Super Bowl LII

"2018 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2018 season, see Super Bowl LIII.

Super Bowl LII
DateFebruary 4, 2018
StadiumU.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
MVPNick Foles, quarterback
FavoritePatriots by 5
RefereeGene Steratore
Attendance67,612
Ceremonies
National anthemPink
Coin tossHershel W. Williams, representing Medal of Honor recipients
Halftime showJustin Timberlake
TV in the United States
NetworkNBC
Universo
AnnouncersAl Michaels (play-by-play)
Cris Collinsworth (analyst)
Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
Edgar López (play-by-play- Universo)
René Giraldo and Rolando Cantú (analysts- Universo)
Verónica Contreras (sidelines- Universo)
Nielsen ratings43.1 (national)
56.2 (Philadelphia)
55.9 (Boston)
U.S. viewership: 103.4 million est. avg.[1]
Market share68 (national)
Cost of 30-second commercial$5 million[2]
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
ESPN Deportes Radio
AnnouncersKevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Boomer Esiason and Mike Holmgren (analysts)
Ed Werder and Tony Boselli (sideline reporters)
Álvaro Martín (play-by-play- ESPN Deportes Radio)
Raúl Allegre (analyst- ESPN Deportes Radio)
John Sutcliffe (sideline- ESPN Deportes Radio)

Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) and defending Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots, 41–33, to win their first Super Bowl[3] and their first NFL title since 1960, making the NFC East the first and currently only division where every team has won a Super Bowl. The game was played on February 4, 2018, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[4] This was the second time that a Super Bowl was played in Minneapolis, the northernmost city to ever host the event, after Super Bowl XXVI at the Metrodome during the 1991 season.[5] It was also the sixth Super Bowl held in a cold-weather city,[6] although the stadium is indoors.

New England finished the regular season with an AFC-best 13–3 record, then extended their record Super Bowl appearances to ten, their third in four years, and their eighth under the leadership of head coach Bill Belichick and MVP quarterback Tom Brady. Philadelphia also finished the regular season with an NFC-best 13–3 record but entered the playoffs as underdogs after starting quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending injury late in the regular season; prior to his injury, Wentz was the media and fan favorite to win MVP[7] after leading his team to an 11–2 start. Backup quarterback Nick Foles was the Eagles' starting quarterback for the rest of the season. With Foles, the Eagles advanced to their third Super Bowl appearance, having previously lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV and to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Several records were set during Super Bowl LII, including most yards gained in any NFL game by both teams combined (1,151) and fewest punts from both teams in a Super Bowl (one).[8] The game was settled after the Eagles converted a fumble recovery deep within Patriots territory to a field goal with 1:05 remaining to extend their lead to eight points, and Brady's Hail Mary pass fell incomplete as time expired. Foles, who completed 28 of 43 pass attempts for 373 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and also caught a one-yard touchdown pass on a trick play, was named Super Bowl MVP.[9] Foles' touchdown catch later became known as the Philly Special and joined NFL lore alongside his unexpected performance.

With the loss, the Patriots became the fifth defending Super Bowl champions to lose in the following year's title game, after the 1978 Dallas Cowboys, the 1983 Washington Redskins, the 1997 Green Bay Packers, and the 2014 Seattle Seahawks. They would later be joined by the 2020 Kansas City Chiefs. Also, this ended their chances on becoming the first NFL team to three-peat.

The broadcast of the game on NBC had the smallest Super Bowl audience in nine years, with an average of 103.4 million viewers. Average television viewership for the halftime show, headlined by Justin Timberlake, was 106.6 million American television viewers, 9 percent less than the previous year.[10] This was the most recent Super Bowl to date where both teams attained at least one score each quarter until 2023, a Super Bowl which also involved the Eagles. The game is considered one of the greatest Super Bowl games of all time.[11][12][13][14]

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson's game plan, which was filled with over a dozen short-yardage plays, led to the Eagles going two-for-two on fourth down conversions and is regarded as highly influential in professional football. Fourth down conversion attempts in the NFL increased as a whole nearly 64% from 2017 to 2021.[15][16]

  1. ^ Porter, Rick (February 5, 2018). "TV Ratings Sunday: Super Bowl LII smallest since 2009, still massive; 'This Is Us' scores big [Updated]". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Chiari, Mike (January 24, 2018). "Super Bowl Commercials 2018: Expectations, Rumors and Most-Hyped Movie Trailers". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  3. ^ Kirk, Jason (February 4, 2018). "The Patriots just tied the record for most Super Bowl losses". SB Nation. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Super Bowl LII". U.S. Bank Stadium. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  5. ^ Forliti, Amy (January 17, 2018). "Embrace the 'Bold North' in Minneapolis for Super Bowl". Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Olson, Rochelle (October 10, 2017). "NFL Super Bowl executives swarm Twin Cities to work out most 'complex' event in league history". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. ^ Graziano, Dan (December 6, 2017). "NFL MVP poll: The GOAT is back on top". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  8. ^ Shook, Nick (February 5, 2018). "Eagles-Patriots sets multiple Super Bowl records". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (February 4, 2018). "Eagles quarterback Nick Foles wins Super Bowl LII MVP". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Patten, Dominic (February 5, 2018). "Eagles' 1st Super Bowl Win Draws 103.4M Viewers, Smallest Audience In Nine Years – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  11. ^ Kerr, Jeff (January 30, 2019). "Super Bowl 52 ranked as one of greatest Super Bowls of all-time". 247Sports. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Harrison, Elliot (January 28, 2019). "Ranking all 52 Super Bowls". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  13. ^ Faria, Nick (February 10, 2022). "Ranking the Top 10 Super Bowls of All-Time". Philly Sports Network. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  14. ^ Cartelli, Lance (February 14, 2022). "Ranking every Super Bowl, from worst to first". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  15. ^ Sutelan, Edward (January 14, 2023). "NFL 4th down conversion chart, explained: Breaking down the NFL's success rates by distance & more to know". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  16. ^ Ruiz, Steven (February 4, 2018). "Doug Pederson thoroughly out-coached Bill Belichick to win the Eagles a Super Bowl". For The Win. USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2024.