Eagles players formed a circle around Gillie da Kid, who did his signature dance to “Blow the Whistle.” The George Halas Trophy was passed from player to player, position group to position group, photos taken at each stop. There were NFC champion hats and t-shirt for everyone. Amid the craziness, Jalen Hurts lit up a cigar in the far corner of the locker room.
It was quite a scene after the Eagles’ 55-23 clubbing of the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. And head coach Nick Sirianni allowed himself to take in the moment.
“I just thought about the next game to be quite honest with you,” Sirianni said. “This is a great feeling. We've had this feeling before. It just makes you hungrier.”
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The Eagles didn’t come this far to come this far.
While the feeling inside the Eagles’ victorious locker room on Sunday evening was new for plenty of players — plenty of key players too — there are many Eagles who were here in 2022. They already knew the joy that comes with a trip to the Super Bowl.
But they also know the pain that comes with losing one.
If the Eagles want to exorcise those demons, they’ll need to do it fittingly against the same team that beat them two years ago. Super Bowl LIX is a rematch against the Kanas City Chiefs. It wasn’t easy to get back to this point.
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After the Super Bowl loss in 2022, the Eagles took a step back last season. They had an epic collapse, nearly fired their head coach and returned with a revamped roster and two new coordinators.
They even got off to a 2-2 start this year before a Week 5 bye seemingly saved the season. Ever since, they’ve been a contender.
“This game is about overcoming adversity,” Sirianni said. “There are going to be good plays in the game and there are going to be bad plays in the game. There will be good moments in a season and bad moments in a season.
“It's about overcoming and embracing the adversity because really what we've talked about as a team is like adversity-- we've all had to have adversity to be in this moment where we are right now, so adversity is what makes you who you are.
“It's been the story of the 2023 to the 2024 Eagles. As bad of a feeling we had about how last year ended, I think it makes you who you are. These guys are hungry, and we’ve got one more to go.”
Left tackle Jordan Mailata on Sunday evening talked about the chips on their collective shoulders. One from losing Super Bowl LVII and one from the collapse of 2023.
Mailata has vowed to curse less but he had to let one slide on Sunday.
“So you carry those two chips on your shoulder and you make sure that s—doesn’t happen again,” Mailata said.
Like those 2022 Eagles, the 2024 version is coming off a dominant performance in the NFC Championship Game and might very well be a more talented team than the Chiefs. But winning this game in two weeks means toppling a dynasty and preventing the first three-peat in Super Bowl history.
After an incredible season, the Eagles are aware of how high the stakes are. Even the guys who weren’t around in 2022 understand that.
“Don’t matter if you don’t win it, right?” Saquon Barkley said. “That’s just the reality of it. All the things that we’ve done and we’ve done a lot of special (stuff) but the most special thing you can do is win a Super Bowl. That’s our goal. Obviously, I wasn’t here two years ago but I bought into this culture, I bought into this organization and I know how those guys felt. I’m going to make sure I do everything in my ability so that the same thing won’t happen again.”
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