By Amy Tennery
PHOENIX (Reuters) – The Eagles will bring Philly’s fighting spirit to Super Bowl 57 as their fans fly in droves to watch Jalen Hurts and the NFC champions take on Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
While the Eagles walked into the Super Bowl’s Opening Night media event on Monday to the theme from “Rocky,” they are no underdogs – even up against the newly crowned Most Valuable Player Mahomes.
Their fearsome defense put up 70 sacks in the regular season, two short of matching the record, with linebacker Haason Reddick getting 16 of his own.
Defensive end Brandon Graham and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, holdovers from the Eagles’ successful Super Bowl campaign five years ago, add to the veteran credentials of a group the New York Post has dubbed the “Birds of Prey”.
Containing the NFL’s passing leader Mahomes is crucial but Graham told reporters this week they will also put a premium on stopping the run, embracing their “no crush, no rush” motto.
“You’ve got to take care of business and that’s early – early on you’ve got to send a message,” said Graham. “Let them know what the game’s going to be. You’ve got to be the dictators.”
The 24-year-old Hurts, meanwhile, will rely on his rock-steady offensive line and his favorite receiver A.J. Brown, who came to Philadelphia ahead of the 2022 season.
“When the rubber hit the road, it just went smooth,” said Hurts, who transformed his game this season after a lackluster 2021.
“You know him coming to Philly, us having an opportunity to play together. I think it all happened naturally. It was organic. And, you know, hit the ground rolling, we hit the ground rolling. And hopefully we can do that for years to come.”
‘DIEHARD FANS’
The title game will be the ultimate test for 41-year-old head coach Nick Sirianni, at the helm for a Super Bowl for the first time.
Ahead of his showdown against veteran Andy Reid, who hoisted the Lombardi Trophy with the Chiefs three years ago, he told reporters at team practice on Thursday he was focused on the details.
“That’s our big tempo practice right there,” he said. “Get in, work, let it be sharp and crisp on both sides of the ball.”
While Kansas City can expect a solid crowd at State Farm Stadium when they make their third Super Bowl appearance in four years, the Eagles will have the benefit of their famously rowdy and enthusiastic fans on Sunday.
Pennsylvania was driving the traffic on ticket exchange website StubHub this week, amounting for roughly 20% of the sales.
It is little wonder fans are excited.
Hurts’ breakout season saw him rack up 3,701 passing yards after getting the Eagles off to an impressive 8-0 start to the season.
“Philly fans are really diehard fans,” said Reddick, who grew up outside of the City of Brotherly love and played for Temple. “I love them for that. I love them for their attitude and their mentality.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Phoenix, additional reporting by Nathan Frandino; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
