buy into the traditional Eagles/Giants animosity I'm glad this happened - the Eagles are one of the historical clubs and I'm pleased they've won the big one.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

The Patriots are never one of the most talented teams in the NFL, and sometimes that bites them badly. Yesterday was one of those times.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

The Eagles are one of those teams (Minnesota also springs to mind) that have historically, predictably, and exasperatingly choked in the big ones. Good on them.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Totenfeier said:


> The Eagles are one of those teams (Minnesota also springs to mind) that have historically, predictably, and exasperatingly choked in the big ones. Good on them.


It helped that they're now coached by Doug Pederson instead of Andy Reid, who is perhaps the most overrated head coach in NFL history.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Strange Magic said:


> The Philadelphia Eagles (Philleffia Iggles) stunned the hitherto invincible New England Patriots in a game that will be long remembered and much talked about.


Um, the New York Giants beat the "invincible" New England Patriots team in the Super Bowl, the 18-0 2007 team. The Giants also beat the 2011 Patriots in the Super Bowl, but that was just a mediocre 13-3 team like the 2017 squad :lol:. Congrats anyway, at least it wasn't the Cowboys.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Klassik, all true, but check out these odds and ends gleaned from the BBC about this particular game::

Tom Brady is left to wonder just how he failed to add to his five Super Bowl rings despite 505 passing yards - a Super Bowl record - and three touchdown passes.

The explosive nature of the two offenses saw the Eagles and Patriots combine for 1,151 yards in total, a record not just for a Super Bowl but for any regular- or post-season game in NFL Other notable stats from the game:

The Patriots became the first team in NFL history to put up more than 600 yards of offense in a game and lose.

The Eagles set a new record for the highest number of points conceded by a winning team in the Super Bowl (33).

Brady became the first quarterback in any NFL game to lose after throwing for more than 500 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

One sack in the game tied the Super Bowl record.

Brady was appearing in his record eighth Super Bowl and was bidding to become the first man in the sport's history to win six times.

Brady did at least set a new record for most career touchdowns in Super Bowls, with his three scores taking him to 18 in total.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

They did it!!! I couldn't be more proud of my Philadelphia Eagles!!!! The team overcame a lot of adversity this season, losing five of their key starters to season ending injuries, including their phenomenal young quarterback, Carson Wentz, & their middle linebacker, and their pro bowl offensive tackle, etc.. They even lost their back up middle linebacker. Then, over the past week a handful their starters came down with the flu in Minneapolis. Yet, they just kept bouncing back!!!, again and again and again, showing grit, determination, perseverance, and an indomitable will. What a first class organization--great coaches, great owner, and a great bunch of guys, with a whole lot of character. Most of all, my hat's off to Nick Foles!!! who showed an incredible amount poise to come off the bench towards the end of the season and lead this team to a Super Bowl victory over Brady & the Pats. I couldn't be more happy for them, and for the city of Philadelphia and their great fans. Fly Eagles Fly!!!


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Strange Magic said:


> Klassik, all true, but check out these odds and ends gleaned from the BBC about this particular game::


All that tells me that neither defense played well at all!  The Eagles actually have a good defense, but their defensive numbers in road games were quite a bit off of what they were able to do at home this year. The Vikings had a similar pattern. It's been many, many years since the Patriots have had a good defense. Belicheck is a great coach, but a pretty mediocre GM when it comes to defensive players. Brady and the offense has bailed him out for years now, but they couldn't overcome the poor defense last night.

The win by the Eagles last night means that the NFC East is the first modern division where each team has at least one Super Bowl win. The Eagles still have some catching up to do though as the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins all have at least 3 Super Bowl championships.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Yes, Philadelphia deserves a great deal of praise and admiration. Great players went down, but the team just kept on winning. As with the Pats, they have a top-rate system that overcomes injuries to key personnel.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Klassik, you're right again; a truly great matchup of impenetrable defenses would be a 3-0 final score, with a single successful field goal somehow gotten launched by the kicker before being overwhelmed. It may be that both the Eagles and the Patriots had dynamite offenses.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Klassik said:


> The Eagles actually have a good defense, [snip] It's been many, many years since the Patriots have had a good defense. Belicheck is a great coach, but a pretty mediocre GM when it comes to defensive players. Brady and the offense has bailed him out for years now, but they couldn't overcome the poor defense last night.


