New England Patriots fans grieved a painful loss for their team as the Philadelphia Eagles notched their first Super Bowl victory, avenging their 2005 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.
“I’m heartbroken,” said Chris Robotham, 23, of Scituate, who has been a Patriots fan since first grade. “I grew up following Brady and Belichick.”
Seeing Brady get so close and fail was a bitter feeling, said Robotham, one of many fans who packed the Cask ’n Flagon, across the street from Fenway Park, to watch the shootout.
Patriots Nation had clung to hope for yet another come-from-behind win throughout the suspenseful game, in which the Eagles held the lead for most of the night, but in the end were disappointed.
Fans at the Cask ’n Flagon stood with folded arms and pursed lips watching as the last seconds of the game ticked away. Earlier, after the Patriots finally took the lead in the fourth quarter, fan Fernando Guastaldi, 35, said he was “a little nervous. But I am confident they will win this.”
After the loss, he tried to take the disappointment in stride.
“This is sport,” he said. “There are days you win; there are days you lose.”
Kavya Menon, 23, said it was hard to watch the Pats walk off the field without the championship.
“It sucks. I was hoping for a win, and it didn’t happen,” she said.
But there will likely be few tears shed outside New England.
Ryan Schmit, 23, a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, said watching his team’s hated rivals lose was refreshing, he said.
“Just to see you guys fail means everything,” he said, wearing an Eagles jersey he said was intended to troll Patriots fans. “Bills fans are taking this as a win.”
Across the city at the White Bull Tavern, which catered to Eagles fans for the night, the crowd erupted as time ran down, with total strangers embracing and weeping with joy.
“I think I’m going to pass out,” said fan Elizabeth Shenai, 29, as tears streamed down her face.
Eagles chants filled Union Street as fans poured out of the Blackstone Grill and the White Bull in elation, and Patriots fans unaccustomed to defeat made their way home quietly in the rain.
Earlier, Eagles fans at the White Bull had followed the game with as much anxiety as Patriots fans.
Shortly before the Eagles attempted a field goal to seal the game, fan Jon Koval, 28, lifted his arms above his head and said, “I can’t watch.”
As Eagles placekicker Jake Elliot sailed the ball through the uprights, Shenai allowed herself a brief moment of joy, again jumping on her chair, before sitting back down and saying, “Shhh.”
It wasn’t until Tom Brady’s Hail Mary pass fell to the ground that they let themselves believe it — and start a “Fly, Eagles Fly” chant.
At the The Fours Restaurant and Sports Bar, in the Bulfinch Triangle near TD Garden, the only sound when the Eagles recovered Tom Brady’s fumble in the fourth quarter was the clapping of Eagles fan Josue Garcia.
“Holy crap. We did it. We did it,” the 28-year-old Bronx resident said moments later, after victory was assured.
The rest of the patrons in the bar — almost all Patriots fans — seemed disappointed by the close loss, but not bitter.
“Honestly I was shocked. I thought Brady was going to come back, win it as usual,” said Abe Juarez, a Back Bay resident and Patriots fan who is Garcia’s childhood friend. “I thought they still had a shot up until the end. It was devastating.”
Nick Weidman, 22, had shouted, “Let’s go, baby!” and, “C’mon Tom!” at the television screens throughout the game. But when the game ended, he was resigned to the conclusion that “the Eagles were the best team in the NFL this year.
“I’m definitely disappointed,” he said. “I think you always have to keep in mind that we’ve won five Super Bowls in the past 18 years,” he said, adding that he was “bummed that they lost.”
The crowd quickly thinned, as those at Garcia’s table stayed to take in the celebratory moments following the Eagles win, while Patriots fans in the bar headed out.
Across the city, the disappointment of the loss seemed to evoke calm resignation.
There were no reports of violence in the city by 10:45 p.m., according to Officer Rachel Maguire, a Boston police spokeswoman
Outside TD Garden, the scene was peaceful and somber as police stood guard, while Patriots fans slowly crept out of the bars and onto rainy streets.
There was little to keep fans in Kenmore Square, which had been barricaded by Boston police in preparation for raucous crowds. Instead of celebrating, they headed home, in groups or singly, under a cold drizzle.
Even the “NOT DONE” slogan in lights on the Prudential tower was half obscured by fog.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way,” said Tyler Wang, 30, of Boston. He and his group of friends were headed home, walking along Commonweath Avenue, instead of celebrating in Kenmore. “It was a lot of fun.”
Evan Allen of the Globe staff contributed to this report. John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com. J.D. Capelouto can be reached at jd.capelouto@globe.com. Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.