MINNEAPOLIS — Nick Foles said he didn't have to be Superman.
He was anyway.
Foles finished one of the greatest postseason performances in NFL history Sunday night with one last night of brilliance, earning game MVP honors with a 373-yard, three-touchdown comeback masterpiece in a 41-33 win over Bill Belichick and the mighty Patriots in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium (see breakdown).
A backup until two months ago, Foles is now a Super Bowl champion (see celebration).
"You can't play any better than the stretch he just put together and to play the way he played today," Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich said.
"To match Tom Brady and to have a fourth-quarter comeback against that team and beat them at their own game? That's really unbelievable."
Foles became the first quarterback in NFL history to register a passer rating of 100 or higher in his first four career playoff games.
He also became the first player in Super Bowl history to throw and catch a touchdown pass in the same game.
He completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards with three touchdowns and an interception that bounced right off Alshon Jeffery's hands.
In three playoff games this year, he threw for 971 yards, completed 72.6 percent of his passes and fashioned a 115.7 passer rating with six touchdowns and one interception.
The 72.6 mark is second highest in NFL history for a quarterback reaching the Super Bowl, and the 115.7 is eighth highest.
"You never really know what it's going to be like when you're going into a Super Bowl," Foles said. "I've never been here before, so there are normal nerves. You've got butterflies. It's a big game. It doesn't get any bigger than this.
"But I felt good. I felt calm. I think the big thing that helped me was knowing that I didn't have to be Superman. I have amazing teammates, amazing coaches around me, and all I have to do is go play as hard as I could and play for one another. Play for those guys and not look at the scoreboard, not look at the time. Just go out there and play. Don't worry about it and [we] came away with the victory."
Foles threw TD passes of 34 yards to Jeffery in the first quarter (more on him here) and 22 yards to Corey Clement in the third quarter and caught a one-yard TD pass from tight end Trey Burton on a trick play just before halftime.
But his finest moment came after the Patriots had turned a 29-19 deficit into a 33-32 lead, when he drove the Eagles 75 yards in 14 plays, giving the Eagles the lead for good with 2:21 left with an 11-yard TD to Zach Ertz that a long replay look finally confirmed (see Roob's observations).
"I didn't switch my mindset," he said. "I wasn't worrying about the scoreboard, I wasn't worried about the time. I was just playing ball.
"I think sometimes you start worrying about [the situation] so much and it starts creeping into your brain. I was just playing. Whatever play Doug (Pederson) called, I was just going to go out there and rip it."
Foles has won seven regular-season games the last three years.
He's won three playoff games the last month.
"He's amazing," Ertz said. "The past three weeks, he's been playing out of his mind. People panicked when Carson (Wentz) went down. Nick, we had all the confidence in the world in him. He's a fantastic human, a fantastic player."
Foles joins names like Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger, Montana, Elway and Warner, who have engineered game-winning go-ahead drives in a Super Bowl.
"Nick, all playoffs, he stepped up and just showed himself and continued to show what he can do," running back Jay Ajayi said. "Everyone doubts him and everyone talks [negatively] about him, and he just continued to step up to the play and hit home runs.
"You saw what he did tonight. A special player. Composed, confident, veteran leader, and he helped us win the game.
"MVP."
The Eagles ran for 164 yards, which certainly helped take some pressure off Foles, and he wasn't sacked all night, which also helped.
Foles' 373 passing yards are fifth most in Super Bowl history, behind Brady twice — including 505 Sunday — and Kurt Warner twice.
Only Foles and Warner have thrown for 370 yards with three touchdowns and 65 percent accuracy in Super Bowl history.
"If we can protect him, give him time to throw, with the receivers he has and the arm that he has, we knew he could get the job done," center Jason Kelce said. "For him to go out there on the biggest stage possible and play the way he did today, I'm so happy for that guy."