Eagles fans worldwide watched as the time wound down, celebrating with family and friends on Sunday, February 9. The Philadelphia Eagles made fans’ dreams come true. The Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX, stopping the Chiefs from winning what would have been a historic “three-peat”—three Super Bowls in a row.
“It’s incredible. Seeing your favorite football team win the Super Bowl is all you want, especially against the Chiefs, stopping their potential ‘three-peat’ from happening. And we didn’t just win, we won commandingly,” senior Ryan Killeen said.
The Eagles’ defensive line managed to get past the Chiefs’ offensive line throughout the game, sacking Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever seen Mahomes play scared,” English teacher Mr. Kevin Haney said. “He looked terrified on every snap, and that’s a credit to our defense, credit to [Eagles defensive coordinator Vic] Fangio. They just relentlessly kept coming at him over and over again.”
Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean celebrated twice on Sunday. Not only did he win a Super Bowl in his rookie season, but also celebrated his birthday on the same day. DeJean converted a pick-six, increasing the scoring gap to 17.
“Cooper Dejean’s pick-six, especially when it was on his birthday, was one of the things that I felt totally changed the game and confirmed that we were going to be Super Bowl champs,” special education teacher Mrs. Susan Stout said. “That was the best part of the game.”
The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show featured Kendrick Lamar, a Grammy and Emmy-winning rapper.
Lamar’s performance featured other public figures, such as artist SZA, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and former tennis player Serena Williams. It provoked reflection on race, power, and American identity. Lamar uses his music for storytelling and activism.
“I thought it was good. It wasn’t as flashy as The Weeknd’s, but I loved all the songs he did. I thought bringing out Samuel L. Jackson was super clever. [It was] one of my favorites in recent years,” Killeen said.
Other students were less impressed.
“It felt more like a music video than a halftime show. It wasn’t enough, it felt too small,” sophomore Cooper Sinarski said.
After the halftime show, the Chiefs stepped up their game, scoring all their points in the third and fourth quarters.
“In the first half, when they [Eagles] were up 24-0, I think they could have come back, but after the third quarter, when we were up by a lot, I felt the crowd and the fans were very happy and I was very happy, too, because I didn’t expect us to win by 18,” sophomore Ethan Lin said.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named Super Bowl LIX Most Valuable Player, passing for 221 yards and rushing for 72 yards.
“I think Hurts is deserving of the MVP award. However, Cooper DeJean’s performance cannot be understated. One might say he over-performed any expectations set forth for him in a Super Bowl,” senior Tanush Talekar said.
According to reporting by NPR, the Eagles held their Super Bowl parade on Friday, February 14, recording over one million fans in attendance.
“It was a really incredible experience, seeing everyone come together to celebrate, especially when you realize how far away people came from,” senior Emily Reilly, who attended the parade, said. “It’s also amazing when you think about how rare it is for your team to win twice in such a short amount of time, so to be able to experience that both times was so cool.”
