BRISTOL, Conn. — You want Philly Philly? You got it. Eight years after Nick Foles and Doug Pederson stunned the football world, ESPN announced Thursday that the most audacious play in Super Bowl history is officially getting its own 30 for 30 documentary. Titled simply “The Philly Special,” the film premieres Friday, February 6, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App.
“A Real-Life Rocky Story”
This isn’t just a highlight reel. Produced by NFL Films, the documentary reunites the five men who conspired to take down the New England Patriots dynasty on 4th-and-goal: head coach Doug Pederson, quarterback Nick Foles, tight end Trey Burton, running back Corey Clement, and center Jason Kelce.
The film pulls back the curtain on the sideline conversation that became folklore. With 38 seconds left in the first half of Super Bowl LII, the Eagles held a fragile 15-12 lead. Instead of kicking a field goal, Foles trotted over to Pederson and asked the question that now lives on statues, tattoos, and wedding bands across Philadelphia: “You want Philly Philly?”
The rest is history. The snap to Clement, the pitch to Burton, and the catch by Foles—the first QB to catch a touchdown in a Super Bowl—sparked a 41-33 victory that delivered Philadelphia its first Lombardi Trophy.
“Everybody loves the Rocky movies, but they were fiction. The amazing thing about ‘The Philly Special’ is that it’s a real-life Rocky story. A group of five underdogs went up against the greatest dynasty in NFL history and pulled off an upset worthy of Hollywood.” — Angela Zender, Co-Director (via ESPN Press Room)
Why It Matters Now
While the play itself is legendary, the documentary promises to reveal the “nervous energy” and the near-misses that preceded the snap. Foles recently admitted on a podcast that the Eagles “butchered” the play in practice repeatedly. This film dives into the mechanics of the failure that eventually led to perfection.
For the Eagles faithful, the timing lands perfectly during the Super Bowl buildup, serving as a reminder of the franchise’s peak. For the broader NFL audience, it offers a rare, granular look at a single play call that dismantled the Belichick-Brady aura of invincibility.
