Philadelphia sports fans are used to being underdogs. In fact, they thrive on it. The feeling of being counted out by outside experts only adds fuel to the fire of the Philadelphia faithful, reinforcing the perpetual narrative of a city fundamentally misunderstood by those who aren’t a part of it. So, when betting markets and TV analysts sided with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2025 Super Bowl, this did little to temper Philly’s relentless passion and vigor for their team.

But the victory over the Chiefs arguably surpassed even the most ardent fans’ pregame expectations. After a thrilling back-and-forth matchup two years ago ended in heartbreak, the Philadelphia Eagles came back in an absolutely commanding fashion. In a game that seemed out of hand for the Chiefs by the time Kendrick Lamar took the stage, the Eagles dominated by every metric. It was, quite simply, a masterpiece of epic proportions.

Metaphors about the connection between sports and their host cities tend to be overdrawn; still, it is hard to ignore the parallels between this year’s iteration of the Eagles and the citizens of Philadelphia. In a city that prides itself on resilience and grit, the journey this team took –– besieged by national pundits after heartbreakers and collapses the last few years –– resonates in a deeply personal way for the fans. 

This Eagles team was truly an embodiment of their fanbase. Emotional. Passionate. And above all, resilient. Their season was marked by setbacks, comebacks, humiliations and triumphs. It was gloriously imperfect. For a city whose folk hero, Rocky Balboa, is beloved because of the punches he took just as much as the ones he dealt, that is enough.