The Eagles' Nick Foles did something no quarterback has done since Tom Brady in 2001 — and became Super Bowl MVP

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January 31, 2018 2:49 PM

Tom Brady started the 2001 season as a backup before leading his team to a Super Bowl win. The Eagles' Nick Foles repeated the feat this year.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback
Before Foles, the last backup quarterback to accomplish the feat was Tom Brady — the man Foles bested in Super Bowl LII.
Brady famously took over for Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 season, while Foles took over for Carson Wentz in Week 14 this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII on Sunday after quarterback Nick Foles managed to outduel Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

Foles went 28-for-43 in the big game, threw for three touchdowns, and caught one more en route to Super Bowl MVP honors.

The Eagles' victory over the New England Patriots capped a remarkable season for Foles, who took over for starter Carson Wentz in Week 14 after the MVP candidate went down with an ACL injury.

By pulling off the upset, Foles became just the tenth quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory after starting the season as a backup.

Interestingly, before Sunday, the last backup quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl was none other than Brady himself.

As the famous story goes, Brady was second on the New England Patriots' depth chart in 2001 behind starter Drew Bledsoe, a New England legend in his own right.

Just two games into the season, Bledsoe was injured on a devastating hit by New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. Brady took over quarterbacking duties, and performed so well that he never relinquished the starting role. The Patriots went 11-3 in Brady's starts that season, and their magical season ended with a 20-17 Super Bowl win over the heavily-favored St. Louis Rams.