​10 Reasons Everyone Should Root For The Eagles In The Super Bowl

"Patch is a network of more than 1,200 hyperlocal news sites across the country. Boston-area and Philadelphia-area Patches are sharing content in the lead-up to Super Bowl LII. Want to get in on the conversation? Sign up and fire away."

PHILADELPHIA, PA — You may not need much more reason to root for the Eagles in this year’s Super Bowl beyond the fact that their opponents are the New England Patriots. The Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, dominant since 2002, Deflategate, five-ring Patriots. The Patriots that you're sick of seeing on the biggest stage in sports every February.

However, there are plenty of fanbases that are probably unsure about hopping on the Eagles bandwagon. Giants fans, Cowboys fans, Redskins fans, and Steelers fans in particular come to mind. Each fanbase likely has some serious reservations about bleeding green for the next two weeks, whether it's an intrastate, interdivision, and historical rivalry. One Dallas newspaper went as far as to call it a “nightmare” Super Bowl.

A massive asteroid is expected to make a close pass by Earth on Feb. 4, according to NASA, even prompting some fans to “root for the asteroid” in the Patriots v. Eagles matchup.

This is unwarranted nihilism, football fans of the world. There is plenty to like about this Eagles team, and plenty of reasons for fans outside of the Philly and Boston metro areas to throw their support behind the Birds. Let’s take a look.

1. Underdogs that can't lose
In every playoff game, and seemingly ever since Carson Wentz was injured, the Eagles have been seen as the underdog. Despite going 13-3 and earning home field advantage through the NFC Championship, the Birds were underdogs when they hosted the Atlanta Falcons last week, and they were underdogs again when they drubbed the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Lo and behold, they opened at 5.5 point underdogs against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The team and the fanbase have embraced the doubt: dog masks are a common sight at Lincoln Financial Field and at Eagles-supporting establishments around the region. Players get in on the fun, too.

2. Worst to first
The Eagles finished 7-9 in the 2016 season, placing them last in the NFC East. When the 2017 season began, most predictions had them finishing at around 8-8 and missing the playoffs again. But like the 1993 Phillies, the Eagles have gone from worst to first, dominating their division and most of the NFL during their unexpected run to the Super Bowl.

3. Philadelphia sports drought
No Philadelphia team from the four major sports has been to their league’s championship since the Phillies lost to the Yankees in 2009. No Philadelphia team has won since the Phillies beat the Rays in 2008. Altogether, Philadelphia teams have only won nine championships in While the Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers all appear to be on the rise along with the Eagles, it’s been a dark few years on Broad and Pattison. The dues have been paid to the gods of athletics and it’s time for another championship in Philadelphia.

4. Eagles even greater drought
Since the NFL began it's modern configuration, the Eagles are one of 13 teams to never win the Super Bowl. They have now won the NFC Championship three times: in 1980 under Dick Vermeil, in 2004 under Andy Reid, and this year under Doug Pederson. While they won the NFL Championship three times before the merge with the AFL (1948, 1949, 1960), they have not been decorated with their league’s highest honor ever since. It’s been so long, in fact, that when the Eagles won the championship of a different league 58 years ago, they did it at their home environs of Franklin Field.

5. Revenge for 2005
Not only have the Patriots won five Super Bowl rings in the Brady-Belichik era, they’ve already won once against the Eagles, 13 years ago. Imagine if Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid were still in charge of the Eagles, still leading the franchise to Super Bowls. There’s something unnatural about that imagery.

6. Chris Long and his salary
You remember Chris Long. The defensive end won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots last year, and the Eagles signed him in the offseason. Early in the year he announced that he was donating his entire 2017 salary to charity. You may hear players pay lip service in postgame interviews to deities, charity, good deeds, and being their brother’s keeper. But Long walks the walk. The man deserves another ring, this time for the good guys.

7. Carson Wentz
It’s hard to find a more likeable, down to earth star in the NFL than Carson Wentz. Aside from probably being the best quarterback in all of football in 2017 until his injury, Wentz has impressed off the field. He was high school valedictorian, he goes hunting with Mike Trout, has launched his own charity, the A01 Foundation, and he even donated $120,000 to a charity for dogs, Canine Partners.

8. Off field activities: Deflategate
While Chris Long and Carson Wentz were saving the world and giving an embattled and increasingly controversial sport a good name, Brady and Belichik were off stabbing footballs and scheming shortcuts to their next championship. The infamous “Deflategate” is just one of many stains on the legacy of this Patriots squad, whose moral acumen is vastly inferior to that of their opponent.

9. Eagles fans are in good company
If you’re rooting for the Eagles, then you’re rooting alongside luminaries like the greatest baseball player on the planet (and South Jersey native) Mike Trout, performers like Pink, Questlove, and Meek Mill, CNN’s Jake Tapper, and a horde of Philadelphia sports legends, ranging from Eric Lindros to Ryan Howard. We’ll take that crowd over Matt Damon anyday. Celebrities aside, Philadelphia fans are notorious for their grit and passion. It’s not a crowd you want by your side.

10. A backup quarterback is leading the Eagles charge
Forget the fact that the Eagles have been doubted, second-guessed, and bet against for weeks. The brunt of that doubt has fallen on the shoulders of quarterback Nick Foles, who, despite some bumps in the road, has stepped in for All Pro Carson Wentz in a decisive manner. On Sunday, he triumphed in the battle of the backups against Case Keenum (a matchup with a bizarre and fateful backstory). This is not the story of a dynastic emerging, like Brady replacing Drew Bledsoe in 2002. Rather it’s a Rudy-esque story of improbability, with guts and determination bringing Foles to the brink of a Super Bowl ring. Wentz is the future of the Eagles, Foles is a free agent next year, and he’s been excoriated in national and local media alike for his flaws. Nonetheless, he persisted. And the Eagles are here.

"Patch is a network of more than 1,200 hyperlocal news sites across the country. Boston-area and Philadelphia-area Patches are sharing content in the lead-up to Super Bowl LII. Want to get in on the conversation? Sign up and fire away."

AP Photo/Michael Perez