The match up for Super Bowl LII is set.
Congratulations to the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
Here’s a look at how both teams punched their ticket to the big game.
NEW ENGLAND 24 JACKSONVILLE 20
As expected, the heavily-favored Patriots won the AFC championship game, but it was much more difficult than anyone expected. The underdog Jaguars came to play, taking a commanding 14-3 lead late into the second quarter. But a controversial pass interference call helped the Patriots score a critical touchdown before the half. The Jaguars took a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but were unable to hold on. Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, led the Patriots on two touchdown drives that felt inevitable.
Quarterback Blake Bortles and the Jaguars’ top-rated defense fought valiantly, but weren’t able to engineer a touchdown drive at the end to send Jacksonville to its first ever Super Bowl berth. The Patriots add another Super Bowl appearance to their record of 9. Tom Brady now has a chance to add to his personal record of five Super Bowl victories, and the Patriots can tie the Pittsburgh Steelers with six wins in the big game.
New England Patriots on Twitter
Dola does it. @DannyAmendola is 💰. #GoPats https://t.co/F4JdLamLbQ
PHILADELPHIA 38 MINNESOTA 7
The Philadelphia Eagles are probably the most disrespected number one seed in the history of the NFL. After MVP candidate Carson Wentz was lost for the season with an ACL injury, Philadelphia was written off as a Super Bowl contender. They were a home underdog against both Atlanta and Minnesota, and defeated the Vikings convincingly. Many wondered if Minnesota would suffer a hangover after the euphoric victory last week over the New Orleans Saints. Early on, it appeared they didn’t, marching down the field on the opening possession for an easy touchdown. But the game flipped completely after Case Keenum threw a pick six. From that point forward the Eagles absolutely dominated the game. The Vikings’ top-rated defense was thoroughly shredded, especially on third down where they had been historically good.
The loss dashed Minnesota’s hopes of being the first team to host a Super Bowl in its own stadium. Instead the Eagles will advance to their third Super Bowl in franchise history, hoping to claim their first victory in the game. The last time the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl was 2005, coincidentally a loss to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (if New England wins, they will be the first repeat champion since they accomplished the feat in 2005 by defeating Philadelphia).
Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter
P-Roblematic throw. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/9JZhjDCSDb