MINNEAPOLIS -- Maybe it's Super Bowl fatigue for the five-time champion New England Patriots and their fans, or the fact that Eagles fans travel better than most fan bases across the league, but the green legion has made its presence felt at U.S. Bank Stadium for Super Bowl LII.
This season, Eagles fans have managed to turn a pair of games in Los Angeles against the Rams and Chargers into de-facto home games on the West Coast.
Now, they've taken over the Super Bowl.
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Whether it was nearly getting kicked out of the Mall of America this week for loudly chanting "E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES" or arriving four hours prior to kickoff, Eagles fans significantly outnumbered their counterparts from up north.
Typically a corporate sanitized event with a majority of tickets allocated to sponsors and partners of the NFL, the initial feel on Super Bowl Sunday is that Eagles fans have a chance to break that mold.
Large swaths of midnight green could be seen in nearly every section of the upper level of U.S. Bank Stadium while others roamed the concourses and hallways as a Darius Rucker concert blared on the jumbotrons and echoed throughout the venue.
Fans braved windchills that plummeted to -20 degrees below zero during the day just to get to the Super Bowl, to cheer on the proverbial playoff underdogs led by backup quarterback Nick Foles against the greatest head coach and quarterback duo in the sport in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoPHL.