This year’s Super Bowl finished in unbelievable fashion as a last second Hail Mary heave from Tom Brady fell to the ground while the game clock hit double zeros. The Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in franchise history as they defeated the favored New England Patriots 41-33.

The game offered many top plays and performances that made a huge difference. In the first half of the game, Alshon Jeffery made three catches for Philadelphia’s first 73 yards. Zach Ertz’s touchdown also helped the Eagles take the lead by 5 points in the fourth quarter resulting in a 38-33 score at the time. During this Super Bowl, 29 national records were either broken or matched.

The Patriots were not new to this stage, as this game marked their ninth trip to the Super Bowl, the most of any franchise in NFL history. Patriots quarterback Brady has been a part of eight of these Super Bowl appearances, winning five, the most Super Bowl wins for any player in NFL history. The Eagles, however, had not been to a Super Bowl since 2004, where they lost to Brady and the Patriots.

Immediately following the game, Eagles fans took the streets of their hometown and celebrated their first Super Bowl victory, trashing hotel awnings, flipping cars and burning and vandalizing parts of the city. Even though the majority of the city’s lamp posts were greased up to prevent climbing, people still found ways to cause other means of havoc, such as climbing doorway entrances, burning objects in the streets, and jumping into crowds. The next morning, CBS Philadelphia reported that at least two light poles were damaged.

Following the game, Mt. Hebron junior and Patriots fan Duvan Allen explained, “I think the game ended the way it did because the Eagles showed up to prove that they could win their first championship. The Patriots started out slow and did not have control of the game at any point.”

Allen also said, “The Eagles won because they had the right leader and the right people, including two former Patriots Super Bowl champions.”

The game capped off an NFL season full of unforgettable highlights, players and top story lines, including the playoffs. In the AFC wild card round, the Tennessee Titans staged an epic comeback, knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs 23-22 in the final minute. The Jacksonville Jaguars also beat the Buffalo Bills in a low-scoring affair, where quarterback Tyrod Taylor left the game with a concussion.

In the Divisional round, the Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 en route to a Super Bowl win, the Jaguars upset the Steelers 45-42 with an outstanding performance by Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville defense, and the Vikings also knocked off the Saints 29-24 with a final Hail Mary to wide receiver Stefon Diggs to carry Minnesota to the NFC Championship game.

In the final stop before the Super Bowl, the Eagles crushed the Vikings in a blowout game 38-7, and the Patriots edged the Jaguars in a 24-20 nail biter.

The 2017-2018 NFL season offered excitement, energy and electrifying plays that will be remembered for years to come. Coming off a great season, NFL teams look to make a push and start preparing even harder for next season as every team’s focus will be on what only the Philadelphia Eagles could accomplish in 2018.