Eagles fans hit the streets; Nick Foles trolls Tom Brady; victory parade Friday, team hints

NEW ORLEANS — While breaking down the huddle after warmups ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Jalen Hurts reminded the Eagles of their dominance all season long.

“We did this [expletive] all year,” Hurts said. “Don’t stop now.”

They didn’t. The Eagles pulled off a 40-22 beatdown of the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superdome, usurping the crown from the back-to-back Lombardi Trophy victors.

Third time's the charm?

The Eagles again hinted on social media that a victory parade could take place Friday in Philly.

"Thought it was time to bring this one out again," the team wrote in a tweet on its X account. "See ya Friday." 

A crowd descended on a Ryder truck at the corner of 12th and Market Streets in front of the Loews Philadelphia Hotel and ransacked the contents — white towels.

People tossed the towels onto the street and then set a pile of them on fire.

Police responded to the scene using fire extinguishers to put out the fire and aggressively push back the crowd.

Along various corners of South Broad, mini celebrations united total strangers.

Off of Federal and Broad Streets, the NOMO Foundation building had a DJ playing tunes and a food truck taking orders for cheesesteaks and burgers.

At Reed and Broad Streets, Amanda Garton, 27, stopped to dance in front of a car blasting Kendrick Lamar's “Not Like Us,” with a total stranger dressed in a neon green spandex suit.

Cooper DeJean and A.J. Brown had a long hug on the sideline at the end of the game.

“He said that they’ve been waiting for me to get my first pick since I got here, since I started,” DeJean said. “Now I finally got it in the Super Bowl.”

It meant a lot to the rookie.

Depending on your taste, the weather this week in Philly won’t be much to celebrate, with Friday looking like the safest choice for a Super Bowl parade to honor the victorious Eagles.

The city has offered no word yet on what day it might schedule such an event.

After a dry Monday, snow is expected by Tuesday afternoon, continuing into Wednesday, said Joe DeSilva, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly.

Alyssa Marquis’ son, Brentley, “was not even 5 days old” when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018.

Now a mature 7, he gets to dance with mom at the intersection of Frankford and Cottman Avenues to celebrate the Eagles dominating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 to win this year’s Super Bowl.

“Go Eagles!” Brentley chanted. “I’m not going to school tomorrow.”

Visions of victory could be seen and heard throughout South Philly.

A man chugged his beer to the flash of a camera in a rowhouse as his friends cheered out the front door. A woman did an operatic version of "Fly Eagles Fly."

The cacophony of Broad Street could be heard on residential streets blocks away, as people of all ages followed the sounds of cheers and helicopters that all seemed to point in that direction. Neighborhood bars like Fountain Porter emptied out, while passing cars and fireworks added to the orchestra.

For the second time in his distinguished career, Merrill Reese called an Eagles' Super Bowl win.

As time ticked down in Sunday’s contest between the Eagles and the Kansas Chiefs, Philadelphia’s longtime radio announcer counted down the seconds as time expired.

“It’s over,” Reese said. “The Philadelphia Eagles have won Super Bowl LIX. They have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22. It’s their second Super Bowl win in seven years. What a game. What a season. What a team.”

What dynasty?

Patrons at Grumpy's cheered and cursed and ordered drinks, releasing a pent-up energy they seemed to have held onto since the last time the Eagles faced the Chiefs on the biggest stage two years ago.

With 30 seconds left, bar patrons began cutting a celebratory cake and a countdown.

Gracen Hasham, 26, and Taryn Wood, 25, both of Fairmount, stood outside the barriers at City Hall waving an Eagles flag.

“I am over the moon because Philadelphia needed this win,” Hasham said. “Plus, Mahomes had the worst game of his life!”

“And Hurts looked the best he ever has,” Wood said. “Finally we have a place in this whole country that is united.”

A departure from her usual pops of red, Taylor Swift is dressed in white and sparkles for tonight's Super Bowl — perhaps a nod to neutrality since the Eagles were her hometown team long before her relationship with the Chiefs' Travis Kelce unfolded.

