Eagles return to Philadelphia after Super Bowl LIX win over Kansas City Chiefs
The Eagles returned home to Philadelphia on Monday afternoon after beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Philadelphia's defense was relentless and sacked Patrick Mahomes six times. They forced him to throw two interceptions, including one that was returned by rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean , and strip-sacked him in the third quarter.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts won Super Bowl LIX MVP, joining Nick Foles as the only player in franchise history to win the award. Hurts completed 17 of his 22 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He had a quarterback rating of 119.7 and rushed for 72 yards, which broke his previous Super Bowl record in 2023, on 11 carries and a touchdown.
Eagles return to Philadelphia after Super Bowl LIX win over Chiefs
Not long after the Eagles' plane landed at Philadelphia International Airport, owner Jeffrey Lurie and executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman each hoisted the Lombardi Trophy to the crowd of Birds fans impatiently waiting.
The Super Bowl win is the second in franchise history after the Eagles won their first Lombardi Trophy in 2018 in Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots.
A man from Delaware County who brought his whole family to PHL to see the Eagles arrive was at the airport since around 12:30 p.m. The team didn't land at PHL until around 4:30 p.m.
"It's awesome, it's great, just passing it down to the next generation," said Jake, who was outside PHL with his kids. "Been a fan forever, so watching the new guys coming up and sharing that with them and making memories, it's been great. It's been awesome."
About 30 minutes after landing, the Eagles hopped on buses to travel to the NovaCare Complex, the team's training facility in South Philly.
Plenty of fans were waiting outside NovaCare for the Birds for hours. They were singing "Fly, Eagles Fly" and blowing whistles to the tune of "Blow the Whistle" by Too Short, the song that Gillie Da King made popular during the Eagles' 2024 season , as the team arrived back home days before a parade down Broad Street .
Natalie, who is from South Jersey, said she was one of the first fans outside NovaCare at about 1:15 p.m. She said she made friends with another Eagles fan who was there before her.
"If you bleed green, you're family," she said.
As Eagles left the the complex, they were surrounded by fans.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown and defensive end Brandon Graham were each high-fiving and fist-bumping fans on their way out in their cars.
Eagles fans return from New Orleans: "We took the stadium over"
Tom Dixon is returning home a happy man. The Ardmore resident drove all the way to Houston to catch a direct flight to New Orleans for the Eagles' big game, but he says the atmosphere felt just like Lincoln Financial Field.
"It was just like a home game. It was a home game off of Bourbon Street," Dixon said. "That was phenomenal. It was the greatest."
Dixon said the Superdome was overwhelmingly green.
"There were a lot of red shirts there, but not as much as the green shirts," he said. "The green shirts were loud."
Other Eagles fans returning from the game said the smackdown of the Chiefs didn't just happen on the field.
"The chants — we were mocking their 'GOOO' for like 30 seconds straight," said Frank Graff, who is from Fairmount. "The Chiefs fans were shaking their heads — they couldn't believe it. We took the stadium over."
For brothers Matt and Mike Reimel, getting to the game was a last-minute thrill. They received an unexpected call Saturday night offering them tickets.
"We were reached out to by a friend who had two extra tickets and she's like, 'It's last-minute, but if you can get down here, come,'" Matt Reimel said.
The trip was well worth it, according to Mike Reimel.
"This team is built to last, and we're going to continue to win," he said. "They thought the Chiefs had a dynasty coming — just wait for the next two years when we go back to back to back."
For Alexa Ginevro of Haddon Heights, the victory was especially sweet.
"I went two years ago, and walking out of that game as a loser was terrible," she said. "So walking out of this game as a winner was unbelievable."
As for what's next, fans say they'll get some rest before the real celebration begins.
"We're ready for the parade," Dixon said. "Let's do it. We got to go get some sleep."
