PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some poles were still climbed. Some Philadelphia Eagles fans still spilled onto the street.
But with some exceptions, they entered Broad Street and other parts of the city under a collective cloud of stunned sadness after their Birds fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in a 38-35 heartbreaker of a last-second loss in Super Bowl LVII.
As they sat on the ground, two men in Northeast Philadelphia reacted by holding each other with overflowing tears to match the puddles from the rain that fell earlier in the city.
Others took their time before meandering near City Hall onto Broad Street, which had been cleared by police for what the city hoped would become a party to mark the Eagles’ fifth NFL title and second triumph in a Super Bowl.
In all parts of the city, fans walked under their own cloud of somber sadness to their cars, to SEPTA subways, trains and buses, to their homes, as they processed a loss that ended one of the greatest regular seasons in Eagles history.
Many shared pride in their team after the loss. A few decided to remain celebratory, simply because they could. Some even set off some stray fireworks in Chinatown and South Philly.
But for many fans, it was immediate devastation, the third loss in a championship round by a Philadelphia pro sports team in less than four months, as the Phillies and Union had their seasons end in championship losses on the same November day in 2022
As one fan put it, “Philly will survive, but…”
And that “but” said everything.
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The calm before the storm
by Justin Udo
As the sun rose in Philadelphia Sunday morning, Philadelphia police had already prepared Center City for an Eagles win celebration, with barricades around the light poles and grease plentifully applied on them to dissuade climbers planning to ascend them.
Police had called for all hands on deck, with each officer assigned to a 12-hour shift Sunday.
Fans across the area spent their morning grabbing their midnight or Kelly green Eagles gear, cooking their favorite dishes for home parties, and otherwise preparing for kickoff of the fourth Super Bowl in Eagles history. So did pub workers tapping kegs, some with Eagles green beer, while restaurant and grocery store employees labored around the clock to prepare fans’ favorite foods.
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“We’ve been here around the clock and we probably have close to 100 employees here today,” said Collegeville Italian Bakery Pizzeria Napoletana co-owner Steve Carcarey, who said he was going on three hours of sleep. They served hundreds of 25-piece boxes, 50-piece trays and 100-piece trays of their bite-size mini donuts.
Another big seller was a specialty pizza with a special Eagles flair.
“The Brandon Graham Detroit 55,” Carcarey said. “We do a partnership with Brandon. $2 per pizza goes towards the Eagles Autism Foundation.”
He said their restaurant would create about 15,000 fire-grilled chicken wings for Birds fans Sunday.
Center City ramps up
by Kate Braunstein
The super festivities in Center City started far before kickoff. Fans like Jeff Spada started scouting out spots to watch the game more than eight hours before kickoff.
“We were probably out and about at 10 a.m., and then waited until 11 a.m., just walking around, seeing what was open and what options we had.”
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The three floors of Ladder 15, a pub on 15th and Sansom streets in Center City, were more than a little packed three hours before kickoff. They and other bars got a bit of experience preparing for the Super Bowl with previous playoff games where they worked out the kinks of their operations.
“They’re pretty organized,” said Tyler Marietta, who joined the party at Ladder 15. “You have to navigate through the crowd, but it’s a little bit more organized today.”
Bar patrons wrapped around the block in the final hours at about 5 p.m., as fans waited for up to three hours, part of that in driving rain. Some fans in Center City jumped the gun a bit, climbing poles two hours before kickoff.
Eagles’ fans feel all the Super emotions
by Shara Dae Howard and John McDevitt
A sea of green could be found in nearly every tavern across Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and northern Delaware - particularly at McGillin's Olde Ale House in Center City.
When quarterback Jalen Hurts snuck in a one-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive, and then threw a 45-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver A.J. Brown, Eagles fans did what Eagles fans do: Celebrate.
Fans came from as far as Miami to join family and friends in packing Philadelphia taverns, in hopes of spilling onto the street for a victory celebration. On the streets of Philadelphia during the game, there was still traffic, but nowhere near the norm.
In one case, a church chose to have the congregation gather during the game and pray for the Birds. CHANGE Church in Old Kensington held a youth game-watching event.
“We have some Chiefs fans in here, but it’s OK … we love everybody, but go Birds!” said kids program leader Kirby Gaddis.
As the game headed to the fourth quarter, police blocked Market and Chestnut streets west of the Schuylkill River, making sure no drivers got into Center City to celebrate an Eagles win that seemed impending with Philadelphia owning the fourth quarter lead.
But the city’s hope turned into anxiety as Kansas City took their own lead.
That anxiety turned to despair as Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nailed the game-winning field goal with eight seconds left.
McGillin's Olde Ale House, which had been a cacophony of green-colored hope and joy for most of Sunday, suddenly turned into a hall of silent gloom. As the field goal went through the uprights, it was the first time there was absolutely no sound at all. People sat inside the bar, stupefied.
While some were still celebratory on Broad Street, traffic started flowing again an hour after the loss on streets police had closed during the game, and fans returned home, saddened but reflecting — as one fan said — “a lot of pride.”
The Eagles will fly again.