New details first reported by fashion journalist Sarah Chapelle give a deeper look into Swift's full look.

According to Chapelle, Swift's wearing a Saint Laurent white blazer, a white tank, bedazzled shorts, and white over-the-knee boots. She accessorized with a red Givenchy purse and the same red 'T' chain she wore to the Grammys — but this time as a necklace instead of a thigh chain.

At Grumpy's in South Philadelphia, the energy reached a fever pitch as the end of the third quarter neared.

“They need four touchdowns!” said Frank Mostaccio, 57, taking one of his friends by the shoulders, confident in an impending win. “We will be on Broad Street today.”

Wearing an eagle costume, Ross Staszak, 37, also looked forward to the celebrations he expected to take place on Broad, despite being a Buffalo Bills fan.

There’s a lot of anticipation building for fans watching the Super Bowl in Philly.

Ahead of the game, there were barriers placed around Broad Street and thoughts lingering in the back of fans' minds on the best ways to celebrate after a potential win. Fans at the Pennsylvania Convention Center are counting down the seconds to witness the Eagles hoist up another Lombardi Trophy.

But despite a 27-0 lead in the third quarter, fans are still on the edge of their seats — including 24-year-old fan Matt McCurry from Fairfax, Va.

During Kendrick Lamar's electric halftime show, the rapper kept teasing a performance of his Grammy-winning single, "Not Like Us." When he finally performed it, he was joined by athlete Serena Williams dancing alongside him.

"Not Like Us," which has celebrated massive popularity, is famously a diss track against Drake. As the song has become more and more successful, pop culture vultures have noted its impact on Drake's reputation — and potentially his career.

Lamar's lyrics notably hit on allegations that Drake has had relationships with underage women, something he's denied. Still, one of the most popular singalong lines in "Not Like Us," goes: "tryna' strike a chord and it's probably A-minor."

As Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance played in the background, the crowd at Reale’s Restaurant & Bar in Northeast Philly confronted a new potential reality: Are the Eagles no longer the underdog?

The Eagles have a 24-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs, who are playing for their third consecutive Lombardi Trophy.

“I’m flabbergasted that we are blowing them out,” said Barnel Anderson, 53, who predicted that the Birds would come up from behind after halftime to take the win.

It was so nice of the Eagles and Chiefs to schedule their football game around Kendrick Lamar’s televised concert!

On the heels of his five Grammy wins last week, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper delivered his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show performance in New Orleans.

Lamar’s performance featured a surprise emcee cameo from Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams with a quick dance feature.

As Cooper DeJean completed a birthday pick six, the Berlin Birds fans roared at FC Magnet Bar about 15 minutes outside the historic city center in Mitte.

It’s close to 2 a.m. in Berlin, a city known for its quiet Sundays, but here the coffee maker is on and the Pilsner tap is flowing.

This group of small but vocal Birds fans has taken off tomorrow so they can be fully present tonight.

As the Eagle continue to dominate at the end of the Super Bowl's second quarter, the City of Philadelphia announced updated road closures, parking restrictions, and other details.

According to city officials, several areas of Center City and South Philly are impacted by Super Bowl-related festivities.

No Parking

It is all Eagles all the time at halftime of the Super Bowl inside the Caesars Superdome.

Kendrick Lamar's show was about to start as loud "Eagles" chants provided an opening soundtrack.

There's a lot for Eagles fans to be happy about here. Their team is dominating the Chiefs, 24-0, at halftime, the second-largest lead in Super Bowl history.

As the Eagles opened up a 17-0 lead on the Kansas City chiefs, the raucous cheering from Anthony and Sue DiFilippo’s Eagles house party could be heard down the street.

“Feeling great!,” said Anthony DiFilippo, firing up “Fly, Eagles Fly” for the 20 people gathered at his Delran home. “Now, maybe they’ll respect the Eagles!”

