By Rory Carroll
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – The Philadelphia Eagles’ long wait for a shot at redemption against the Chiefs’ team who stunned them at the Super Bowl two years ago is just one day away and head coach Nick Sirianni said they were “hungry” and “ready to roll”.
The Eagles can not only deliver payback for their heartbreaking 38-35 defeat in Phoenix but also stop the favored Chiefs from raising a record third straight Lombardi trophy.
“When you have two weeks off (since the NFC Championship Game) it’s like, ‘Let’s go!’,” Sirianni said on the eve of Sunday’s game, according to a pool report.
The Eagles spent less than an hour on the field Saturday during a walk-through practice on a hot and sunny day and the evening will be similar.
“Stay off our feet, relax, night meetings, and get ready to go,” Sirianni said.
“Everyone will go through the routine that they’ve been going through the entire 20-whatever weeks we’ve been doing this now… You don’t get to this point and change up what is important to your team and your core values.”
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, who has been out since November after tearing his triceps, will play in the game as expected after the team officially activated him from injured reserve on Saturday.
Graham, 36, was the hero in the Eagles’ Super Bowl 52 victory over the Patriots, when he sacked Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter and forced a fumble to seal the win.
Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid said he was pleased with his squad’s preparation after they also held a short walk-through practice on Saturday.
“I thought the guys worked hard, they got done what they needed to get done,” Reid said.
“That was going back through the game plan and making sure they refined it and got it down to where they can function at a high level against a good football team.”
Super Bowl 59 takes place on Sunday at the Superdome.
(Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, editing by Ed Osmond)
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