By JACKSON MURPHY
Staff Writer
I’ve been a Philadelphia Eagles fan for most of my life. I’ve attended at least a half dozen games, and when I was young, I met both Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. Last Sunday, Oct. 8, I returned to Lincoln Financial Field to watch them take on the Arizona Cardinals. This was the first time I’d ever been to an Eagles game where it rained. Thankfully, it only drizzled on and off – with a gray overcast throughout the day. Before the game, I met some of the cheerleaders and reunited with mascot Swoop.
At kickoff, the stadium was packed. I sat in the 4th row behind one of the goalposts, and this would turn out to be the best seat in the house because all of the touchdowns in the game, from both teams, would happen right in front of me.
What a first quarter! 3 Touchdowns! Fans were loving it. Things got dicey in the second quarter. The Cardinals scored a touchdown, and Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz made a couple of sloppy decisions that could’ve made things worse. Luckily, that touchdown for Arizona would be it for them. The Eagles came back with 10 points in the third quarter, and another field goal in the fourth quarter, with a 34-7 Final Score. The entire football game felt like a ping pong match, as possession between the two teams kept going back and forth.
I also kept an eye on the scores of the other games in progress. The digital screens on the sides of the stadium feature the rotating scores. Coincidentally, one of my Communications professors, Dr. Karen McGrath, was at the Giants/Chargers game that also began at 1 p.m. We texted a bit throughout the three hours.
The weather at MetLife Stadium was pretty much the same: “a sprinkling of rain here or there”, McGrath wrote in an email. “Overall atmosphere was enthusiastic with deep commitment to the G-men and the hopes of a win.” Prior to this game, the Giants were 0-4 for the season.
McGrath was also the first to let me know that one of the Giants’ star players, Odell Beckham, Jr. got injured and was carted off the field: “For me it was an “Oh, no! There goes the season with three other receivers out right now!’ Most fans began to exit and one even began to a chant about having the “First Draft Pick” next year.”
The Giants experienced their fifth loss in a row – 27-22 to the Chargers. The Eagles are currently 5-1, following their Thursday night win over the Carolina Panthers. I look forward to seeing if the Eagles can get all the way to the Super Bowl this February – and finally win. They’re on the road to victory, and making history.