DiFilippo had been so nervous he couldn’t sleep the night before or eat. But his friends insisted he take a shot every time the Eagles scored a touchdown. Two touchdowns in, he was a lot looser, he said.

It is all Eagles inside the Caesars Superdome as more DMX music blares from the speakers.

The Eagles got to Patrick Mahomes twice on consecutive plays as Josh Sweat and Jalyx Hunt got home for a pair of sacks that forced the Chiefs into a third-and-16.

Mahomes on the third down play rolled to his right and threw a pass that was intercepted by rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who cut to the right side of the field and returned the interception 38 yards for a touchdown.

There might be some "bad blood" but she's quick to "shake it off."

Taylor Swift's appearance on Caesars Superdome's Jumbotron appeared to spark a wave of boos from members of the crowd.

It's a switch up from this time last year, when footage of her chugging a beer garnered lots of crowd support. Still, it's not exactly unexpected or even surprising.

Bradley Cooper welcomed the Eagles onto the field at the Superdome holding Declan LeBaron, the nine-year-old he surprised with Super Bowl tickets earlier this week. 

LeBaron has been in and out of hospitals while battling systemic juvenile arthritis. Despite 17 different hospitalizations, LeBaron said had one dream: to attend an Eagles football game.

That dream recently came true thanks to social media personality Zachery Dereniowski, also known as MDMotivator, who sent LeBaron to the NFC Championship game. 

Ahead of the big game, it’s standing room only inside Reale’s Restaurant & Bark on the corner of Frankford and Cottman Avenues in Northeast Philly.

An Eagles victory would mean “everything” to this strip of Northeast Philly, said Neil MacGregor, 55, who has lived in the neighborhood since the age of 7.

Reale’s is less than a 10-minute drive from where a plane crashed down near Roosevelt Mall last week, killing 7 people and injuring at least 24 more. Residents were recently welcomed back to the crash area to survey the damage, which could take weeks to fix.

Normally Brian Stelter spends his days discussing the media on CNN. But on Sunday he was decked out in kelly greet to root for the Birds alongside his wife, NY1 anchor Jamie Stelter.

Jamie, a Philly native and former Fox 29 traffic reporter, said the couple were attending their first Super Bowl and were surprised how easily Eagles fans outnumbered Chiefs fans.

“I feel like Philly has taken over this city,” Jamie said. “There is more green by a mile.”

NEW ORLEANS – Spencer Reid said he doesn’t think Andy Reid treats him any differently than others on the Chiefs’ staff. But he’s not sure his father spends close to the amount of time with him vs. certain players.

“I joke with some of the guys like he probably spends more time with Patrick [Mahomes] and some of the quarterbacks that he does his own son, just from the business side of it,” Reid said last week. “And he’s pretty business-like.”

Reid has been an assistant strength and conditioning coach for Kansas City the last two years. But he had to prove his bona fides, he said, before his father considered hiring him. Reid worked at BYU, Colorado State, Boston College, and Utah before joining the Chiefs staff in 2023. (He did intern for the Chiefs from 2019-20.)

The Eagles should win Super Bowl LIX. They hold every advantage except at quarterback, coach, and kicker.

What if they lose?

Will Jeffrey Lurie offer Nick Sirianni a contract extension? Sirianni has one year left at $7 million. Will Lurie reward his winning ways without having won the Big One? At his media availability Monday, Lurie refused to discuss Sirianni’s future.

NEW ORLEANS — Just a few minutes ago here at the Superdome, the stadium’s video boards showed a brief video, narrated by Rich Eisen, that detailed the attempts by previous teams to do what the Chiefs could do today: win their third consecutive Super Bowl.

There were the 1968 Green Bay Packers, who won just six games after Vince Lombardi’s resignation as head coach. There were the 1974 Miami Dolphins, who lost to the Oakland Raiders in the divisional round in the “Sea of Hands” game. There were the 1990 San Francisco 49ers, who lost Joe Montana in the NFC championship game when the New York Giants’ Leonard Marshall crushed him with a blindside hit. There were the 2005 New England Patriots, who were ravaged by injuries.

