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Beginning of the bets? An Eagles-Bears Twitter war starts, involving a T. rex

For the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and a dinosaur from Chicago, there’s reputation on the line.

Adam Naugle of Mantua, N.J., cheers the Eagles' first touchdown against the Washington Redskins at Xfinity Live! on Dec. 30, 2018.
Adam Naugle of Mantua, N.J., cheers the Eagles' first touchdown against the Washington Redskins at Xfinity Live! on Dec. 30, 2018.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

How much would you bet on the Birds?

For the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History’s Sue the Tyrannosaurus rex, there’s reputation on the line. Ahead of the Eagles' playoff game Sunday in Chicago, the two have waged war.

Sue, the “world’s biggest, best-preserved and most complete T. Rex” whose Twitter account has nearly 51,000 followers, reached out to the Academy of Natural Sciences after the Birds earned a playoff spot to see if the Philadelphians wanted to “make this interesting.”

The bet: For Sue to promote the Academy and “nice things” about Philly on Monday if the Eagles win, and for the Academy to “tell all of Philly to come check out” the fossil’s new, 5,100-square-foot home in the museum’s Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet if the Bears win.

“Okay. We’re in,” the Academy wrote Wednesday. “And we’re sure Nick Foles will keep us from having to tell Philadelphia that they need to go to Chicago for anything.”

The back-and-forth drag continued into Thursday afternoon.

Could the bet between the two be a sign of others to come now that the Eagles are in the playoffs? Ahead of the Super Bowl, everyone from politicians and restaurants to museums and breweries in Philly and Boston was making wagers. Of course, Boston ended up needing to fulfill those bets after the Birds took home the Lombardi Trophy in February.

The Eagles still have a long ways to go, but the team’s first playoff game of the season is certainly cause for celebration. For the Bears, there’s an even bigger excuse for excitement — the team hadn’t made the playoffs in eight seasons.

Both teams have momentum, as Eagles beat writer Zach Berman noted in Thursday’s Early Birds newsletter.

“This is a different season now. ... You’re in the postseason, so obviously expectations increase," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "Sense of urgency increases. Speed of the game gets faster. … But I think everybody kind of has that clean slate and the momentum thing, you try to continue it. You try to keep it going.”

After last Sunday’s win, even the Philadelphia police chimed in about celebrations.

“While we’re not greasing any poles just yet, it’s nice to see the Eagles season pull one of these,” they wrote. “Celebrate responsibly, Philly!” the department wrote on Twitter.