Well, except for a single play at the end of the game, the two defenses were pretty equally matched - so why do you say that the Eagles' defense is good, and the Patriots' isn't?

While I agree that the Pats defense isn't what it was during the 2001-2004 period, it's still been pretty good much of the time. I think that the Pats sustained run of excellence speaks for itself - teams with bad defenses don't get very far in the NFL, even if it's become a more offensive league.

And even though he didn't have a great season this year, I can't but wonder if the result might have been different had Malcolm Butler played on some of those third downs that the Eagles converted.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Yeah, that Butler absence is a mystery. I know that the coach doesn't like to explain himself, but he owes Pats fans an answer.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Strange Magic said:


> Klassik, you're right again; a truly great matchup of impenetrable defenses would be a 3-0 final score, with a single successful field goal somehow gotten launched by the kicker before being overwhelmed. It may be that both the Eagles and the Patriots had dynamite offenses.


Actually, a truly great defensive game would be won by a score of 2-0, 4-2, or something like that. It would be a true battle of safeties! :lol: As rare as safeties are, 3 of the Giants' 4 Super Bowl wins had a safety in the game.



wkasimer said:


> Well, except for a single play at the end of the game, the two defenses were pretty equally matched - so why do you say that the Eagles' defense is good, and the Patriots' isn't?


The Eagles had a good defense this past season. They didn't show it in the Super Bowl, but they were good during the season. They have a very good defensive line. The Eagles, like the Vikings, were much better defensively at home than on the road during the season. Maybe that's why they didn't play well.

Teams with bad defenses and great offenses occasionally make the Super Bowl, but they rarely win it. For example, in 2011, the Patriots had the 2nd worst defense in the league by yardage. The 15-1 Packers were the only team that was worse. Both teams lost to the Giants in the playoffs that year. This year, the Patriots allowed the 4th most yards on defense. The Eagles allowed the 4th least.

The Eagles and Patriots both have good offenses, but they were both aided by poor defensive play. The tackling was really poor and, as wkasimer mentioned, the Patriots didn't even play one of their best defensive players. Belicheck is a great coach, but he hasn't done a good job drafting defensive players as a GM. They've had a couple of good pass rushers over the last few years, but they traded/let them go in free agency. Honestly, I don't think Belicheck has done a great job drafting on offense either, but Brady and their offensive system can make average players look like great players if they work hard and stay disciplined.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

I will say that I am a little sad that this image is no longer accurate!










:lol:


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Klassik said:


> Teams with bad defenses and great offenses occasionally make the Super Bowl, but they rarely win it. For example, in 2011, the Patriots had the 2nd worst defense in the league by yardage. The 15-1 Packers were the only team that was worse. Both teams lost to the Giants in the playoffs that year. This year, the Patriots allowed the 4th most yards on defense. The Eagles allowed the 4th least.


Yards don't matter. Points matter, and in points per game, the Eagles and Patriots were 4th and 5th, with virtually identical numbers.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

wkasimer said:


> Yards don't matter. Points matter, and in points per game, the Eagles and Patriots were 4th and 5th, with virtually identical numbers.


Yardage allowed isn't a meaningless statistic. The Patriots were letting other teams get into the redzone frequently before stiffening up. Solid redzone play shows good discipline to be able to defend a short space efficiently, but talent is needed to be able to defend the wide open spaces of the rest of the field. Playing well just in the redzone with good playcalling and solid technique might be enough to beat teams like Tennessee or Jacksonville, but it won't be enough to stop a team with talented and speedy pass catchers (not just receivers) like what Philadephia has. Furthermore, letting teams run up and down the field wears out the defense at the end of games. Teams that get "3 & outs" should be much fresher at the end. Basically, I doubt the Patriots would strategically use a "bend, but don't break defense" all the time. They play that way because they don't have a choice due to talent.