Being a production of the NFL, the video framed each of those teams’ failures to repeat in the same manner: They were all victims of misfortune, of extenuating circumstances. If Lombardi hadn’t stepped away … If Dave Casper hadn’t made that remarkable catch … If someone had blocked Marshall … If the Patriots’ defense had been intact …

Jalen Carter said last Saturday at the NovaCare Complex that he was just ready to play football despite preparing to head south for his first Super Bowl week.

“I ain’t looking forward to media and all that,” Carter said. “That’s going to be a lot of talking. I’m just ready for the game.”

Carter got his wish, though maybe not in the way he wanted. The Eagles’ star defensive tackle, having a breakout second season, was not present at Eagles media availability on Wednesday and Thursday due to an illness, according to the team.

Unlike on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, no poles were greased on South Broad Street or anywhere in Center City Sunday, and with less than three hours to go before kick off to the Super Bowl, there was no sign Philadelphia officials planned to grease them.

The decision breaks with a practice dating back to the Phillies 2009 World Series run, when police first greased the poles with Crisco to discourage people from climbing them. Philly sports fans climb utility poles and sign poles after a big win as part of a long-standing but very dangerous tradition. During the Eagles 2018 Super Bowl run, the city switched to using hydraulic fluid as a lubricant, but some fans were still able to scale the fixtures.

Prior to every divisional title game and potential championship win, city officials greased the poles, including during the Eagles 2023 Super Bowl run. But the city, under Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration, did not grease the poles in advance of the Eagles NFC Championship win on Jan. 26.

Philadelphia Eagles fans in New Orleans will get a taste of Broad Street should they choose to revel on Bourbon Street Sunday.

Some French Quarter properties have greased their iconic poles and balcony support beams as the city braces for the Philly fandom, according to fan and news reports.

Any pole greasing was done by property owners and is not an official city action, said the New Orleans Police Department Sunday.

Unless you happen to be color blind, it was easy to see the number of Eagles fans arriving at the Caesars Superdome easily outnumbered the Chiefs fans in attendance, at least early.

Brian Duffield and his family traveled large to the Super Bowl, thanks to his grandfather, who sent 31 family members to the game — six daughters, their husbands, and 17 grandchildren.  

Duffield and his family are from outside of Reading, Pa., and no one is more excited to be at the game than 9-year-old Charles DiCio. His favorite player is A.J. Brown, but he sported a Jason Kelce jersey.

Kenny Pickett was in his dorm room at the University of Pittsburgh, a college freshman and still an Eagles fanatic on that February night in 2018 when the Birds finally won it all.

The team’s current backup quarterback grew up in Ocean Township, N.J., watched the Eagles every week with his dad, and often sat in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field. He celebrated the win in his dorm and saw videos of Pitt students celebrating the win on Forbes Avenue, making Pittsburgh look like Philly.

“I got there late,” Pickett said. “I didn’t really know that was happening. I saw all the videos so then we walked down to see it and they were clearing everyone out. We missed the cool part of it.”

NEW ORLEANS – Andy Reid has been one of the best coaches ever with an extra week of preparation. The Chiefs coach is 34-7 coming off a bye in the regular season and postseason and will have a chance to improve that record in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.

But Nick Sirianni is right there with Reid in winning percentage — .833 to Reid’s .829 — if not number of games. The Eagles coach is 5-1 with an extra week with his lone loss coming two years ago vs. the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Sirianni got revenge the following regular season, however, when both teams were coming off byes and the Eagles won, 21-17, in Kansas City.

The theory that NFL officials go out of their way to favor the Chiefs has steadily spread as Kansas City approaches its third consecutive Super Bowl. The team has dominated ever since Patrick Mahomes took the reins as starting quarterback, but a few controversial officiating decisions have come along the way.

