Patriots score in the 1st quarter of Super Bowl for the 1st time under Bill Belichick
With a 26-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal, the New England Patriots snapped a dubious streak of slow starts in the Super Bowl. It was the first time under Bill Belichick that the Patriots scored points at all in the first quarter in a Super Bowl.
That’s right. Not once in the Patriots’ first seven trips to the Super Bowl with Belichick and Tom Brady did the team score a single first-quarter point.
Tom Brady’s arm just happened to be there and I swiped, Graham said. I was just so thankful to be able to make that play to get us off the field and change the game.
Graham didn’t realize that he caused the fumble. He reached for Brady’s arm, and the next thing he saw was Barnett picked it up and they were running off the field.
I’ve had a couple of crazy injuries, but this was pretty crazy, he said. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do.
A cut on his hand wasn’t going to stop him. But with a couple of weeks to heal the hand, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s fine.
Tom Brady is 40. Bill Belichick is 65. Retirement isn’t far on the horizon for the two pillars of the New England Patriots dynasty, but it would be surprising if Super Bowl 52 were the last game for either. Still, that rumor is making the rounds this week.
Super Bowl 52 got off to a lively start between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. With the first quarter in the books, let’s take a look at how the squares game is playing out.
While it’s easy to point to the team’s two future Hall of Fame skill players, McDaniels’ influence shines through in his ability to promote unheralded players into big roles and then watch them shine. He’s helped turn formerly anonymous players like Dion Lewis, Chris Hogan, and even Wes Welker into major contributors for New England. The 2017 Patriots finished the season ranked first in total yardage despite the absence of players like Pro Bowler Julian Edelman, Super Bowl 51 hero James White, Malcolm Mitchell, and Hogan.