While the season has already wrapped up Week 1, Amazon Prime will kick off its second season of NFL coverage on Thursday with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.
But before the battle between NFC playoff teams from a year ago, who will be signing the National Anthem beforehand at Lincoln Financial Field?
Singer/Actress Based Out of Philadelphia To Perform Before Game
Per the Eagles on Wednesday, the anthem will be performed by Melina Cruz.
Based out of Philadelphia, Cruz is a teenage artist who has sung cover songs — notably “A Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid.
She has sung the anthem before. Her performance was filmed in 2017 during what was described as a Fall Sports event.
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One of her other credits is singing the cover of “She Used to be Mine” from the Broadway musical “Waitress.”
She has also had theater credits with roles in “The Hiding Place,” “Aladdin Jr.,” “Legally Blonde Jr.” and the Shakespearian play “Hamlet.”
Who Else is Joining During the Anthem?
Cruz won’t be alone during her performance.
Joining her during the rendition, she will be joined by Independence, the bald eagle better known as “Indy.”
The live bald eagle hails from the Raptor Center at the University of Auburn’s campus. The seven-pound bird has been known for making its presence felt during Auburn football games as the popular chant “War Eagle” gets heard inside the stadium.
“Indy” will take flight inside the stadium before landing on the field during the National Anthem.
About the TNF Matchup
This will be the 31st meeting between both NFC teams.
The winner will break the current 15-15 record in this series.
Both teams met last year on Sept. 19, with the Eagles rolling to the 24-7 win in a game that saw Philly score all 24 points in the first half.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts combined for two touchdowns in the game — tossing a 53-yard touchdown to Quez Watkins and scoring on a 26-yard scamper. Irv Smith was the lone Viking to score as he caught a two-yard pass from Kirk Cousins.
The Eagles, as a team, racked up 486 total yards of offense in the win. However, that was with Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator. Steichen is now the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts.
Minnesota will aim to get into the win column following its Week 1 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Eagles will look to start 2-0 for the second straight year and for the first time in back-to-back seasons since the first two years of the Doug Pederson era in 2016 and 2017 — the latter campaign of the Eagles’ first Super Bowl championship season.