NFC East

Following the Philadelphia Eagles' 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, running back Saquon Barkley celebrated by showcasing a brand-new custom chain featuring his jersey number, 26.

Benny the Jeweler posted the video on Instagram:

The newly 29-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, has been wearing No. 26 since his rookie season with the New York Giants—now cementing it in history after donning it in a Super Bowl victory.

Barkley, who joined the Eagles in the offseason, played a pivotal role in their championship run, despite rushing for 57 yards with zero touchdowns.

He finished the regular season with the No. 1 most yards in the league with 2,005 in addition to 13 touchdowns on 345 carries.

In addition to his standout season, Barkley capped it off by surpassing Terrell Davis' all-time records for most rushing yards (2,504) and scrimmage yards (2,857) in a single regular and postseason.

Needing just 30 rushing yards to break the record, he successfully reached the mark in the first half.

"It's cool," Barkley said about breaking the record, per Pro Football Talks Myles Simmons. "To be honest, the most important thing was winning the Super Bowl, because if we didn't win the Super Bowl today, all those accolades and all those yards wouldn't mean anything. So, it's cool. I don't want to downplay it because I couldn't do it without the boys up front and I know how much that means to them."

Barkley's chain is not the only thing special—according to left tackle Jordan Mailata, Barkley himself deserves that title as well.

"There's a saying 'special players make special plays,'" Mailata said, per Simmons. "I think his work ethic is — there's no one like it. There's nothing I can compare to the way he works. The mental and physical side that he brings to an offense — he's not just a physical, powerful running back, he's a smart, patient running back. The communication that he's able to have between offensive coordinator, QB to offensive line to wide receivers and tight ends — we're all involved in the running game."

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Eagles have the best odds in the league to return to the Super Bowl next season at +600 odds. Perhaps Barkley will get the chance to rep his No. 26 in back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs in front of a record number of viewers.

The Super Bowl set an all-time record with a projected average audience of 126 million viewers on Sunday night, according to Fox Sports PR.

The network reported a peak audience of 135.7 million viewers in the second quarter of the Eagles' 40-22 win.

The Super Bowl also drew in record-high streaming viewership, including 13.6 million viewers watching on Tubi, according to Fox Sports.

By the time viewership reportedly peaked on Sunday, the result of the Super Bowl was already all but decided. The Eagles pulled out to a 24-0 lead through two quarters, and were leading by 34 points before the Chiefs finally scored late in the third quarter.

Struggles against the Eagles' defense didn't stop the Chiefs from making history. Kansas City's appearances in the last three Super Bowls reportedly coincided with three separate viewership records.

The Eagles and Chiefs' last matchup in Super Bowl LVII attracted an average of 115.1 million viewers to Fox Sports broadcasts in February 2023, according to Nielson and ESPN. That stood, at the time, as the most-watched U.S.-based telecast in history, per ESPN.

The Chiefs' matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in last year's Super Bowl LVIII set another record with 123.4 million average viewers across platforms including CBS and Paramount+, according to Nielsen and the NFL.

Now the record has been reportedly broken for a third straight year.

Prior to the Chiefs' run, the Super Bowl viewership record had been set in 2015 by the average of 114.4 million people watching Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, per ESPN.

NBC has the rights to three upcoming Super Bowls, including Super Bowl LX. The championship game for the 2025 season is set to take place in the San Francisco 49ers' Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California next February.

The Philadelphia Eagles are celebrating the team's Super Bowl 59 victory, but it's never too early to take a look at the 2025 season.

The opponent that the Eagles will play to start their title defense isn't official just yet. They can face a variety of teams at home including the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra).

Here's the full list of eligible opponents that Philadelphia can matchup with to kick off its 2025 campaign.

Eagles' Potential 2025 Week 1 Opponents

• Chicago Bears
• Dallas Cowboys
• Denver Broncos
• Detroit Lions
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Rams
• New York Giants
• Washington Commanders

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app, homepage and social feeds—including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Jalen Hurts earned himself Super Bowl MVP honors for his excellent performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, as the Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a 40-22 blowout victory.

And Hurts saw it all coming.

Former NFL player Chris Long said on his Green Light with Chris Long podcast (a production of Yote House Media) that he briefly spoke to Hurts after the NFC Championship Game two weeks ago, and the veteran quarterback was the picture of confidence:

Much of the discourse following the Super Bowl victory will be the absolutely dominant performance of the defense, which sacked Patrick Mahomes six times, secured three turnovers and pitched a first-half shutout. Fair enough—it was pure bully ball, flummoxing the most talented quarterback in the sport.

But Hurts was fantastic as well, responding to the Chiefs' decision to load up the box and stop running back Saquon Barkley by finishing 17-of-22 through the air for 221 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, taking two sacks. And he was fantastic as a runner, rushing for 72 yards and a score.

There was a lot of talk about the limitations of Hurts and the passing game this year, and whether he could lead the team to a victory if the running game was slowed. Those questions have been forever put to bed.

Jalen Hurts is exactly where he should be after winning Super Bowl 59 – he is at Disney World.

Following the Philadelphia Eagles' dominant 40-22 win over the back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs, Hurts topped it off by starring in the iconic Disney World commercial, telling viewers that after winning the Super Bowl, he's "going to Disney World"—and he did just that.

