The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl LIX champions after taking down the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans on Sunday. It was a rematch of the Super Bowl from two years ago, but this time, Philly got their revenge. The Eagles were after their second NFL title, while the Chiefs were trying to make their unforgettable mark in history with a historic three-peat.
Leading up to the game, there was plenty of debate about the matchup. A lot of fans weren’t thrilled about seeing the same two teams again, especially with the possibility of a battle between MVP winner Josh Allen and Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. On top of that, people were discussing whether Mahomes could ever catch Tom Brady’s legacy. Regardless of the outside noise, both teams dominated throughout the season and earned their spot in the big game.
Right from the opening kickoff, the Eagles looked locked in. Head coach Nick Sirianni’s team talked all week about their confidence, and it showed early. The first quarter was all Philadelphia. The Eagles outgained the Chiefs 115 to 19 in total yards, with Jalen Hurts going 6-for-7 for 75 yards. On the other hand, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense looked completely out of sync. He only managed 17 passing yards in the first quarter, completing 3-of-6 passes.
Then came the game-changing moment. With 8:38 left in the second quarter, Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean picked off Mahomes and took it back 38 yards for a touchdown. That made it 17-0, and from that point on, the momentum was in favor of the Eagles.
By halftime, it was a shocking 24-0 Eagles lead. The Chiefs had just one first down, and that came on their first play of the game. The rest of the half was a disaster. Kansas City finished with just 23 total yards, while Philadelphia had 179. Mahomes had one of the worst halves of his career, 6-of-14 passing for only 33 yards, two picks, and a brutal 10.7 passer rating.
While the Chiefs tried to regroup in the locker room, the halftime show brought some much-needed energy. Kendrick Lamar took the stage, with Samuel L. Jackson kicking things off with a monologue and narrating throughout. Lamar was later joined by SZA and DJ Mustard, hyping up the crowd with a performance of “Not Like Us,” his Grammy-winning hit. The show was one of the biggest talking points of the night, with a very disappointing and lopsided game.
If the Chiefs were hoping to make a second-half comeback, the Eagles shut that down quickly. Philly came out of the locker room and immediately put up 10 more points to make it 34-0. At that point, the game was basically over.
Kansas City finally found some rhythm late in the third quarter and put up a few touchdowns in the fourth, but it was way too little, too late. The Eagles’ defense kept Mahomes under pressure all night, and even when the Chiefs started moving the ball, they couldn’t string together enough stops to make it interesting.
When the clock hit zero, the Eagles had secured a 40-22 win and their first Super Bowl title since 2018.
The Eagles’ offense was led by Jalen Hurts, who put up an impressive performance. Along with throwing for 221 yards, he led the team in rushing with 72 yards on the ground. Despite throwing an early interception, he bounced back and played a smart, efficient game, earning Super Bowl MVP honors.
But to most viewers, Hurts wasn’t the biggest story, the Eagle’s defense was. Philadelphia’s defensive front completely shut down Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense. Led by Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams, the Eagles’ defensive line dominated from start to finish. Despite not facing a single blitz, Mahomes was sacked a career-high six times and was responsible for three turnovers. He threw two first-half interceptions, including the game-changing 38-yard pick-six to rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean.
For the Eagles, this was more than just a Super Bowl victory, it was redemption. After heartbreakingly losing to the Chiefs two years ago, they came into this game with a chip on their shoulder and left no doubt about who was the better team.
“That’s a great football team, and we had to come out and play our best, and we did,” an exuberant Siriani said after the game. “… Let’s run this back.” With a young, talented core, this could be just the beginning of another era of domination for Eagles football.