It seems as if the Chiefs get the benefit of the doubt in big moments, but the overall numbers tell a slightly different story. Since the start of the 2022 playoffs, Kansas City has a minus-120 penalty differential in the regular season and playoffs, earning 10 fewer first downs than its opponents, according to the Associated Press.

“I understand it, because the numbers kind of show it and the iffy calls have gone the Chiefs’ way,” Fox Sports rules analyst and former VP of officiating Mike Pereira said. “... While I understand it, it’s a myth. ... I’m sad that it’s a story. I think it puts more pressure on the officials on Sunday. They’re not going to officiate the game any differently, but they know they’re going into the game as part of the story. That doesn’t usually happen.”

Moments after rookie Will Shipley scored on a two-yard touchdown to put the Eagles up 55-23 in the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders on Jan. 26, a graphic popped on the screen. The caption read the Eagles’ 55 points were the “most all-time in NFC/AFC Championship game.”

The game, which aired on Fox, had several statistical nuggets like the one above shown throughout the game to enhance the television broadcast. You may have seen similar statistical information on other Fox broadcasts during the season and wondered how quickly such obscure facts travel to the booth and appear on screen.

For Sportradar’s Zach Robinow, who joined the Fox “A” crew football booth in 2018, and Fox Sports associate producer Matt Gale, it’s a team effort to identify, communicate, and help create opportunities to aid Fox broadcasters Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, both of whom will be on the call for Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX matchup between the Eagles and Chiefs, in effectively telling the story of a game.

According to multiple reports, San Francisco 49ers are looking to trade veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel — and it seems like Samuel is on the same page.

NFL Network reported Sunday morning that the Niners are exploring trade options for Samuel, who was seen wearing and Eagles jersey on Radio Row this week in New Orleans. Samuel expressed frustration in his drop in targets this season, which came after some trade rumors last offseason, one in which the team drafted Ricky Pearsall and extended Brandon Aiyuk.

According to ESPN, Samuel has also been granted permission to try to facilitate a trade after he requested a trade during his exit meeting at the end of the season.

The Super Bowl is a time for both die-hard and casual fans to come together, enjoy a high-stakes football game, and everything else that comes with it. Fans are tuning in from all over to watch the big game — whether it’s for the halftime show, the game itself, the commercials, or the unusual gambling opportunities.

With the nonstop action the night brings, there are plenty of wacky novelty bets to wager on and you don’t need to be a football expert to make them. If you spent too much money preparing for your Super Bowl party — or buying tickets to attend the game in New Orleans — then now is your time to win some back, and have fun in the process. As a reminder, some of these bets vary state to state and are made available in some legalized gambling states. Some of these props may also be unavailable to bet on in Pennsylvania. Either way, here are some of the wackiest bets to wager on for Super Bowl LIX …

National anthem

During ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown, the network aired a segment about Eagles fans Ryan Quigley and best friend Tiger Bech. Both were in New Orleans walking down Bourbon Street on New Year’s Eve when they were victims of what authorities said was "an act of terrorism." Bech, a Louisiana native, was killed and Quigley suffered serious injuries that included a broken leg, a torn ACL, and severe lacerations.

Now, Quigley, a Lansdale native, is back in New Orleans for the Super Bowl to cheer on the Eagles — and, as he told Alex Coffey, “not let the evil act win.” After ESPN aired their segment about the best friends, former Eagles center Jason Kelce, who met Quigley before one of the Eagles' playoff games, was left in tears, and needed a moment to compose himself.

Host Mike Greenberg took over for a minute and pointed out that Quigley, the Bech family and other victims of that Jan. 1 terrorist attack will be honored on Sunday.

It may be the Year of the Snake, but for Eagles fans, it's very much still the Year of the Saquon — at least for one more day.

Saquon Barkley, a Pa. native and Penn State product, defected from the rival New York Giants in the offseason and signed a three-year deal with the Eagles. Then he went out and had one of the best seasons an NFL running back has ever had. He finished the regular season with 2,005 yards, 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's 40-year-old single-season rushing record. On Thursday, he was named AP offensive player of the year, and finished third in MVP voting.

