Image: 2018 Super Bowl Parade (Photo by Larry Bridges Jr. on Unsplash)
After scoring the most points ever recorded in a National Football League (NFL) conference title game, the Philadelphia Eagles are headed to New Orleans for the Super Bowl! Their second Super Bowl appearance in three years, the Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs once again. The Chiefs, led by head coach Andy Reid — previously the Eagles’ head coach for 13 years — and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are looking for a first-ever “three-peat.” The Eagles, on the other hand, will be seeking their second championship in franchise history as well as a redemption of Super Bowl LVII, where they lost 38–35.
This time around, the Philadelphia Eagles have powerhouse running back Saquon Barkley. Within his first season in Philadelphia, Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in just 16 games. Had he not been rested for the Eagles’ final game of the regular season, Barkley likely would have broken the NFL’s single-season rushing yard record. The choice to sit Barkley and eliminate the possibility of setting a record was made by head coach Nick Sirianni in an effort to prevent any injuries going into the postseason.
Three postseason games later, Coach Sirianni’s controversial decision to rest Barkley in week 17 has clearly paid off.
On Jan. 12, Barkley kicked off the playoffs with 123 total yards on 27 touches in the wild-card round against the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles secured a 22–10 victory, thanks to Barkley’s rushing and a dominant defensive effort.
The following weekend, Jan. 19, Barkley delivered an impressive 232 total yards and two touchdowns, leading the Eagles to a 28–22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round.
In his first career conference championship game, Barkley ran for a 60-yard touchdown run on Philadelphia’s first offensive play of the game. Barkley finished the game with 118 yards on 15 carries. He now has seven touchdown runs of 60+ yards this season, including three in the playoffs — setting a record for a single postseason and surpassing the total of any other player in an entire career.
Clearly, picking up Saquon Barkley in the off-season was a smart move for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The stakes for this rematch are high but Eagles fans remain confident and excited. According to an article published by reuters.com, StubHub data shows that “fans from Pennsylvania are leading the charge when it comes to Super Bowl tickets and have purchased double the number compared to Chiefs fans from Missouri.” StubHub also mentioned that the average cost of Super Bowl tickets this year is $9,700 per ticket.
While fans and players start heading down to New Orleans, local police (NOPD) departments are preparing for a potential rowdy aftermath. Back home in Philadelphia, Philly sports fans are known for storming Broad Street to celebrate wins in the postseason. Setting off fireworks, climbing greased light poles and flipping cars have all been a part of past championship celebrations on Broad Street.
NOPD has already warned Philly fans to stay away from their town’s poles, noting that they are old and could topple over. The city of Philadelphia has cautioned fans against climbing poles before but that never stopped anybody. It’s safe to say that an Eagles Super Bowl win will cause celebratory chaos both in New Orleans and Philadelphia.
Sophie Stair is a second-year English major with a minor in Journalism ss1029515@wcupa.edu