'Philly Special' and 9 More Tidbits to Pretend You Watched Super Bowl LII

In our oh so hyperbolic country—the most hyperbolic ever, anywhere in the history of the world—its no surprise folks are saying Super Bowl LII was “the most frantic Super Bowl of all time” and, with moves like the now-famous Philly Special, it had the “gutsiest play calling in Super Bowl history.”

Wait, what’s that? You didn’t watch the game? Don’t worry, we get it—this wasn’t exactly the year for New York fans. But we can save you from the shame of not knowing.

Below you’ll find a helpful crib sheet with some key moments, facts and East End-related tidbits to get you through any breezy conversation one might be forced to have about the big game.

RELATED: Your Guide to NFL Players and Owners in the Hamptons

1. Who Won, What Was the Score?
In a game with so much scoring it only had one punt, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the reigning New England Patriots in a 41–33 upset victory at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the Eagles’ first-ever Super Bowl win.

2. What Is a Philly Special, Exactly?
First of all, this has nothing to do with steak, cheese, onions or a sandwich. The Philly Special is a daring trick play that’s getting a ton of press from Monday morning quarterbacks. It went like this: At fourth and goal on the one-yard line to close out the first half, Eagles QB Nick Foles set up in the shotgun, but moved up to the line before the snap as if calling an audible. Running back Corey Clement took a direct snap, flipped the ball to tight end Trey Burton, who, in turn, passed to a wide open Nick Foles in the end zone, putting Philadelphia up 22–12, after the extra point, at halftime.

3. Justin Timberlake’s Halftime Show
Speaking of halftime, Hamptons Bro-Biker Justin Timberlake performed a mashup of his greatest hits, eventually singing and dancing his way to a white piano and tribute to late pop music great and Minneapolis native Prince. Dressed in a western-themed outfit designed by Amagansett designer Stella McCartney—inspired by his new Man of the Woods album—Timberlake sang a duet with Prince, who appeared projected on a scrim above the stage. The living and deceased icons sang Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” culminating in the entire area around U.S. Bank Stadium taking on a purple glow and forming the Purple One’s famous symbol. Timberlake got some backlash about using Prince’s image and vocals for the song—and some barbs about his outfit—but the show, his third Super Bowl appearance, certainly went over better than NSYNC’s and Janet Jackson’s infamous Nipplegate wardrobe malfunction from Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.

4. Jimmy Fallon Live
The other local Bro-Biker, Sagaponack’s Jimmy Fallon, introduced Timberlake at halftime and interviewed his pal after the game in a special live Sunday edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Fallon, who was active on social media throughout Super Bowl LII, also interviewed the cast of NBC’s This Is Us and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in the live show. Fallon closed the show with a musical number as Bob Dylan, updating the legend’s classic “The Times They Are A-Changin'” with lyrics such as “LIft up your voices and put down your phones,” and “Weak is the man who calls truth fake news.” Before the game, Fallon had dinner at the home of fans of his show chosen via a social media contest. The Salzer family in Champlin, MN were the lucky winners. Fallon also kept busy hocking Pepsi for the duration of his Super Bowl stint.

5. Dirty Dancing with Eli Manning
Super Bowl isn’t Super Bowl without the game’s now famous, and incredibly expensive, commercials. A few Hamptonites appeared in this year’s batch of big budget ads, including Quogue homeowner and NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning. He and Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. performed choreography from Dirty Dancing in an NFL commercial highlighting the league’s relaxation of rules against touchdown celebrations—as long as they don’t involve taking a knee. At one point, Giants safety Landon Collins tells an annoyed coach, “Just let them dance,” as the he goes to stop Manning and Beckham. The commercial ends with the tag line “touchdowns to come.”

6. Martha Stewart
East Hampton domestic lifestyle goddess Martha Stewart also made an appearance in the 2018 Super Bowl commercials lineup. Playing off her reputation as a lover of fine food and fine things, Stewart had some fun with her own image by starring in an ad for Jack in the Box fast food. In the ad, Stewart stands in the set of her tv show, introducing a fried chicken sandwich, noting, “You’d never find this at a fast food restaurant—it’s a good thing.” Moments later, the restaurant chain’s mascot, Jack, kicks his way onto the set, yelling, “Oh, is that right, Martha? I don’t think so!” Jack then educates Stewart about his new Food Truck Series, which includes an Asian Fried Chicken sandwich. An angry Stewart threatens to “go to war” with Jack and rips of his pointy nose, to the horror of her security guards. The ad also introduces a #JackvsMartha hashtag, so expect this campaign to be ongoing. Many named this their favorite of this year’s Super Bowl commercials. It’s just one more bold step for Stewart, who has done an excellent job loosening up her image and staying relevant with efforts such as her successful Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party! show with rapper Snoop Dogg.

7. Ralph Lauren Did NOT Design the Super Bowl LII Uniforms
Montauker Ralph Lauren definitely didn’t design this year’s Super Bowl uniforms, but he did design Team USA’s uniforms for the 2018’s XXIII Olympic Winter Games, which begin airing on NBC this Friday, February 9. In anticipation of this next major sporting event, NBC aired five commercial spots for the upcoming games during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Lauren’s attractive, as always, designs come with something extra special this year: They’re heated.

8. Debra Messing and Mariska Hargitay Go Crazy
Hamptonites and NBC stars Debra Messing of Will & Grace, Jennifer Lopez of Shades of Blue and Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit were part of a fun network promo putting together the casts of NBC’s most popular shows to perform Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” during the Super Bowl. Starting with the cast of Will & Grace—the characters least likely to watch the game—the ad goes into JLo singing the song’s “Dearly beloved…” intro, followed by a really fun video of quick cuts featuring all the NBC stars, including a brief shot with the Today Show anchors with East Ender Hoda Kotb among them. Hargitay appears in a morgue singing next to a corpse with SVU costar Ice-T.

9. Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod Celebrate First Anniversary
Jennifer Lopez didn’t just show up in a Super Bowl commercial—she and boyfriend Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez chose Sunday’s game as the spot for their one-year anniversary date. The couple were spotted holding hands backstage before Timberlake’s halftime show. On Saturday, according to CBS News, Lopez played a concert in Minnesota and told fans, “Today is a very special day,” referring to her anniversary, then adding “I don’t want to get all mushy but baby this song is for you,” before performing her new song “Us.”

10. Avengers: Infinity War
Though it was only a slightly updated version of the original, Disney’s Marvel Studios offered up a new trailer for their summer blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War starring Hamptons residents Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow and hitting theaters May 4. The trailer gave fans a few bits of previously unseen footage, mostly adding onto stuff that was shown in the original trailer. Disney also released their first trailer for Han Solo: A Star Wars Story, coming to theaters May 25. The film stars Steven Spielberg-discovered Alden Ehrenreich as the titular character.