Philly sports fans were ecstatic as their football team went into the 2023 Super Bowl with an extremely successful season behind them. The confidence, excitement, and spirit were unlike any other year; “go birds” could be heard all over the city and suburbs. Yet emotions were still high after the gut wrenching loss, only they were devastation rather than anticipation.
The Eagles won 14 of their 17 regular season games, leading fans to believe that this final game was a sure win. Many news publications like The Bleacher Report, Pro Football Network, and SBNation even wrote articles of the top five reasons why the Eagles would win. The city prepared to celebrate and conduct a parade the following week.
So what went wrong? With just over five minutes left, Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs through a game changing play, which was a disaster for Philly. Mahomes made a 26 yard run and completed three passes to get to the 15-yard line with two minutes left on the clock. To secure the points, a defensive holding call was made, allowing Kansas City to run the clock until they kicked an easy field goal for the win.
A 10-point lead turned into a brutal loss for the Philadelphia team. According to NBC sports, Jonathan Gannon, Eagles’ defensive coordinator, didn’t make the correct adjustments as the Chiefs attacked the defense in the second half of the game. Fans are quick to blame the loss on the penalty call, as this decision allowed the Chiefs to run the clock and ultimately kick the winning field goal. Of course it is easier to blame the refs than your favored team, yet it was a disappointing way to lose.
No matter the outcome, Philly fans still love their team. The successful lineup for the 2022-2023 season will hopefully remain, and maybe more championships are in the Philadelphia team’s future.
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