The Eagles will host the Vikings in the NFC title game on Sunday and the winner will advance to the Super Bowl. If the Vikings win, they'll become the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. If the Eagles win, their fans might burn down the city of Philadelphia.
On Monday, the Philadelphia Police Department told business owners in Philadelphia to take precautions before the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. In a letter, he warned businesses of "problems with celebrants," telling them to "protect your property" and "remove anything outside your business" and to turn on their cameras.
Here's the letter:
Northeast Philly: Police telling business owners they can’t really guarantee their safety if the Eagles win the NFC Championship pic.twitter.com/Q51vUZKEGw
— Ryan W Briggs (@rw_briggs) January 17, 2018
Outside of a class trip in eighth grade, during which we stopped in Philadelphia for a few hours on our way to New York, I have never been to Philadelphia. So, I cannot speak to the validity of the threat that police outlined above. With that being said, I have watched the Eagles play football on TV and most importantly, I have seen "Silver Linings Playbook" many, many times, which totally makes me qualified to talk about the Eagles' fan base, right?
Here's what I know about Eagles fans:
- They're all buying scary-as-hell dog masks to wear at the game.
- One of them got charged with punching a police horse after the win over the Falcons.
- They like to get in fights while tailgating.
Yes, that third bullet point is from "Silver Linings Playbook," but given the second bullet point, I'd say it's not entirely far-fetched. And so, the idea of Philly fans going nuts in the aftermath of a win over the Vikings, who are favored by the way, also doesn't seem far fetched.
Here's what the Associated Press reported when the Phillies won the World Series in 2008:
Tens of thousands of horn-honking, high-fiving Phillies fans streamed into the streets Wednesday night after Philadelphia won the World Series, celebrating the championship by knocking down traffic signals, spraying beer and shooting off fireworks.
According to Philly.com, police made 76 arrests that night. 76!
Unfortunately, the Eagles' chances of winning on Sunday are slim -- hence the underdog masks. The Vikings are favored by three points as of Thursday despite being the road team.
So, what will happen if the Eagles lose? Nothing out of the ordinary, according to Ryan W. Briggs who posted the letter above.
Like ten people have asked me what happens if the Eagles don't win and the answer is: nothing. Everyone just goes back to being weird and vaguely despondent – aka the Philly status quo
— Ryan W Briggs (@rw_briggs) January 17, 2018
The status quo -- only with thousands of dog-masked despondent Eagles fans roaming the streets.
