ready & hopeful, but not this year

IMG_4580We were ready and excited for Super Bowl LII (52) because our team, The New England Patriots, had made it there once again, this time playing the Philadelphia Eagles. The Pats have been in the Super Bowl 10 times, winning five of them, in 2002; 2004; 2005; 2015; and 2017.  They’re tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys for second place among the greatest teams. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers have won more – six Super Bowl wins.

The 2017-2018 season was another good one for the Pats. We won the American Football Conference with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses.  The Eagles won the National Football Conference with a matching 13-3 record. This was the second time the Eagles and Patriots battled in a Super Bowl: when they met in Super Bowl XXXIX, the Patriots won 24–21.

We were ready at kickoff, with our Pats gear, signs and  yummy food. We all felt pretty good about their chances of winning a sixth Super Bowl, tying the Steelers for all time best..  But it was not meant to be. The Eagles defeated the Pats by a score of 41–33, a win that came with a trick play before halftime. Backup quarterback Nick Foles was named Super Bowl MVP, the first backup to receive this award since his opponent, Tom Brady, in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some, right? We’ve been spoiled as New England fans.  Just ask the Eagles, it was the first Eagles Super Bowl victory in franchise history!