Eagles fans busted out tailgate trees, Santa suits, and Christmas wishes for a much-needed home win. It worked.
It was the third-ever NFL game for the franchise to fall on Christmas. All three were wins.
All they wanted for Christmas was ... a win.
Eagles fans flocked to Lincoln Financial Field on Christmas Day in hopes of watching the Birds snap their cold streak and deliver a much-needed victory over the New York Giants for the holidays. And despite soaring anxieties, the Christmas cheer was on full display in South Philadelphia.
It was the third-ever NFL game for the franchise to fall on Christmas, and the first two were both wins. When the team headed to the locker room with a 20-3 lead at halftime, the jitters seemed to dissipate a bit and the crowd was able to revel in the holiday spirit, hoping to continue that lucky streak.
The stands at the Linc were packed with fans in Santa suits, Santa hats, and curly white beards. The crowd sang “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” during a timeout. Even the tailgate had more mirth than usual. Members of the Shooting Stars Mummers band hauled a Christmas tree into the Linc parking lot and festooned it with team gear, with a fitted Eagles cap serving as the angel atop the pine.
By all accounts it was a jolly scene — and a far cry from the infamous, snowball-tainted image that unfortunately comes to mind at the mere mention of the words Eagles fans and Santa.
There were a few amusing sights on Monday that had nothing to do with the holiday at all: Some fans rocked T-shirts emblazoned with a likeness of “Big Dom” DiSandro, the Eagles’ beloved security chief who was barred from the sideline for the remainder of the season after an incident with a San Francisco 49s player. In another corner, three adult fans were seen wearing pink bunny suits. Looking ahead to Easter? Jury is out on that one.
Make no mistake: Anxieties were sky-high leading up to the 4:30 p.m. kickoff. The Birds’ three-game losing streak had raised serious doubts about a franchise that was one of the hottest in the league until December came. A former NFL executive recently told Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes that he thought the team had devolved into a “clown show,” with controversial coaching decisions, questions about commitment, and star players complaining about fans on social media.
Would a different “Saint Nick” deliver for the Birds on Christmas Day? No guarantees with this team.
In the meantime, Birds fans relied on hyperbole and humor to pull through. On Christmas Eve, one fan posted a picture of a bottle of Tito’s vodka and two enormous Charge Lemonades from Panera — the super-caffeinated drink that is now the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit — with the caption “win tomorrow or else @eagles.”
By the end of the third quarter, despair came roaring back after the Giants landed a pick six and a two-point conversation that narrowed the Eagles’ lead to 20-18. You could see the disbelief on fans’ faces, even behind the fake Santa beards. The Eagles responded with a strong offensive drive and a touchdown that restored some breathing room for the Birds in the fourth quarter. The tension extended into the final seconds of the game, when the Giants still had an opportunity to tie with a touchdown and another conversion. But the Birds’ defense held up, intercepting the final throw of the game in the Giants’ end zone and clinching the victory, 33-25.
The crowd roared. The Santas beamed. It would be a green Christmas in South Philly, after all.
Some wishes do come true.