In anticipation of Super Bowl 57 in February, the city of Philadelphia was buzzing with excitement, the stage where their beloved Eagles took on the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona. 

This was Philadelphia’s fourth Super Bowl appearance of all time. Additionally, this game was historic because it was the first time that two Black starting quarterbacks competed against each other in a Super Bowl. 

The surrounding Philadelphia area was eacstatic after their NFC Championship win against the San Francisco 49ers. Many school districts in and around Philadelphia called for a two-hour delay the day after the Super Bowl, including the nearby Saucon Valley School District. 

Many individuals around Southern Lehigh could be seen sporting their Eagles gear the Friday leading up to the Super Bowl. Houses in the district had green lights outside, buildings in Allentown were lit up green, and people even set up blow-up Eagles mascots in their front yards in support of their team’s efforts

“It is really neat seeing the Lehigh Valley come together for this,” senior Elias Dunham said. “It makes it feel like everyone in our area wants the same outcome.”

Unfortunately, for the many Eagles supporters in our community and across the entire country, the Chiefs defeated the Eagles with a final score of 38-35. Going into the game, the Eagles were slightly favored by bettors.

Going into the second half, the Eagles had a commanding 10-point lead over the Chiefs. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles still held a solid lead over the Chiefs, 27-21. However, it was at this point that things began to go downhill for Philadelphia. The Eagles’ defense had a spectacular season, especially regarding sacks, having set a franchise record at 70 sacks.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs began with the ball. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney caught a five-yard touchdown pass to put the Chiefs on top, 28-27. Following this, Kansas City’s defense forced the Eagles to punt. The Chiefs’ Skye Moore then tacked on another touchdown, putting them at an eight point advantage, 35-27. 

Philadelphia Quarterback Jalen Hurts then breathed life back into the Eagles offense, scoring a rushing touchdown, and with a successful two-point conversion, the score was even at 35. 

Despite Hurts’ heroic effort, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes marched down the field, putting kicker Harrison Butker in position to score the game-winning field goal. The 27-yard field goal effectively ended Philadelphia’s hopes of becoming Super Bowl champions, the final score being 38-35 for the Chiefs. This was the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl, after earlier victories in 2020 and 1970. 

The Philadelphia Eagles historic season invigorated the city and its surrounding area, garnering the support of fans nationwide. While it’s unfortunate they lost, the team has proved that they can compete at the highest level and will continue to work and make the people in our school and the Philadelphia community proud.