“We all we got, We all we need”- a grammatical nightmare, but the rallying motto of the 2017-2018 Philadelphia Eagles championship run. All I got and all I needed was a ticket to the Super Bowl in Minnesota. With an up and down season happening for the Eagles, I never knew for sure if this could become a reality.

The motto is true, as few gave them a shot since the beginning. From week one of the season, the Eagles opened as a 55:1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Many fans and even Eagles die hards did not give them a shot for a Super Bowl run. One night during the Eagles’ nine game winning streak, I thought this team might be more special than I originally believed.

As a fan who also loves to travel, I jokingly threw out the idea of going to the Super Bowl with my father very early in the season. Once Carson Wentz went down, my hopes went down the drain. However when Nick Foles led the team to win in the Divisional and Conference rounds, the idea of going to Minnesota became more serious.

As my plane landed in Minnesota, the feeling of going to the Super Bowl felt surreal. Temperatures reached zero degrees as I left the airport to head to my hotel. Waking up on Super Bowl Sunday in Minnesota was a feeling that I have never felt before. Starting our day off at the Mall of America, we saw many Eagles and Patriots fans lined up around different shops and events while showing off their team pride. Many fans started chants right there at the mall, seven hours before gametime. The easiest way for us to get to the game was by taking the subway from the mall to US Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. Once going through security and the massive crowd, the subway dropped us off right at the stadium.

Going into the stadium, I can remember the feeling was like no other. The crowd was about 75% Eagles fans and 20% Patriots fans. The other 5% were fans that had no side and decided to wear their own team color. Sitting in section 215, row 5, the seats were close enough to be a part of the action. I felt like I could see the entire field, seeing how each play developed. As the Eagles took the field for warm ups, I could already tell that it was an Eagles crowd. The seats were already filled two hours before the game, fans waiting patiently for the teams to take the field. As game time approached, all the patience had ended and the opening kick off was imminent. The Eagles took the field first, coming out to “Dreams and Nightmare” by Meek Mill, which sent the whole stadium to loud cheers. However, when the Patriots took the field, there were easily more boos than cheers, as even non Eagles fans saw the Patriots as the enemy. The Patriots deferred the kick off and Nick Foles took the field, ending the two weeks of seemingly endless anticipation.

The kickoff started the game, the flashes of cameras and phones set the scene early. The wait was over, finally. As each team traded field goals their opening drives, each teams’ fans felt that they were in for a good game. Each mistake was magnified 100x. Every play, the intensity pulled the fans off their seats.

As the game continued, the sound of the stadium only got louder and louder. The game was filled with high powered offenses, making a lot of plays cheer worthy. The Eagles led for the entire first half, so for us Eagles fans, much of the game was easy to cheer for. For Patriots fans, even though the score was not in their favor, there was still a sense of calm from them, and for reasons I understood. It was only a year ago when Tom Brady led his team from a 28-3 halftime deficit, so being up 22-12 at halftime was not enough cushion to feel comfortable.

As the halftime show approached, being at the stadium, it was interesting to see how they set up the whole stage, something you do not get to see at home. Justin Timberlake’s halftime show was alright in my opinion, but being in the stands, you do not get as good of a view as you do from your television. But being so into the game, the halftime show was a second thought at the moment. All I really wanted was for the players to come back out and start hitting again.

As the teams came out for the second half, the chants from the fans only got louder. Big play after big play, there was never a time in which someone was not yelling at the top of their lungs. As the game got to closing minutes, no one knew who was going to win. But when Brandon Graham came up with the big strip sack, the whole stadium erupted. The first thought that went through my brain was whether or not it was a fumble or not, since I did not have the pleasure of instant replay at my seat. But when it was confirmed a fumble, the loudest chants erupted.

Time ticked down to the final play, the hail mary. As Tom Brady launched the last pass, I could not tell if someone caught it or not. But all I remember seeing were countless Eagles players running onto the field with such joy. Eagles fans went crazy, Patriots fans actually ran from their seats, and all the mixed emotions played out in the same stadium. The greatest game ever witnessed by Eagles fans…and I was there, something I will never forget.