OK — I need everyone to take a breath. In and out. Good job. 

Before you Cowboys fans send that death threat or hate comment, I am begging you to hear me out. Just for a second. 

I’ll get this out of the way. Yes, I am a proud Philly girl, and yes, I am over the moon excited for this epic rematch. Yes, I am obnoxious about the Philadelphia Eagles. It took the Avengers two movies to beat Thanos, so it’ll take two Super Bowls for the Eagles to reign victorious. 

I understand some people are a little upset by this rematch, and I know it has gotten popular to dogpile on the Eagles. But sorry, your only option is to pick the Kansas City Chiefs or the Eagles.

So, before you dismiss me and pick the Chiefs because your “Eagles hate” runs deep, I want to remind you that the Texas A&M Aggies and the Eagles share one important thing in common: spirit. 

To be honest, the Aggies and the Eagles are way more alike than most people realize. 

I want to tell my patient audience a story. I moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2017, which means I was lucky enough to witness the city come to life after winning the Super Bowl in 2018. Seeing how united and alive Philadelphia became after Super Bowl 52 was something I’ve only seen a handful of times before — in College Station. 

The people of Philadelphia post-Super Bowl reminded me of how the 12th Man felt when Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy or when we beat Bama and rushed the field. Sure, Philadelphians are crazy and climb greased light poles and punch police horses, but the Aggies get a little bold with their celebrations, too. For example, I know some Aggies that have scaled buildings, trashed bars and parking lots and gotten into drunken fights all in the name of victory. 

You’re lying to yourself if you can’t admit the Aggies get a little rowdy every now and then. 

What drew me to A&M is the devotion we have to our football team. It reminds me of home. Because win or lose, Aggies will stand by their team — just like the Eagles. We could be in a 20-year losing streak, and no one could do or say anything to change our allegiance. 

We love our teams. We love our towns. We love our people. You and I both know that no one can talk bad about College Station and the Aggies and get away with it, and Philadelphia is the exact same way. 

I am not asking you to convert and bleed green forever, but how about just this game? For this one game, root for the team that values their town and their team the same way we do here in College Station. 

If that doesn’t convince you, let me try a different angle. The Chiefs are the Thanos of football. They snap their fingers and half of the NFL disappears. Your precious Cowboys, Texans, Patriots, Steelers or whoever you root for will never see the Lombardi trophy if the Chiefs continue to dominate. 

The Eagles are the Avengers, fighting Thanos so that the rest of America has the chance to celebrate their team and see them lift that trophy in the air and say, “I’m going to DisneyWorld.” 

It’s the simple truth: The Chiefs don’t deserve to keep winning. They’ve had their time in the sun, and it’s time for someone else to prove themselves. I wanted the Eagles to play literally anyone else. I wanted to see if the Eagles could hold their own with a different opponent. 

The Eagles have collected the Infinity Stones of the NFL. We’ve earned our spot in the Super Bowl. But anyone who watched the Chiefs play the Bills last week knows that the Chiefs didn’t earn anything. 

Bills really said, “Mr. Stark I don’t feel so good … about the referee’s calls.” 

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is inevitable, it’s true, but in this Super Bowl, QB Jalen Hurts is Iron Man. Running back Saquon Barkley is Spider-Man, WR A.J. Brown is the Hulk and cornerback Cooper DeJean is Captain America. The Avengers have assembled to take down America’s biggest threat. 

The Eagles are here to knock them down a peg. To fight for every team in the American Football Conference that doesn’t get a chance to shine because of the Chiefs. 

Now, I want to address all Swifties. I will say this once: Taylor Swift is from Philadelphia. So, if you are rooting for the Chiefs because of her, I want to remind you of her roots. She is a secret double agent like Nebula. She will find her way back to the green team like Nebula found her way back to Gamora. 

I know some of you will still refuse to root for the Eagles. That’s OK. Even if you don’t root for the Eagles, on Sunday the Eagles are going to play for you. They are playing for all the teams snubbed by the Chiefs and all the people who love their towns and their teams. 

So, this Sunday I am going to bleed maroon and green. I am going to root for the team that has guts and spirit just like the Ags. I am going to root for the Eagles in the hopes that, next year, it’s anyone but the Chiefs. And who knows, maybe the Eagles will defeat Thanos — Patrick Mahomes — and the Cowboys may find their way to the next Super Bowl. 

Fly, Eagles, Fly and gig ‘em Aggies.

Maddie McMurrough is an agricultural communications and journalism senior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.