Saquon Barkley punishes Commanders for ignoring Travis Kelce’s emphatic warning as records tumble
Travis Kelce had a stern warning for Kansas City Chiefs fans before Super Bowl LVII - do not touch the Rocky statue.
It has become a playoff tradition for rival fans to dress up the iconic memorial to one of Philadelphia's favorite sons.
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That has often worked out badly for the teams involved.
Down the years, Rocky has sported the colors of the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
The Eagles won every contest.
After watching the Niners lose the NFC Championship in 2023, Kelce had seen enough.
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"Right now, Chiefs (fans), do not touch the f****** Rocky memorial," he said on his 'New Heights' podcast.
"Do not do that, alright? Definitely don't put an 87 on there. Do not do that."
The Chiefs fanbase took note and went on to claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy over Jalen Hurts' Eagles - the first of their back-to-back titles.
But some Commanders supporters clearly couldn't contain themselves and dressed up Rocky in burgundy, gold and white.
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The payback came quickly and decisively from the man who wears No.26 for the Eagles as he powered into Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on February 9.
Philadelphia's first offensive play was a 60-yard Saquon Barkley house call.
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He is the only man in history to record three 60-plus-yard scores in the same postseason.
Barkley came into the game 147 rushing yards from breaking Terrell Davis' NFL record of 2,476 on the ground.
By the end of the first half, he was already halfway there and also had two scores.
He added a third touchdown in the second half, and ended with 118 yards on the ground.
The Eagles ended up running in seven touchdowns, tying an NFL record set by the Chicago Bears.
Barkley and Hurts had three apiece, while rookie Will Shipley bagged his first ever.
Their 55 points are the highest team total in either Championship Game -- Commanders fans must be wishing they listened to Kelce.
Travis' brother Jason -- one of the best players ever to represent Philadelphia -- thinks the statue hijinks might be an inside job.
"I am convinced there is a Philadelphia fan who is putting these shirts on the Rocky statue just to get everybody all fired up, and it's working," he said on their podcast.
"It's working tremendously, so keep doing it."
It is the second time in three years that the Eagles will play in the Super Bowl, having seen Jason Kelce's squad lose out to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arizona in February 2023.
Speaking after reaching the showpiece, Barkley said: "I ain't gonna lie. I tried to downplay it in my head, but it's amazing, man.
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"It's amazing. We're here. Super Bowl.
"But the goal wasn't just getting there. The goal's to win, and we're gonna celebrate, enjoy this, and get right back to work."
He added: "We wanted to send a message, and we did that.
"We knew that's what it was gonna take. It was gonna take a team effort. I want to give a shoutout to Will Shipley. He came in and finished it strong.
"We talk about the running back room, about making plays. Our guy Kenny went down, Will stepped up big for us, but the team came out, man.
"Everyone came out and made big plays and got the job done and that's how you get to a Super Bowl."
Everything you need to know about the Super Bowl as the Kansas City Chiefs look to win three in a row
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