Now it should be said that teams with leads, especially teams with big leads, give up more yardage due to the opponents using more deep passes in an effort to catch up quickly. Usually teams with leads play a more conservative defense as well. The Patriots did have some big leads this year, but so did Philly and they allowed a lot less yardage.


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

Just one more thought about the Patriots' defense and statistics. The Patriots play a large number of games against their AFC East divisional foes, the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills. All three of those teams have terrible offenses. Those teams have had horrible offenses for many years now and they play terribly against just about everyone. The Eagles had to face off against the terrible Giants offense, but the Redskins and Cowboys had top-half numbers for offense.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, the greatest sports city in the history of the human race :lol: . I live in Florida now, but once a Philly fan, always a Philly fan. Yesterday was one the of the best days of my life after my wedding and the 1980 Phillies baseball world Series win. The Eagles had never won a super bowl until yesterday, but they had their shares of NFL championships before the Super Bowl existed, ( in 1948, 1949, and 1960). 

As a Philadelphia Sports fan, nothing can compare to the Phillies 1980 World Series victory. At the time, the Phillies were the only National League(NL) team ( founded in 1876), of the original six NL teams, to have never won a World Series. That was the end of a 104-year drought! The 1980 Phillies were led by Pete Rose, a Philadelphia demigod, who a few years before, left the Cincinnati Reds to sign an under-market contract with the Phillies for the purpose of bringing a World Series to Philadelphia. Pete Rose has had his legal problems since, and is considered a rascal by most, but Phillies fans will hold him in very high esteem as long as we live.

Back to the Eagles. No one expected anything this season after their star quarterback, Carson Wentz, went down with an injury in December. Not only did the Eagles lose their starting quarterback to injury this year, but also their starting middle linebacker, left offensive tackle & place kicker. How Nick Foles, the backup, played yesterday is mind-boggling. I’m still in shock.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Eagles win the super bowl and a bald eagle makes a nest about a mile from our home, on top of the power lines. Wasn't there a few weeks ago.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

In ancient Rome the regular presence of an eagle would have been considered a lucky omen - not that ancient Rome had power lines for them to nest upon, of course...


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Pyotr said:


> I was born and raised in Philadelphia, the greatest sports city in the history of the human race :lol: . I live in Florida now, but once a Philly fan, always a Philly fan. Yesterday was one the of the best days of my life after my wedding and the 1980 Phillies baseball world Series win. The Eagles had never won a super bowl until yesterday, but they had their shares of NFL championships before the Super Bowl existed, ( in 1948, 1949, and 1960).
> 
> As a Philadelphia Sports fan, nothing can compare to the Phillies 1980 World Series victory. At the time, the Phillies were the only National League(NL) team ( founded in 1876), of the original six NL teams, to have never won a World Series. That was the end of a 104-year drought! The 1980 Phillies were led by Pete Rose, a Philadelphia demigod, who a few years before, left the Cincinnati Reds to sign an under-market contract with the Phillies for the purpose of bringing a World Series to Philadelphia. Pete Rose has had his legal problems since, and is considered a rascal by most, but Phillies fans will hold him in very high esteem as long as we live.
> 
> Back to the Eagles. No one expected anything this season after their star quarterback, Carson Wentz, went down with an injury in December. Not only did the Eagles lose their starting quarterback to injury this year, but also their starting middle linebacker, left offensive tackle & place kicker. How Nick Foles, the backup, played yesterday is mind-boggling. I'm still in shock.


Pha has a few more wins to catch up to the even GREATER sports city....thats right PITTSBURGH PA. home of the 6 time 
SB champs and those 5 time Stanley Cup Champs PITTSBURGH PENGUINS! that 80 year phils won the world series was a good match up between the 79 series champs Pittsburgh Pirates!

ps (i am glad eagles beat NE.)


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