In the almost ten years that I've been writing online, that headline is one that I honestly never thought that I would write. Hell, the that time before this season, I'd seen all of three Eagles playoff games, and they had all ended in losses. One of them even ended in the first playoff win for the Cowboys since Super Bowl XXX, for crying out loud.
None of that matters anymore.
At roughly 20 minutes after 10 last night, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33, to win Super Bowl LII and become champions of the NFL for the first time since the 1960 season. It had been 57 seasons since the Eagles found themselves on the mountaintop of the NFL. In that time, the Super Bowl had started, the NFL merged with the AFL, the new NFL expanded multiple times, literally every other team in the NFC East won at least one Super Bowl, and the Eagles were turned away twice from the ultimate goal.
All of that changed last night. In their third Super Bowl, the Eagles, behind a coach that hardly anyone wanted, and a backup quarterback that even fewer people thought could win a single game, outcoached the best coach in NFL history and beat the greatest quarterback in NFL history while he had the game of his life. Had you told anyone that the Eagles were going to let Tom Brady pass for over 500 yards, three touchdowns and the Patriots wouldn't have punted the ball once, they would have called this game for New England, and no one would have batted an eye. Instead, Doug Pederson went toe to toe with Bill Belichick,and won. Nick Foles followed up the game of his life in the NFC Championship with a second helping of the man who passed for 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 2013 by passing for 373 yards, three touchdowns and a touchdown reception. By the way, Nick Foles also became the first backup quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP honors since...Tom Brady.
I could analyze this game, and point out the moments that Doug got the job done, or look at Nick Foles some more and try and make sense of how he managed to put back to back Hall of Fame level games together, but that's been done to death at this point. Almost everyone else has done that. Rather than doing that again, I want to enjoy this game, and this moment. I want to drink it in, like a fine wine, or savor it, like a great meal. There's no need for a Monday Morning Quarterback after a Super Bowl win. I don't care that some decisions didn't work, or that Doug called a few questionable plays during the game, or that Jake Elliot made me nervous every single time he stepped onto the field to kick a field goal or extra point. No one should really care about that. Instead, let's celebrate. Let's look at this win. This Super Bowl championship that no one thought would be coming to Philadelphia, and let's enjoy it. Let's look at who this win is for.
This win is for Doug Pederson. Hardly anyone, myself included, thought that he was the right hire after the Chip Kelly era came to a much needed end. There were seven new head coaches hired before the 2016 NFL season. Most experts ranked Pederson the worst of those seven. Five of them are now either retired or looking for new jobs. The sixth is coaching the Cleveland Browns. The last one just won the Super Bowl. Doug proved everyone wrong. He's not just an Andy Reid clone. His play calling, willingness to adapt and listen to his assistants and his game planning set him apart from Andy. His players love him, and you saw it from the first game this season in Washington, all the way through the final play last night. Doug didn't call a perfect game in Super Bowl LII, but he came damn close. The "Philly Special" call to Nick Foles right before the half was the greatest call in Eagles history, and he knew well enough not to let up at all, even with a ten point lead at the half. In the end, the coach that no one wanted won a Super Bowl before the best coach in Eagles history.
This win is for Nick Foles. One of the best parts of Chip Kelly in Philadelphia was seeing him throw 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions in 2013. He was under center when the Eagles last won the NFC East, and he was there again this year, but no one wanted to see him there this time. When Carson Wentz went down, no one gave us a chance, because they didn't think Nick Foles could get it done. Instead of proving the doubters right, Foles came out against the Falcons in the NFC Divisional Playoffs and managed the game to near perfection. He followed that up with the game of his life against the Vikings in the NFC Championship. Then came Super Bowl LII, where Nick threw three touchdowns, caught a touchdown and out-dueled Tom Brady. That's not bad for a guy that was traded, with a second round pick, for Sam Bradford back in 2015.
This win is for Brandon Graham. For years, all he heard was that the Eagles could have drafted Earl Thomas instead of him. For years, it seemed like he let it get to him. He didn't develop into the pass rusher that we all hoped he would become. Then, the switch got flipped. He started getting to the quarterback more and more. Even if he wasn't getting sacks, he was getting pressures on almost every play. You just knew that he could get it done. While Earl Thomas was stagnating in Seattle, Brandon Graham was blooming with the Eagles. Last night, with just over two minutes to play in the game, Brandon Graham made every Eagles fan ever forget they wanted Earl Thomas. Tom Brady had the ball, the Eagles had a five point lead, and the "Nightmare Scenario" was in play. People could see it happening. Brady was going to lead the Patriots down the field and score the go-ahead touchdown with just 30 seconds or so to go to win. Instead, Brandon Graham happened. His strip sack of Brady allowed the Eagles to add another three points to their lead, and his pressure on the final play of the game was a great ending to the season. Brandon, I'm sorry that I ever doubted you.
