NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have arrived in New Orleans as Super Bowl week kicks off.
On Sunday afternoon, the teams were greeted by pleasant weather in the 60s as they disembarked from their flights, just a week away from their showdown on February 9.
Players and team personnel descended moveable staircases straight from their planes, boarding waiting buses without much excitement, and then proceeded in convoys to their hotels in the downtown area.
Most of the Eagles’ players and staff donned black sweatshirts emblazoned with the “Super Bowl LIX” logo, while Chiefs head coach Andy Reid opted for a blue suit complemented by a striking red tie.
One unique touch during the arrival was when a pilot onboard the Eagles’ flight waved a green-and-white flag out of the window inscribed with “Geaux Birds,” taking a playful nod at the local Louisiana dialect.
The timing of Super Bowl week occurs just a month after a tragic event on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, where a vehicle incident resulted in the loss of 14 lives before the suspect was killed by police.
As the teams landed, stringent security measures were evident at the airport, with media personnel kept at a distance and not allowed interviews with team members as they arrived.
The Eagles secured their Super Bowl appearance with a decisive 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game, finishing the season with a 17-3 record.
In the AFC, the Chiefs, aiming for their third consecutive Super Bowl title, claimed victory over the Buffalo Bills with a close score of 32-29, concluding their season at 17-2.
Their arrivals mark the beginning of a week packed with activities leading up to New Orleans hosting the Super Bowl for the first time since 2013.
“This is the first day of the culmination of eight years of planning,” remarked Jay Cicero, president of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee, referring to the time since the city was awarded the game.
“It’s a little surreal that the teams are arriving,” he added, expressing excitement about the event. “It’s time to get going.”
During the arrivals, Cicero mentioned that a study conducted by the University of New Orleans found that the Super Bowl in 2013 generated approximately $480 million in economic activity for the region.
“With twelve years passed since that event, we can expect that figure to be even higher,” he suggested.
Notably, more than 6,000 media credentials have been issued for this year’s Super Bowl, surpassing the 5,200 issued in 2013 and doubling the amount from the 1997 Super Bowl hosted in New Orleans.
