Fly Eagles Fly

I had the privilege of going down to the Big Easy this weekend to watch as the Philadelphia Eagles became World Champions on the biggest stage in sports. For those who came for the snacks, the commercials, Kendrick Lamar’s halftime, or, most importantly, the talent displayed on the Caesar’s Superdome field, this past Sunday was a victory for a franchise, and city, determined to avenge their loss from Super Bowl LIX. 

New Orleans brought its culture and unique flair to the game with its shrimp po-boys in the Superdome, Trombone Shorty playing America the Beautiful, and the green and red parades marching all throughout the city. The atmosphere in the stadium was mixed with feelings of redemption and uncontrollable joy from Eagles fans coupled with silence and disappointment from Chiefs fans by the game’s end. I was one of a few Eagles fans standing out in the sea of raucous red jerseys around me. Thankfully for the Eagles fans sporting their Kelly Green jerseys throughout the Superdome and across the country, Chiefs fans were quickly silenced and the Philly fans were jumping with excitement as the Eagles raced out to a 17-0 lead by the halfway mark of the second quarter.

 The game provided many talking points. For one, the Eagles’ defense, headlined by a forceful defensive line of Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Josh Sweat, and veteran Brandon Graham, was unstoppable as they sacked Patrick Mahomes six times. 

The secondary held Mahomes to 33 passing yards in the first half while grabbing two interceptions, one by Zach Baun and one returned for a touchdown by Cooper DeJean.

 The defense was not the only standout on the Philadelphia side, as Jalen Hurts played a lights-out game. Hurts led the offense to 40 points, periodically relying on the ground game, led by Saquon Barkley, and finding DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown through the air, to beat the Chiefs' defense. The Chiefs struggled as the Mahomes-led offense did not gain any points until the end of the third quarter, when the score was already 0-34. Mahomes was able to throw two touchdowns to Xavier Worthy and DeAndre Hopkins in garbage time, but the game had long been decided. 

The Chiefs’ defense performed much better than the score gives them credit for. They held Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley to only 57 yards on 25 carries. Many of the Eagles; scoring drives came off of short fields from turnovers caused by the Chiefs’ offense. 

Despite the best attempts of the Chiefs’ defense, the Eagles were simply the better team on the day, and the 40-22 scoreline reflected that. With the Eagles’ players and coaches making this season possible, this win was not a singular victory—it was a celebration of Philadelphia’s resilience and the fight put up by every fan and player around the country who rooted for the birds. For the Philly teens attempting to climb the greasy poles on broad street and the local artists in New Orleans singing “Fly Eagles Fly,” this was a powerful and monumental win for the whole city of Philadelphia, one that will be celebrated for years past after this Friday’s scheduled parade. Today, I am proud to say that the Philadelphia Eagles are the Super Bowl LIX Champions!!