This win is for Nelson Agholor. While Brandon Graham got time to prove himself, Nelson was dubbed a "bust" after his first season, and he didn't do much to shake the label in his second year. He looked for sure like he was going to be cut before this season started, but then the reports started coming in that he looked great in training camp. "He might be the slot receiver that we all wanted," that's what they said. No one believed it. How could you? You had seen back to back years of drops, bad routes and just simple mental errors. Then, the regular season started. By the time that ended, Nelson had racked up more catches, yards and touchdowns than his first two seasons combined. He emerged as a true slot threat, and his speed made him a backfield option in the playoffs. In the Super Bowl, Agholor caught nine passes for 84 yards and was the second leading receiver on the team. Not bad for a guy that everyone wanted to run out of town in July. Nelson, I'm sorry I doubted you.
This win is for guys like Corey Clement and Vinny Curry. They grew up in South Jersey, and while Vinny was drafted by Philadelphia and was an Eagles fan from the start, Corey had to watch seven rounds of the NFL Draft this year without his name being called before the Eagles signed him. Both were great this year, with Corey scoring seven touchdowns and emerging as an effective third down back. In the Super Bowl, Clement was even better. The undrafted rookie running back from South Jersey caught four passes for a team leading 100 yards and a touchdown that still needs to be seen again to be believed. Not everyone from South Jersey gets a chance to make a name for themselves, let alone for the favorite football team of the area. Corey Clement got things done last night, and Vinny Curry now has a ring that he earned playing for his favorite team.
This win is for Darren Sproles, Jordan Hicks, Jason Peters, Chris Maragos and of course, Carson Wentz. People said that the Eagles couldn't win when you got hurt. When the injuries began to add up, the odds against the team grew even more, despite the team fighting back more. Then Carson got hurt. People thought that the season was over. No one gave Nick Foles a chance to get things done. Then he did. I wanted every last one of you there last night, and you'll all get a chance to be on the field, in uniform, as the clock runs down on another Super Bowl win. We couldn't have gotten to that game without you. Thank you.
This win is for Brian Dawkins, Reggie White, Randall Cunningham, Eric Allen, Donovan McNabb, Troy Vincent, Harold Carmichael, Wilbert Montgomery, Brian Westbrook, Chad Lewis, Jerome Brown, Andre Waters, Mike Quick, Bill Bergey and every other great Eagles player that should have experienced this. I don't have much to add here. You all should have felt the joy that those players felt last night. While some of you did feel that success elsewhere, seeing you win in Philadelphia would have made it that much more special for us. That's what this win means to us. It's for all of you.
Lastly, this win is for the Eagles fans. Of course it is. We've seen the highs and the lows. We watched the team make it to Super Bowl XV, only to lose to the first wild card team to win the Super Bowl. It took 24 years and three straight NFC Championship losses for us to get back, and then we lost to the Patriots as they claimed the title of dynasty. When we made it back this year, something felt different. Yes, Carson was hurt, and no one knew what Nick Foles was going to do, but Tom Brady was older, Belichick looked crankier, and there were cracks in the great New England foundation. Not many outside of Philadelphia thought that it could happen, but then it did. It took 57 years, but it finally happened. Super Bowl LII wasn't just for those that were watching though. It was for those that had rooted for this team for their entire lives, but never saw what we got to see last night. Last night was for the great-grandparents, grandfathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters that aren't here anymore. It was for the people that taught us about the game of football and to love the Eagles. As an Eagles fan, you get taught early on that the Eagles are family, and you will treat them as such. When they win, we win. When they lose, we lose. Last night, We Won.
For every Eagles fan that knows the weight of celebrating last night for someone that isn't here anymore, thank you. I know that those tears you cried weren't just for yourself. You carried the weight of those fans with you. You wanted to see the Eagles win, not just for yourselves, but for them. You wanted to see that smile from your loved ones one more time, the one that you remembered from every Eagles victory. Every time that you talked about your favorite memory from McNabb, or Westbrook, or Dawkins, or Cunningham, or Montgomery, or Jaws, or Carmichael. You wanted to see that look in their eyes one more time when they told you about Chuck winning the 1960 championship, or even Steve Van Buren winning the 1948 or 1949 title. Last night was for every one of you.
The Eagles are Super Bowl Champions. Nothing else needs to be said, except this:
Fly Eagles Fly.
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