The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t just win Super Bowl LIX—they dominated it. Whether it was surprising the NFL world with no blitzes from their D-Line and still doing the impossible by making Patrick Mahomes post a QBR of 11.4 (the second lowest since the metric was introduced in 2006), Lane Johnson and company were confident, bold, and dominant on the big stage.
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However, this mindset wasn’t just a product of game-day adrenaline—it had been building long before kickoff, evident in the fiery speeches delivered by Johnson and Saquon Barkley in the locker room.
A week after their Super Bowl win, the Philadelphia Eagles posted an “unscripted” version of the team’s preparation on their YouTube channel. Several players were seen giving one last message to their compatriots before they faced the Chiefs. One of the most intense speeches was delivered by Johnson, a veteran OT, who primarily urged his teammates to remember the humiliation they faced against the same team two years ago.
Not only did Kansas City win Super Bowl LVII back then, 38-35, but Patrick Mahomes, in particular, dismantled the Eagles defense with 3 touchdowns. And to top it all, the winning team was seen wearing “0 sacks” T-shirts at their victory parade to rub salt in the wounds of the Birds’ D-Line.
Acknowledging the hurt and lessons from that defeat, Johnson urged his compatriots to prepare themselves both physically and emotionally to counter the Chiefs’ wily offensive players. This wasn’t just a message, however. Johnson also foreshadowed, making it clear to his teammates that the Chiefs were going to get a beatdown from the Eagles’ D-line the following day.
“We were here a couple of years ago, and we’re a little bit emotional about it. So I think the thing we need to focus on offensively is that they’re a finesse team. They’re going to try to junk up because man for man, they’re not going to let us just tee off on them—they’re going to get fu*ked up tomorrow. So just remember them shirts they had on their parade a few years ago. Keep that in mind as y’all keep annihilating his as* tomorrow,” said the two-time Super Bowl champ.
And boy, did Lane Johnson’s words come true. The Eagles D-Line had the perfect revenge against Mahomes as they humiliatingly sacked the QB six times without a single blitz.
That said, Johnson wasn’t the only one who antagonized the Chiefs in his speech. RB Saquon Barkley, too, was fired up!
‘Patrick Mahomes & Co. can’t fu*k with us’: Saquon Barkley
Barkley first expressed gratitude to his teammates for helping him acclimatize well in the locker room. Not only did it contribute to his performance, including setting the record for most rushing yards in a season by a back (including the postseason), but it also helped him get to know his teammates better.
Knowing his teammates’ strengths, alongside studying the Chiefs’ game film, gave Barkley the confidence that the Eagles were going to obliterate Mahomes & Co. in the Super Bowl. For the former Giants star, it didn’t matter that the Chiefs had a wealth of Super Bowl-winning experience, nor that they were one of the most clutch teams in the league.
“I want to start by saying thank you to everyone in this room for walking me in and showing so much love and support… As I watched the film throughout the whole week, my confidence grew even more, and I hope you guys are feeling the same thing. These guys can’t fu*k with us. They really can’t. I don’t care how many times they’ve been here, I don’t care how many times they’ve won it—they haven’t seen a team like us.”
The Eagles’ Super Bowl victory shows that Johnson and Barkley’s words weren’t just motivation, they were a declaration of dominance. And when the dust settled, they walked away as Super Bowl champions, just as they had envisioned.