Hurts jetted down to Orlando to celebrate his victory alongside Mickey Mouse at the "Happiest Place on Earth," capping off his Super Bowl performance—221 yards, two touchdowns, and a rushing score—with a parade down Main Street, U.S.A.

The Super Bowl MVP led the crowd in an "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant, and they responded with "M-V-P" chants in return.

He also took a ride on the Tron Lightcycle/Run, a new addition to Magic Kingdom that opened in 2023.

Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to their second Super Bowl victory in franchise history, following their first championship in 2017 over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots under former quarterback Nick Foles.

With a day of celebration in Orlando underway, Hurts kicked off the first of many festivities, as Philadelphia prepares for a week of events. The team's championship parade is set for Feb. 14 in Philadelphia.

The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly in the process of hiring former Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to be a part of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer's staff, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

According to that report, discussions are "not done yet and the role is being finalized" but the expectation is that Dorsey will be heading to Dallas.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app, homepage and social feeds—including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Saquon Barkley won a Super Bowl title and the Offensive Player of the Year while nearly breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards this past season.

But the best is apparently yet to come.

Barkley took to social media Monday after helping lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl title and said the 2025 campaign will "probably be my best year."

At this point, who can argue with him?

While the Penn State product was always a dangerous playmaker during his first six years with the New York Giants, he elevated his game to another level in his first year in Philadelphia. He finished the regular season with 2,005 rushing yards, 278 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns and could have broken Dickerson's record if he played the last game.

His individual momentum didn't stop in the playoffs, as Barkley ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns in the NFC Divisional Round win over the Los Angeles Rams and 118 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game win over the Washington Commanders.

If there is any room for improvement, it might be in the Super Bowl itself.

Barkley posted just 57 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per carry against the Kansas City Chiefs, although he also had six receptions for 40 yards in the aerial attack. He took a backseat at times to Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia defense, which he was surely fine with since it resulted in a Lombardi Trophy.

Maybe next season he will cap off a new individual best effort with a Super Bowl MVP.

Jameis Winston was thrilled to see Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown take his suggestion to do the cha-cha slide after scoring a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

"I told him to do that celebration... this is epic," Winston told comedian Bert Kreischer from the stands at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Winston continued: "I've just been on the Jumbotron, and I technically celebrated in the Eagles end zone. Let's go!"

Winston made his request to Brown when speaking with the Eagles wideout during media availability in Super Bowl week.

"I know that at family reunions, we talk about the cha-cha slide," Winston told Brown. "I want you to slide to the left, slide to the right, criss-cross, eat a W."

Brown and offensive tackle Mekhi Becton did exactly that after catching a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to put the Eagles ahead by 24 points in the second quarter.

After the Eagles' 40-22 championship win, Brown confirmed the celebration idea had come from Winston.

"We got it from Jameis," Brown told reporters. "Shoutout to Jameis."

Winston, who joined Fox Sports as a digital correspondent, could potentially be on track for a post-playing media career, should he decide to pursue it. For now, the quarterback will hit NFL free agency following the expiration of his contract with the Cleveland Browns.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII just two years ago in a game that generated headlines for the playing surface.

Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson took to social media in the months after that loss and suggested Philadelphia's defensive line would have dominated the game with a better playing surface.

Well, Gardner-Johnson kept the receipts and brought them out after helping lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl LIX title over the Chiefs on Sunday:

His prediction about the defensive line proved prescient, as the NFC representative generated a 38.1 percent pressure rate without blitzing during Sunday's win, per Next Gen Stats. Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and consistently chased out of the pocket, which made life particularly difficult on the Kansas City offense as it fell behind 40-6 before garbage-time scores made the final score 40-22.

Gardner-Johnson finished with three tackles, and fellow defensive back Cooper DeJean had a pick-six in the second quarter that largely started Philadelphia's onslaught.

It was much different than the matchup two years ago when the Chiefs won 38-35 as players from both teams struggled with their footing and slipped. Longtime groundskeeper George Toma criticized the way the field was prepared, and it became a talking point long after the game.

Fortunately for the Eagles, there were no excuses this time around.

They dominated from the start and left no doubt who the better team was all while preventing the Chiefs from making history as the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams reveled in denying the Kansas City Chiefs their place in NFL history.

Williams said he was "definitely" motivated by the general conversations around the Chiefs' three-peat bid.

"They were talking about getting the copyright and all that B.S." he said, per ESPN's Tim McManus. "Throw that s--t in the trash."

Defensive end Brandon Graham conveyed a similar sentiment.

"That was motivation because it was kind of a slap to us," he said. "It was like, they ain't seen us yet. So, we heard that all week. And when the game came, execution was on point and together."

Thanks to some incredibly savvy thinking by NBA coaching legend Pat Riley decades ago, any team's pursuit of three straight championships inevitably hits on the fact that the phrase "Three-Peat" and "3-Peat" officially trademarked. Their usage for commercial purposes requires Riley's approval.

Securing the necessary agreements needs to be done in advance in order to have championship apparel and memorabilia available as soon as a game is over. That meant the NFL prepared for the Chiefs' three-peat well before Super Bowl LIX.

It's no different than how the league produces hats and T-shirts for both teams competing in the Super Bowl, with half of that inventory never seeing the light of day in the United States.

But athletes and coaches never turn down a possible source of inspiration ahead of a big game. For the Eagles, hearing about the Chiefs' quest to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls weighed squarely on their minds.