The Time of Their Life: All Hail the Eagles (and Eli & Odell)

For the first time in the Super Bowl era the Eagles are on top of the football world and even if you did not root for them you have to admit they are deserving champions.

Their 41-33 victory over the favored Patriots was one for the ages and there are a lot of Eagle fans in the shore area who will likely be calling out sick today.  Some will need another day off this week to attend a victory parade down Broad Street which will likely be a wild celebration and is 58 years in the making since the Eagles last won the NFL Championship.

This game had everything, including two missed extra points, but was void of any real defense until late in the game and just moments after the Eagles regained the lead following a tremendous drive engineered by Nick Foles.

It was then that Brandon Graham knocked the ball loose from Tom Brady which the Eagles recovered to pretty much seal the deal although fans of the green and white did not breathe easy until a “Hail Mary” on the final play fell to the turf.

What was truly great about this game was it was played at race car speed from the opening kick and it never slowed down.  While many were likely more interested in the commercials, Justin Timberlake and Pink they were all secondary to the action on the field which was simply tremendous.

Brady’s 505 yards passing in the loss was the most in NFL playoff history but he takes a back seat to Foles who capped a Cinderella-like playoff run by throwing three touchdown passes, catching another and winning the MVP award.  It’s the kind of story the NFL needed in a season filled with controversy and fan backlash.

Last note and in regards to the commercials which this year focused on humor and heroes more than anything else.  There were some very good ones…I loved the “Tide” series, the one for Australia tourism that appeared to be a movie trailer, Budweiser producing water instead of beer and others.

But clearly the commercial that stole the show was one for the NFL and featured the Giants Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. in a reenactment of the closing scene from “Dirty Dancing.”  It was not only the funniest commercial but the highlight of the Giants season.

For those like me who stayed up for “This Is Us”…well that was just the capper on what was truly a super day.

Congratulations Eagle fans. Enjoy the moment!