Transfer over, Dallas Cowboys.
There’s a brand new and unlikely America’s Workforce within the NFL — at the very least for the Tremendous Bowl.
The Philadelphia Eagles have grow to be the favored selection amongst many soccer followers who need to see the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs lose for numerous causes.
Regardless of a fan base recognized for its obnoxious, unruly conduct and a coach who will get underneath the pores and skin of many opponents, the Eagles are the final hope for the anti-Chiefs crowd.
A younger man sporting a midnight inexperienced No. 26 Saquon Barkley jersey was greeted with “Go Birds!” chants as he walked by means of a theme park in Orlando two days after the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 within the NFC championship recreation.
The group of pals saluting him included a Giants fan, a Dolphins fan and two Patriots followers. They’re all rooting for Philadelphia towards Kansas Metropolis regardless that none of them may sing “Fly! Eagles! Fly!”
“I hate the Eagles however they’re the lesser of two evils,” the long-suffering New Yorker stated. “Plus, they’ve Saquon Barkley. We couldn’t even win with him so I’m joyful he’s doing effectively in Philly. It’s nonetheless painful to look at generally however I can’t stand the Chiefs.”
Some followers are merely bored with watching Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs hoist one other Lombardi Trophy. Kansas Metropolis is searching for its fourth Tremendous Bowl victory in its fifth look in six years whereas aiming to grow to be the primary workforce to three-peat within the Tremendous Bowl period.
There’s a notion that officers give the Chiefs the advantage of many calls in order that angers followers and a few vocal media members. A pair of roughing the passer penalties on Mahomes in Kansas Metropolis’s divisional spherical recreation towards the Texans solely fueled that notion. Then a questionable spot on Josh Allen’s failed fourth down sneak within the win over Buffalo within the AFC title recreation sparked much more criticism.
SiriusXM radio present host Adam Schein known as the officiating within the Payments-Chiefs recreation a “shame.” ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky stated the ball placement on Allen’s play was an “terrible name and once more a worse assessment.”
Patriots followers don’t need Mahomes and coach Andy Reid to get nearer to the document six championships Tom Brady and Invoice Belichick received collectively in New England.
Brady followers resent that Mahomes, a three-time Tremendous Bowl MVP, is in comparison with No. 12 when he’s nonetheless 4 rings away from tying him.
“Cease with the GOAT comparability already. Brady received seven. Mahomes wants another to get previous midway,” stated a Tampa physician who grew up in Boston.
Different followers, particularly those that haven’t loved a victory parade in a very long time or ever, are merely jealous of Kansas Metropolis’s success. A lot of these followers in all probability felt the identical animosity towards the Patriots once they had been profitable.
All these commercials that includes Reid and Mahomes can annoy some fickle of us, making them flip towards the Chiefs. In fact, it’s troublesome to look at any NFL recreation with out seeing former Eagles middle Jason Kelce pop up in a single commercial after one other.
There’s additionally the Travis Kelce issue. The four-time All-Professional tight finish occurs to be courting the world’s largest pop star. Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has typically dominated headlines and brought the highlight off soccer.
That bothers a number of the die-hards who complain about seeing tv cameras pan over to Swift’s response in a collection. Whereas Kelce has endeared himself to Swifties, each well-known couple has its share of haters.
That’s all added as much as make the Eagles the fan favourite heading into the Tremendous Bowl rematch in New Orleans on Feb. 9. Mahomes rallied the Chiefs to a 38-35 victory over Jalen Hurts and the Eagles two years in the past in Arizona.
As for the Cowboys, who got the “America’s Workforce” moniker within the late Seventies, they haven’t been to a Tremendous Bowl in 29 years.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2025 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.