PHILADELPHIA — Eagles fans had waited 52 years to raise a Super Bowl banner. On Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field, a weather delay made them wait 45 minutes longer. But finally, shortly before 9 ET on Thursday night, Philly fans got their moment.

A Super Bowl montage played on big screens. Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins addressed the joyous crowd, with fans on the field behind him and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie with the Lombardi trophy in hand beside him. They all sung the Eagles fight song. And with fireworks exploding, it appeared:

Then the Eagles took the field to rapturous applause, with Dawkins – and Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” – welcoming them.

In the parking lot before the game, fans had burned a “0 SUPERBOWLS” jersey:

But the banner ceremony was what everybody had been waiting for.

And with that, the NFL season is underway. The game can be viewed on the Yahoo Sports mobile app (IOS and Android).

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