Philadelphia Eagles aim to rewrite the ending in Super Bowl rematch

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons a wiser, more complete team than the one edged out 38-35 in Arizona two years ago.

The Chiefs are seeking an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title and to secure it they will need to beat the same team they started the run against, two years after Philadelphia held a 24-14 half-time lead only for Kansas City to rally in the fourth quarter.

For much of last season it appeared this rematch might have come straight away. The Eagles leapt out to a 10-1 start before the wheels came off in stunning fashion.

They lost five of their last six games before being blown out by Tampa Bay in the divisional round of the play-offs, a 32-9 loss that almost cost coach Nick Sirianni his job.

A year on, he has them back in the Super Bowl.

"This team's embraced adversity," Sirianni said. "Even going back to the 2023 season, which we haven’t talked a lot about since the beginning of the year, we’re grateful for that. We’re thankful for that.

"As bad as it sucked at the time, I know I’m grateful for that because it shaped us into who we are now and a big reason why we’re back here…Embracing adversity is huge for your development as a person, as a player, as a coach."

Twelve of the starters from the 2023 season are still in the squad. Tackle Jordan Mailata said the collapse "lit a fire" in the dressing room that still burns now.

But quarterback Jalen Hurts said it goes back further, to that Super Bowl in Glendale when the Chiefs snatched victory away late on.

"I’ve learned so much," the 26-year-old said. "It’s the same as any other game and the moments are the moments but ultimately every game has its lesson, good, bad or indifferent.