MINNEAPOLIS — Philadelphia is a grand old city with a grand old football tradition defined not by trophies hoisted but the cocktail of emotions — nihilistic despair tinged with unfounded confidence — produced by its beloved Eagles coming so close, so many times.
The last 57 years had passed without a championship. It was never Ron Jaworski’s turn or Randall Cunningham’s or Donovan McNabb’s. It was always something — always.
The paradigm shifted Sunday, when a backup quarterback who nearly retired two years ago and who had not taken a snap with the first-team offense until two months ago gave Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title at the expense of the N.F.L.’s enduring dynasty.
For the rest of his life, Nick Foles will be hailed as the savior who matched a resplendent Tom Brady and authored a victory against the New England Patriots for Philadelphia’s first football championship since 1960.
The final score — 41-33 — will lodge deep into the memory banks of a frenzied pro-Eagles crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium and the millions of delirious fans across the Delaware Valley, who will belt it out at work or family gatherings or watering holes as calculable proof that, yes, the Eagles did, in fact, win the Super Bowl.