While winning the Super Bowl is one of life's great joys, the journey to get there is a whole other story.
There's a lot of time and sacrifice that go into winning it all, including an extra five weeks of work to get to the final game. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was asked about what it's like to go all in on winning the Super Bowl, as he explains why it's a lot like Miles Teller's 2014 film "Whiplash."
"Maybe I'm maybe more locked in this week after watching that movie," Barkley said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "If you haven't watched that movie, it's a great movie. After that, you're ready to do pushups and situps."
"We've been to the mountaintop. I think you become locked in even more when you know what it feels like to hold the Lombardi Trophy, and you know what it feels like to have that parade and fight and crawl and do anything you can to have that again. ...You'll do anything to win it all again. I think that makes you a little more focused."
Perfect comparison to what it takes to win the Super Bowl
For those who need a very quick refresher of what "Whiplash" is about, Teller, a well-known Eagles fan himself, plays a freshman college student trying to make the band as a drummer. He deals with a dictator-type demanding conductor, played by J.K. Simmons, as Teller's character is pushed to the limit in pursuit of being the best drummer ever.
This deals with similar themes to the Eagles, namely, the sacrifice needed to be the best in the world. Barkley and his teammates know this all too well, having done it back in 2024, and hope to do the same this season.
It has not been the smoothest path to the playoffs, but the Eagles worked hard to finish 11-6 and win the NFC East. They are now the number three seed and set to face a San Francisco 49ers team that is banged up and injured.
Read more: Eagles' latest Wild Card injury report shows continued progress for Lane Johnson
The mental toll the 2025 season has taken on the Eagles is like the movie: draining to see the struggles on the field, but to keep fighting. Philly has a chance to make another run for the Super Bowl, and after seeing how to do it last year, the Eagles know exactly what needs to be done to get there.