MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Fifty-eight years; 20,859 days; more than two generations. That's how much time had passed since the Philadelphia Eagles last won a championship.
For a fan base whose loyalty has not wavered amid endless heartbreak, the drought is mercifully over. And the party is on.
Underdogs for the third time in as many playoff games, the Eagles took the respect that has not been willfully offered them, slaying Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, 41-33, at US Bank Stadium. Or was it Lincoln Financial Field? The Eagles fans were in full throat every time Tom Brady took the field, and absolutely erupted when defensive end Brandon Graham came up with a strip sack, recovered by rookie Derek Barnett, to help ice the game.