52 Completely Random Tidbits to Drop at Your Eagles Super Bowl Watch Party

Photo courtesy of the NFL.

Have you ever been that person trapped in the middle of a group conversation where you find yourself having a vague familiarity with the topic at hand, but lack the certain depth to actively participate? If you answered yes and were largely calling to mind memories of fumbling through talking football and the Eagles, we’ve got you covered!

This handy list of 52 completely random tidbits, factoids, and anecdotes on all things Birds and Super Bowl LII is bound to provide you with at least one interesting note to add at your watch party on Sunday. And don’t you go anywhere, bleeding green diehards – even you might stand to learn a thing or two from this.

1. Yes, it’s true that the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl, which is what the NFL renamed its championship game in 1967. BUT, the Birds did manage to win three titles before that notable change (1948, 1949, 1960), so don’t you go thinking we’re a completely hapless franchise.
2. In fact, the 1960 NFL champion Eagles are the only team that was ever able to defeat legendary coach Vince Lombardi (namesake of the Super Bowl trophy) and his Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.
3. Speaking of playoffs, did you know that from 1960 to 1969 the NFL played a consolation game for third-place between the two teams just knocked out in the semifinals? It was named after Eagles co-founder (and onetime league commissioner) Bert Bell.
4. Patriots boss Bill Belichick’s first appearance in the Super Bowl as a head coach came during his second year in command, a win over the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is making his first appearance in the Super Bowl as a head coach in his second year, coincidentally going up against a heavily favored opponent.
5. Pederson already “beat” the Patriots in the Super Bowl, winning XXXI as a backup quarterback with the Packers in 1996. (He was inactive for the game and didn’t play.)
6. Backup quarterbacks are 7-3 in the Super Bowl, including young Tom Brady’s win in XXXVI.
7. The last six teams to start a backup quarterback in the Super Bowl have won.
8. Nick Foles attended the same high school in Austin, Texas, as New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (MVP of Super Bowl XLIV).
9. Foles is the only quarterback in NFL history to record a 100-plus passer rating in each of his first three career playoff games.
10. The last time the Eagles went to the Super Bowl, they played the Patriots – a heartbreaking 24-21 loss in XXXIX (2005).
11. The Birds’ postseason opponents that year? The Vikings, Falcons, and Patriots. This year? The Vikings, Falcons, and Patriots (albeit in different order).
12. The Eagles and Patriots have only played each other 13 times in history.
13. The Birds have won the majority of their meetings with New England, but just barely. Their overall record against the Patriots is 7-6.
14. But New England has dominated the series as of late, winning four of the teams’ last five matchups, including Super Bowl XXXIX.
15. Super Bowl LII will be played on February 4th, which is fallen Eagles legend Jerome Brown’s birthday.
16. Brown – who died tragically in a car wreck in 1992 at age 27 – would’ve been 52 throughout the entire Eagles season.
17. Former 76er and NBA legend Charles Barkley has predicted the Eagles will win with Foles taking home MVP honors.
18. Foles currently has the second-best odds to win Super Bowl MVP, behind only Brady.
19. Sir Charles laid down a “six figure” wager on the Birds.
20. According to the American Gaming Association, sports fans will wager a whopping $4.76 billion on the Super Bowl.
21. Over 97 percent of those bets will be taken illegally.
22. The most expensive seat at Super Bowl I was $12. For Super Bowl LII, seats in the field-level “Delta Sky Club” at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium run north of $10,000.
23. Since the Eagles’ convincing win in the NFC Championship Game, the sale of Super Bowl tickets on the secondary market to Pennsylvanians has jumped 567 percent, according to StubHub.
24. This will be the second Super Bowl hosted in Minny. The first, Redskins vs. Bills, came in 1992 (XXVI).
25. Minnesota is the farthest north that a Super Bowl game has ever been played.
26. As the designated home team, New England has elected to wear their white jerseys. Teams wearing white have won 12 out of the last 13 Super Bowls.
27. The color-clad team to win it all? The Packers in 2011, wearing green.
28. The Birds only lost once in midnight green all year – their meaningless last game against Dallas on New Year’s Eve.
29. Six players have been members of both teams. Former Patriots on the Eagles are LeGarrette Blount, Chris Long, and Kamu Grugier-Hill. Ex-Birds on New England are Patrick Chung, Dion Lewis, and Eric Rowe.
30. Blount and Long both won the Super Bowl with New England last year.
31. The Patriots DID NOT give coach Bill Belichick a Gatorade bath after that game. Blasphemy!
32. More than 111 million people tuned into the big game in 2017, the fifth-highest viewership in NFL history.
33. ESPN International and its affiliated networks will broadcast the Super Bowl live to fans in 74 countries and territories.
34. At 40 years and 186 days, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will become the oldest player to start in the Super Bowl at his position on Sunday.
35. Bucks County native Pink will sing the National Anthem prior to kickoff.
36. The over/under prop bet for how long it will take her is set at 2 minutes.
37. The Eagles are undefeated in games with Joel Embiid in attendance. The Sixers’ big man will be in Minneapolis today.
38. 51.7 million cases of beer will be sold on Super Bowl Sunday in the United States.
39. If the Eagles win the game, Bud Light promised to cover Philly’s bar tab.
40. The stingy Birds defense has held its opponents to fewer than 10 points in four consecutive games.
41. There have been six rematches in the Super Bowl.
42. But history doesn’t bode well for the Eagles in that regard – only two teams that lost the first time around won the rematch.
43. The LOSERS of the coin toss have gone on to win the Super Bowl at a higher rate than teams that called heads or tails correctly. (The champs have won the coin toss in 24 of 51 Super Bowls.)
44. In box pools, the least likely digit to appear as the last number in either team’s final score is 2. (Only has happened four times.)
45. The Eagles scored 38 points in their NFC Championship game blowout of the Vikings. The 49ers scored 55 points in Super Bowl XXIV, most ever in the game’s history.
46. The lowest-scoring winner of the Super Bowl was the Miami Dolphins, who beat the Redskins 14-7 in 1973.
47. More than 70 game balls will be used over the duration of the Super Bowl.
48. Players on the wining team receive a $112,000 bonus. Losers pocket $56,000.
49. The company that makes the winner’s diamond-studded championship ring, Jostens, is headquartered in Minneapolis.
50. Crafted by Tiffany, the silver Lombardi Trophy is worth $1,625.
51. You can catch the game on NBC. The network brought along 106 TV cameras to Minnesota and more than 50 miles of A/V cables.
52. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.