Eagles fans make the Linc a haunting place for the New York Giants

Monsters in Midnight Green.

That is how the New York Post portrayed Eagles fans last week. The tabloid’s back cover Friday called Lincoln Financial Field a “house of horrors” for the Giants, with a picture of CryptKeeper, the jokester skeleton from Tales From the Crypt, dressed skull-to-toe in Eagles gear. One headline said to “expect a fight” from Eagles fans who won’t make it easy for the visitors.

But on Saturday, Philly fans who arrived at the Linc ahead of the game were focused on celebrating the home team, not trash-talking their New York rival. And as the game got underway, the roar of an eager fan base echoed after each player’s name was announced. And in the early going, civility reigned.

“We’re no worse than anybody else,” said Brian Market, 40, of Northeast Philadelphia, as he mingled with fellow fans in a parking lot in the shadows of the Wells Fargo Center. “I’m inviting Giants fans to our tailgate, though there might be a little ribbing.”

Market and his family have held season tickets since he was 6 years old, a tradition started by his father.

Temple student Domenic Mandell, 21, was also among the pregame revelers.

“We have fun,” he said of the Linc crowds.

Mandell, of Broomall, said the Philly fans’ rowdy reputation merely comes from being passionate. “It’s not like that in New York,” he said.

Six hours before the 8:15 p.m. kickoff, many of the lots surrounding the stadium were already filled with tailgaters grilling, chanting, dancing, and pacing for a long night. The early celebrations were made possible by a loophole that allowed pregame celebrations to begin hours ahead of the official tailgating start time of 4 p.m. for those who purchased tickets to the Wings lacrosse game just to grab a parking spot.

To keep warm and burn off energy, Valerie Payes found an open stretch of parking lot to throw a football with her 10-year-old son, Mark. Payes said he plays outside linebacker and his favorite player is Brian Dawkins. “His last game was a Christmas present,” she said. “We saw the Saints.”

When the tailgate finally reached kickoff, it was time for 67,000 fans to put in the work.

“Let’s go. Let’s do this,” said Michelle Frost, 50, as she entered the stadium’s West Gate. “Go, Birds!”

Green and white fireworks burst in the night sky above the stadium, bringing a big round of cheers, and soon, the game was underway. It took only five minutes of game time until tight end Dallas Goedert caught a 16-yard touchdown to open the scoring and send the crowd into a frenzy as more fireworks exploded above.

Three more touchdowns followed in the next hour, thrilling the hometown crowd.

When the Eagles’ lead swelled to 21-0 late in the first half, hugs and high-fives erupted at XFinity Live! ”I was happy. Now I’m very happy,” said Wes Casey, 23, of Downingtown, who waited an hour in line to get into the restaurant complex. It was worth it, he said.

The Eagles began the playoffs rested after a monster 14-3 regular-season record that secured the Birds a first-round bye and home-field advantage until Super Bowl LVII, should they reach it. Much of that advantage comes from the rabid energy Eagles fans unleash on visiting teams and their brave followers who make the trip.

Die-hard Eagles fans also have a decade’s worth of memories to back up their boasts. Despite playing here yearly as a division rival, a Giants team has not won in Philly since 2013. The Eagles also won the last two times they faced the Giants in the playoffs.

“And they’re not going to win tonight,” said Tom Young, 66, while setting up warmers for a pregame feast of sausage and meatballs, long hots, Italian roast pork, and smoked prime rib. French toast crème brûlée was also on the menu.

While most tailgaters showed little concern that the Giants would pull off an upset, Market, the longtime ticket-holder, confessed to a bit of worry. “Their X factor is they have a good coach,” he said, of Brian Daboll, the Giants’ new head coach. “I think it’s going to be a dogfight,” Market said.

Despite the Eagles’ long record of beating the Giants at home, not everyone had wanted to face them again. The thinking goes that it can be harder to beat a team three times in one season — especially a hated rival that knows your weaknesses.

None of that mattered to 10-year old Mark Payes, who said he was sure the Eagles would win.

“Blowout,” he said.