Barkley did it with home runs, broken tackles (and ankles), and a backward hurdle that we'll be talking about for years to come. Then the playoffs came along — and he's been even better. And he only needs 30 yards in the Super Bowl to break Terrell Davis' record of 2,476 yards in a season (including the playoffs).

U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D., N.J.) talked about weighty geopolitical stuff on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning, but he also said that the Philadelphia Eagles can pull off a victory in Super Bowl LIX, denying the Chiefs a three-peat.

“I'm just happy to be alive at the time of Saquon Barkley — that I can share the planet with such an incredible man,” Kim told MTP host Kristen Welker, a Philadelphia native and fellow Eagles fan. “I just want to see him happy. I think he deserves that. The Eagles deserve it. … I can't wait to watch it with my kids.”

Welker smiled, thanked the first-year senator and segued to tech bro Elon Musk, an unelected and unappointed private citizen — though he is the world's richest man — “testing the limits of the law.”

Late in his rookie season, Brandon Graham tore the ACL in his right knee, which cost him most of 2011 and slowed his career. He was long considered a first-round bust, playing in the shadows of safety Earl Thomas and Jason Pierre-Paul, who were selected just after Graham. He almost left via free agency in 2015, but re-signed.

After the 2017 season, he strip-sacked Tom Brady and cemented the Eagles’ first Super Bowl title.

Early in the 2021 season, Graham ruptured the Achilles tendon in his left leg at the age of 33. Would be even bother to come back? Indeed he would. In 2022, he recorded a career-high 11 sacks, and led the Eagles to another Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LIX will be a rematch of the first Super Bowl meeting between the Eagles and Kansas City in 2023, when the Birds lost 38-35, which started the Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat. This time around, the Eagles are heading into Sunday’s big game as 1.5-point underdogs. Will the Eagles win their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history? Or will the Chiefs become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls?

This sounds like a job for the experts. They for sure know who should come out victorious on Sunday — maybe.

Inquirer beat writers

During the NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders, beloved Eagles announcer Merrill Reese made a point to visit the Fox broadcast booth ahead of the game, where Kevin Burkhardt — who grew up an Birds fan in North Jersey — introduced the longtime announcer to Brady.

Brady has a special place in the minds of Eagles fans, though their anger over the loss to the New England Patriots in the 2005 Super Bowl was tempered somewhat by the Birds’ Super Bowl win 13 years later. Still, after the game there were plenty of Center City buildings defaced with anti-Brady graffiti, and he didn’t win over fans by declining to shake Nick Foles’ hand after the game.

Reese is a lifelong Eagles fan, but he’s also a broadcasting professional, and thinks most of the criticism thrown at Brady during his first year in the booth is unwarranted. It reminds him of the misplaced criticism Mike Quick faced when he replaced Stan Walters, who had called Eagles games for 14 seasons from 1984 to 1997.

In what it is calling a “Taylor Takedown” weekend, Trenton-based 94.5 PST is banning Taylor Swift’s music until Monday morning.

Swift, a Berks County native, “turned her back on us,” and the ban is a payback, said station brand manager Joe Hyer.

”In 2023 Taylor came to Lincoln Financial Field and called Philly home — even saying her lyrics in ‘Gold Rush’ were about an ‘Eagles shirt,’ and not the band,” Hyer said.

Tonight, as many as 120 million people are expected tune into Fox to watch the Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

For the second straight Super Bowl, Fox is introducing a new analyst in the booth, though most of America is probably familiar with future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

Brady replaced Greg Olsen in Fox’s top NFL booth this year along play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt (who grew up rooting for the Eagles) and sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi. While Brady and crew were no-shows to Fox’s media event this week in New Orleans, the seven-time Super Bowl champ told reporters during a conference call he feels their booth is really hitting their stride heading into Sunday’s game.