“Revenge is sweet.”
The Philadelphia Eagles, back after their defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, dominated the Chiefs in every sense of the word. Putting up 40 points against what was a rock-solid Chiefs defense is no easy feat, but it sure seemed that way watching the game. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts accounted for three total touchdowns and went for 221 passing yards and 72 rushing yards. However, the Eagles defense stole the show with the defensive line pressuring QB Patrick Mahomes 16 times and sacking him six times.
“Football is a game of offense and defense, and the Chiefs excelled at neither,” freshman Sam Treat said.
Limiting Mahomes’ time to throw made a huge difference in preventing a late-game resurgence that many Eagles fans were still nervous about, regardless of the score.
“The game was so stressful, even while up 24 at the half and into the third quarter,” sophomore Hunter Paulson said. “The Patriots-Falcons Super Bowl lingered in my mind all night. All season Mahomes managed to win impossible games, so I tried to just watch the game one play at a time and calm my nerves.”
Mahomes’ unbelievable collection of close wins this season definitely made this Super Bowl likely to be another nail-biter. Pre-game polls had 86% of Villanovans surveyed wanting the Eagles to win with only 53% thinking they would win. While a handful of students favored “the meteor” (not liking either team), the mood on campus was undoubtedly “Go Birds.”
“I was cheering for the meteor,” sophomore Charlie Insley said. “But by the end I was a Birds fan for the night because I love watching the Chiefs get clowned on.”
While making history with the first three-peat would have been a major accomplishment for an NFL team, many fans were ready for a new team to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Outside of the game itself, the Super Bowl provides a great place for family and friends to connect.
“That was the best Super Bowl watch party I’ve ever been at,” senior Brent Jenkins said.
Jenkins noted the sense of community seeing everyone come together to watch the game.
“The fellowship, abundance of food and drink and incredible joy we shared together is a feeling you only get in Philly sports, and it was especially incredible sharing that gritty underdog spirit the Birds had last night with friends who came to Villanova from out of state,” Paulson said.
While not the nail-biter many expected, Super Bowl LIX will undoubtedly be remembered by, “Fly Eagles Fly.”
