Honestly, if you watched Super Bowl 52, you probably felt like you were watching a video game where the "defense" setting was turned off. It was a cold February night in Minneapolis back in 2018, but the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium was essentially on fire. People talk about the Philly Special—and for good reason—but when you actually look at the Super Bowl 52 stats, the sheer volume of offense is what stays with you. It wasn't just a win for the underdog Philadelphia Eagles; it was a total demolition of the NFL record books.
The game ended 41-33. That score alone is high, but it doesn't tell the whole story of how little the punters had to do.
The 1,151-Yard Explosion
The most absurd number from that night? 1,151 total yards. That is the most combined yardage for any game in NFL history. Not just Super Bowls. Any game. Regular season, playoffs, whatever. You’ve got two teams basically marching up and down the field like it’s a walkthrough. The New England Patriots actually accounted for more of those yards than the Eagles did.
Think about that. New England put up 613 yards of offense and still lost the game.
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It’s one of those "how is that even possible" moments. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady usually win those games in their sleep. But the Eagles were incredibly efficient when it mattered. While the Patriots were moving the ball at will, they struggled to finish every drive with seven points. Philadelphia, led by a guy who was nearly out of the league a year prior, just kept punching back.
Tom Brady’s 505-Yard Loss
We have to talk about Tom Brady because his personal Super Bowl 52 stats are genuinely staggering. He threw for 505 yards. That broke his own record from the previous year. He had 3 touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a passer rating of 115.4.
Usually, if a quarterback does that, the game is a blowout. But it wasn't.
Brady was 28-of-48. He was hitting Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola for massive chunks of yardage. Rob Gronkowski caught 9 passes for 116 yards and two scores. It felt like the Patriots were inevitable. However, the game changed on one specific defensive play—the only sack of the night for either team.
Brandon Graham.
With about two minutes left, Graham got to Brady. The ball came out. Derek Barnett recovered it. That one defensive stat—1 sack—outweighed the 505 passing yards in the end. It was the only time the Eagles truly "stopped" Brady all night.
Nick Foles and the Philly Special Factor
On the other side, Nick Foles was playing like a man possessed. His stat line was 28-of-43 for 373 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one pick that wasn't really his fault (it bounced off Alshon Jeffery's hands).
But the stat everyone remembers is 1-for-1.
That’s his receiving record. On 4th-and-goal, Doug Pederson called the "Philly Special." Trey Burton, a former college QB turned tight end, threw a perfect lob to a wide-open Foles in the end zone. It made Foles the first player in history to throw for a touchdown and catch one in the same Super Bowl.
- Third Down Dominance: The Eagles were 10-of-16 on third downs.
- Fourth Down Guts: They went 2-for-2 on fourth down.
- Rushing Attack: LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi combined for 147 yards on the ground, punishing a Patriots defense that looked slow.
Corey Clement, a rookie undrafted free agent, also went off. He had 100 receiving yards on just 4 catches. One of those was a 22-yard touchdown that survived a very long replay review.
Why the Defense Basically Disappeared
If you’re a defensive coordinator, this game is your worst nightmare. There was only one punt the entire game. The Patriots didn't punt a single time. Not once.
It was the first time in Super Bowl history a team didn't punt.
The missed opportunities on special teams were also weirdly high. There were 4 missed kicks in total—three missed extra points and a missed field goal. Stephen Gostkowski missed a 26-yarder after a bad snap. Jake Elliott missed an extra point. These "small" errors are why the score stayed at 41-33 instead of being something like 45-38.
The Legacy of the Stats
What most people get wrong about this game is thinking it was just a fluke. It wasn't. The Eagles utilized RPOs (Run-Pass Options) in a way that the Patriots defense simply couldn't diagnose in real-time. Philadelphia’s coaching staff, including Doug Pederson and Frank Reich, outmaneuvered Belichick’s unit by staying aggressive.
They didn't play "not to lose." They played to score on every single possession because they knew Brady would do the same.
If you are looking back at these numbers for a trivia night or just to settle a debate, remember the yardage record. 1,151. It’s a number that might not be broken for a long time, especially with how the league fluctuates between offensive explosions and defensive resurgences.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
- Study the RPO: If you want to understand how the Eagles neutralized the Patriots' pass rush, look at the tape of their RPO sets from the second quarter.
- Contextualize Brady's 505: Use this stat to explain why "passing yards" isn't always the best indicator of a win; efficiency in the red zone and turnover margin (the Graham sack) usually matter more.
- Watch the Philly Special setup: Notice how they ran similar looks earlier in the season to set up the deception for the Super Bowl.
The game remains the pinnacle of the "new" NFL—high scoring, quarterback-centric, and decided by a single, massive play at the very end.
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Next Steps for Your Research
Check out the official NFL box score to see the specific drive charts from the fourth quarter. It shows how the Eagles used over 7 minutes of clock on their final touchdown drive, which was arguably more important than any single yardage record.