Fly, Eagles, Fly. They sure did. And now they are Super Bowl champions, dethroning the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and denying them a historic three-peat in the process.
The game was over at the coin toss. Kansas City chose to defer receiving the ball until the start of the second half. It was the first of so many mistakes by the Chiefs. It gave a hungry—make that ravenous—Eagles team that much more ready to take on its foe.
And did Philadelphia ever put a hurtin’ on KC. The Chiefs offensive line could not stop the Eagles defensive surges. Repeatedly, KC star QB Patrick Mahomes was chased, hurried or sacked. The Chiefs were unable to establish a running game and Mahomes uncharacteristically could not connect with his receivers when he wasn’t under constant pressure from the Eagles defense.
Super Bowl Sunday was the birthday for two Eagles players. Saquon Barkley, the star running back, and Cooper DeJean, a celebrated rookie defensive back both enjoyed the day with the Philly victory.
Kansas City actually was able to partially shut down Barkley, who had a phenomenal year and finished third in the NFL M.V.P. race. His having a so-so game didn’t hurt the Eagles one bit.
DeJean intercepted a Mahomes errant throw and returned it for a touchdown. The 22 year old became the first player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl on his birthday. What a memory that will be.
On offense, it was the Jalen Hurts show. The Philadelphia quarterback dominated with both his legs and arms. Whenever the Eagles needed a pass to work, Hurts seemingly was unerring in his throws.
Moreover, his scrambling to avoid any pursuit by KC linemen led to either a well-thrown ball or his gobbling up sizable chunks of yardage to put Philly in position to score. Voting Hurts as the Super Bowl M.V.P. was a no-brainer, although some people felt that Eagles’ linebacker Josh Sweat, with his 2.5 sacks and 6 tackles was deserving of strong M.V.P. consideration.
Somewhat unrecognized was the superior job the Eagles coaching staff did. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called a great game. He will become the next coach of the New Orleans Saints very shortly and he deserves the job based on his acumen. Almost every play put the offense in a position to succeed.
Kudos goes to long-time defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as to how he rallied his troops and continually flustered the Kansas City offense. Fangio is usually very stoic; he showed his defense emotions he had from two years ago when the Chiefs beat Philadelphia. He got their attention and they performed like the top-rated unit in the NFL.
Lest we forget the head coach: Nick Sirianni had been roasted for the past three seasons by the anything-but-nice Philly fans. These people make Ohio State boosters wanting Coach Ryan Day’s head after losing to Michigan look like pansies.
Recognizing that he had to be a game manager rather than take on too much of the on the field responsibilities, Sirianni trusted his assistants to properly prepare his team for this game. Which they did.
Sirianni is not your usual head coach. He can get emotional. He can be confrontational. But what he can do is manage this team.
I saw a moment early in the game when Sirianni was amped up after a defensive stop by his team. Conversely, I then saw KC head man Andy Reid, a former Super Bowl winner in Philadelphia before being replaced, whose body language which told me he knew that his team was in trouble and things were not at all going according to plan.
Philadelphia making Super Bowls in two out of the past three seasons shows what kind of talent the team possesses. With a coaching staff that knew exactly how to utilize such talent.
Yes, the Eagles deserved to win this game. It was a beat down for the ages of a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Philly took on all comers in the playoffs and got themselves to exactly where they sit today—Super Bowl champions.
That indoor Gatorade bath Sirianni received from his players must have tasted quite sweet last night. When he had his son repeat after him E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES, that sounded just about right. The raucous Philly fans would have joined in fortissimo. And loved it.
Will either team return to play again next year in the Super Bowl? Philadelphia is more likely than Kansas City, but the competition is great in both the NFC and AFC.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams seemingly make the playoffs nearly every year and are strong on both sides of the ball. I look for Detroit to take a step backwards after losing both coordinators when they became head coaches. Washington seems to be up and coming. San Francisco, if healthy, will always be a challenger. Green Bay is likelier to return to the playoffs than Minnesota. Tampa Bay is a fierce opponent too. It won’t be easy for Philly.
In the AFC, KC was lucky enough to win as many close games as the team did in 2024. Buffalo, with M.V.P. QB Josh Allen, is right at the precipice and could easily be playing in the next Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens are just as good as the Bills. Add in challengers like Cincinnati, the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver, Houston, Pittsburgh plus resurgences in places like Indianapolis and with coaching changes in Jacksonville, New York and Las Vegas to the mix. Then there are trades, the NFL Draft, free agency and the salary cap to contend with. Handicapping the AFC isn’t simple.
With the Eagles win on Sunday, the franchise has won five NFL titles. The city has won an additional NFL crown with the Frankford Yellow Jackets triumph in 1926.
The Phillies have won two World Series—in 1980 and 2008. While in town, the Athletics were World Champions in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929 and 1930.
In basketball, the Warriors won titles in 1947 and 1956 before departing for the West Coast. The 76’ers won it all in 1967 and 1983.
And the Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975. That’s a long time ago.
Maybe the Phillies will contend again this year. The Sixers and Flyers aren’t anywhere near that possibility.
Nineteen championships in all these years ranks high enough, tied for sixth with San Francisco. Although that total isn’t quite like New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Detroit.
But don’t question a Philly fan about their standing right now. These are the same people who heavily booed Taylor Swift when she was shown on the Jumbo Tron in the Caesars’ Superdome. Of course she is the girlfriend of KC tight end Travis Kelce, a grievous mistake to date a guy of the enemy if you ask any boo bird (or the President of the United States or comedian Bill Maher, who would join in the throaty chorus if it wan’t beneath them). Then again, Philadelphia fans boo Santa Claus.
No, let Eagles fans be euphoric. Enjoy the victory parade. Their team came through magnificently.
Fly, Eagles, Fly has skyrocketed to become the top song in the NFL.
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