Why do Eagles fans wear dog masks?

You may have noticed Philadelphia Eagles fans wearing (creepy) dog masks at, in or around the Super Bowl. Here’s why.

The legend of Philly fans wearing dog masks is not all that exciting or creative or interesting. In fact, it’s mostly driven by a very simple logic: The Eagles were underdogs throughout the NFL playoffs. A couple players started wearing dog masks to embrace the  So, then, their fans wanted to wear dog masks. And here we are, at the Super Bowl, for which a whole bunch of rowdy Philadelphians has overtaken Minneapolis in dog masks.

Of course, there’s a long version to this story, too.

After a 13-3 season, the Eagles entered the playoffs, led by Nick Foles, as 2.5-point underdogs against the Atlanta Falcons. Philadelphia beat Atlanta and defensive end Chris Long and tackle Lane Johnson debuted their German shepherd masks, walking off the field and in interviews.

Per ESPN, Johnson said, “Me and Chris Long were talking [at lunch], and everybody’s calling us underdogs, so hey, let’s go get us a dog mask.”

Long explained in his postgame:

"I don’t know if you heard, there was a little narrative this week that the media was pushing that evidently we were like not favored?So I (got) this mask. Somebody was like, ‘What’s up with the wolf mask?’ First of all, it’s a German shepherd. And it’s the underdog mask and I wasn’t going to field any questions but I decided I would field them in the dog mask."

It wasn’t long before fans wanted in on the action, buying similar dog masks on Amazon. (The NFL later started selling masks and shirts through the official store and Long asked / strongly encouraged them to donate their proceeds like he and Johnson did.) After the German shepherd masks sold out, fans started buying the masks of other dogs too.

The players have continued to wear masks and play the part — dedicated method actor Long also barked at fans — and the Eagles not only allowed but encouraged fans to wear their dog masks to the NFC championship game.

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Johnson and Long brought their dog masks to Minneapolis, so, it stands to reason that the fans that made the trip would too.

So, why, then, do Eagles fans wear dog masks? They wear them because they’re underdogs and they wear them because Chris Long and Lane Johnson are super fun.