ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Before the Buffalo Bills even attempted to punch their Super Bowl ticket on Sunday night, there was already one Western New York connection to the the sport's biggest spectacle.
Jamestown native and Southwestern High graduate Nick Sirianni has the Philadelphia Eagles back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. The Eagles rolled past the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC championship game on Sunday evening. Sirianni is a 1999 graduate of Southwestern High.
RELATED: Western New York's connections to the NFL playoffs Before becoming the Eagles' coach in 2021, Sirianni spent three years as offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts under former Bills quarterback Frank Reich. Philadelphia went 9-8 that season, then took a huge leap in 2022, going 14-3 in the regular season and reaching the Super Bowl, where it lost 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles went 11-6 in 2023 before losing on the road on wild card weekend.
Philadelphia bounced back in a big way this season, going 14-3 in the regular season, winning the NFC East, and earning the No. 2 seed. The Eagles got home-field advantage in the conference championship game following a Detroit Lions loss in the divisional round to the Commanders.
The Eagles are led by running back Saquon Barkley, an MVP candidate, who ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in 16 games this season. He also had 33 catches for 278 yards and two more scores. Philadelphia won its first Super Bowl in 2018, after falling short during appearances in 1981 and 2005.
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Sports
Western New York native Nick Sirianni is Super Bowl-bound, again
The Jamestown native and Southwestern High graduate has the Philadelphia Eagles back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.