The Philadelphia Eagles made history on Sunday, February 4th by beating the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl LII Championship. This was the first time the Eagles had ever won a Super Bowl, and Philly fans predictably partied extensively and maybe a little too much after the win. Here’s a look at some of the game’s highlights and celebrations that followed throughout the city. Philly Philly!
The Philly Special
The second touchdown scored by the Philadelphia Eagles during the game has been one of the most talked about plays among fans and professionals. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who took over as starting quarterback in place of an injured Carson Wentz back in December, caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton in a play that has since been dubbed The Philly Special. In a game where fans of both teams nervously held their breath until the last few seconds, a play such as this one was cause for mid-game celebration from Philly fans.
Trophy Ceremony
A historic moment 52 years in the making from a team whose season marked them as underdogs, the Vince Lombardi trophy was finally awarded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Nick Foles was awarded MVP and tight end Zach Ertz was interviewed about catching the game winning touchdown. Underdogs no more, indeed.
Kevin Hart Has Almost Too Much Fun
Numerous celebrities were cheering in the stands during the game including actor Bradley Cooper and comedian Tiffany Haddish, but no one had as much fun as Kevin Hart. The Philadelphia native could be seen during the game celebrating in his box and joined players and fans on the field after the win. He even crashed a post-game interview with Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox at around the 2:10 mark to celebrate the team before accidently swearing live on camera and leaving the interview. Hart also attempted to join the team onstage for the trophy presentation in the second video above and can be seen being denied by security guards.
Broad Street Time Lapse
Back in Philadelphia, fans were eager to celebrate the Eagles’ Super Bowl win and took to the streets to do so. While these victory parties took place all throughout the city after the game, large crowds gathered on Broad Street facing city hall. This time lapse video captures views of the empty streets towards the end of the game and the crowds that grew shortly after.
This video shows a closer look of the crowds that spilled into the city to celebrate after the game. Given the clips shown in the video of fans tipping over cars and collapsing hotel awnings, some might think the word riot would be better suited than celebration. However, this is Philadelphia, a city where some residents view the distinction between the two as more of a grey area, especially when their football team just won the Super Bowl for the first time in the team’s history. Keep doing you, Philly.
The party in the streets that followed Sunday’s championship game was small compared to the fans that headed towards Philadelphia for Thursday’s parade. The Eagles rode atop city buses from their home stadium Lincoln Financial Field all the way over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where spectators gathered in large numbers to hear their favorite players speak and catch a glimpse of the Super Bowl trophy. This shot shows a vast amount of fans lining up on the parade route streets all the way towards the art museum.
Lombardi Trophy Makes its Way Through Philly for the First Time
Eagles fans filled in spots along the parade route during the early hours of Thursday morning to not miss a glimpse of the players or the trophy as both made their way through the city. Green and white confetti streamed out of the parade bus, the Eagles fight song was sung by both players and fans, and the silver Vince Lombardi trophy was held up high for the whole crowd to see. At the end of the route most players including Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles had the chance to speak to the city of Philadelphia about their status as world champions.
Dressed in full costume as a Mummer, a folk parade tradition held in the city every New Year’s Day, Eagles center Jason Kelce delivered a speech that will go down as one of the greatest in Philadelphia sports history. Standing on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after the parade bus made its way through the city, Kelce spoke for about three minutes on the Eagles’ status as underdogs and all of the criticism coaches and players had received throughout their season and journey to the Super Bowl. But the last few minutes of his speech, where he talked about getting pissed off from not eating breakfast and chanting with teammates about not caring about those who don’t like them, were the best parts. Kelce’s speech was hilarious, a little bit confusing, and relatable all at the same time. In other words, it was Philly.