Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles defense dominate Super Bowl LIX to deny Kansas City Chiefs history

NEW ORLEANS – This was supposed to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ shining moment, their chance to become the greatest dynasty of the Super Bowl era.

The Philadelphia Eagles did not care.

In an NFL postseason shocker Sunday night, the Eagles dominated the Chiefs from start to finish, winning Super Bowl LIX 40-22 and denying the Chiefs their third consecutive Super Bowl victory.

Pursuing the historic Super Bowl three-peat, Kansas City was favored entering the game. Shortly after the opening kickoff, it was obvious that Las Vegas got this one wrong.

The Eagles’ coaches and players all delivered in dominating the Chiefs. They were a step ahead of the Chiefs in both their game plan and their execution. Simply put, the team with the NFL’s best roster showed it.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts clearly outplayed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which doesn’t happen often, especially at this time of the year. En route to winning his first Super Bowl MVP award, Hurts had 221 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also had 72 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown.

What Mahomes hoped would be the finest hour for the Chiefs became their worst nightmare since their last Super Bowl defeat – a 31-9 blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. Just as in that game, the Chiefs’ offensive front was overmatched.

Under duress all game, Mahomes was sacked six times and completed 21 of 32 passes for 257 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also had two costly interceptions that helped the Eagles blow open the game before halftime. Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy finished with eight receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns. His 24-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter gave the Chiefs their first points.

But with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter, Hurts slammed the door on the Chiefs’ comeback hopes. He delivered a perfect deep pass to wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who beat Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson, for a 46-yard touchdown. The Eagles had a 34-0 lead and Hurts was enjoying the signature moment of his career.

After facing criticism about his passing all season, Hurts continued to do what he does well: win. He improved to 46-20 in his regular-season career and 6-3 in the playoffs. And now, Hurts is also a Super Bowl winner. Although the Chiefs limited Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to 57 yards on 25 carries, the NFL’s leading rusher still became the league’s all-time rushing leader for one season. During the regular season and postseason combined, the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year had 2,504 rushing yards (2,005 regular season; 499 postseason). Barkley moved into the top spot ahead of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, who totaled 2,476 rushing yards for the Denver Broncos in 1998.

In analyzing the Eagles’ overall improvement from last season, the addition of longtime defensive coordinator Vic Fangio cannot be overstated. During the regular season, the Eagles gave up the fewest passing yards in the league and were second in points per game. Their strong performance continued throughout the NFC playoffs and into the Super Bowl.

The Eagles’ defensive line overwhelmed the Chiefs’ offensive line. That was the biggest factor in the Eagles racing to an overwhelming 24-0 halftime lead. At that point, the game was all but over.

With 1:35 remaining in the first half, the Chiefs had only 14 yards on 17 plays. That’s a 0.8-yard average. For those who may be new to the game of football, well, that’s not good. The Chiefs finished with the opening half with 23 net yards on 20 plays, which actually increased their yards per play average to 1.2.

Mahomes was sacked three times in the opening half, and Philadelphia’s pressure played major roles in his two interceptions. On the first, Mahomes scrambled to his right to avoid pressure. On a pass, nickleback Cooper DeJean caught the ball in stride and returned it 38 yards to help the Eagles take a 17-0 lead with 7:03 to play in the second quarter.

Reeling, the Chiefs got the ball back on their 6-yard line with 1:49 to go before halftime. Left tackle Joe Thuney has performed admirably since moving from left guard late in the season to stabilize the position. But he struggled in the Super Bowl. In pass protection, Thuney was pushed back into Mahomes, who couldn’t complete his follow through. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun intercepted the pass. On the ensuing possession, Hurts connected with A.J. Brown for a 12-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The Eagles left the field with a 24-0 lead. The Chiefs left stunned.

After defeating the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII to become the NFL’s first back-to-back champions since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005, the Chiefs set their sights on an elusive Super Bowl three-peat.

In the Super Bowl era, which began in 1967, nine teams have won consecutive titles (the Pittsburgh Steelers accomplished the feat twice). The Chiefs are the first such team to return to the Super Bowl a third consecutive season. The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1990-91 San Francisco 49ers and 1994-95 Dallas Cowboys reached their conference championship games the season after becoming back-to-back champions.

By returning to the NFL’s biggest stage a season after winning consecutive Super Bowl championships, the Chiefs accomplished more than the previous teams to earn that distinction.

Of course, that’s of no solace to the Chiefs.

Kansas City entered the season focused on breaking new ground in the Super Bowl era. It overcame major injuries and problems at left tackle to earn the top seeding throughout the AFC playoffs. In the AFC Championship Game, it defeated the Buffalo Bills to become the first team to reach the Super Bowl five times in six seasons.

Indeed, yet again while being led by head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes, the Chiefs accomplished a lot. But because of the Eagles, the Chiefs failed to accomplish what was most important to them.

The story of the Eagles’ season is compelling, too.

A season after suffering a late collapse that appeared to leave much in doubt about head coach Nick Sirianni’s status, Philadelphia won the NFC Championship and returned to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. The Chiefs won the teams’ Super Bowl LVII matchup, 38-35. This time, the Eagles made the winning plays.

Throughout the season, Barkley powered the Eagles.

Simply put, the Eagles’ signing of Barkley proved to be the second-best acquisition of a free agent in NFL history, trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ signing of quarterback Tom Brady in March of 2020. Drafted in the first round by the New York Giants (second overall) in the 2018 draft, Barkley was the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time Pro Bowler with the Giants.

Barkley remained within the NFC East in joining the Giants’ division rival, and he became only the ninth player in NFL history to reach 2,000 rushing yards during the regular season. Needing 100 yards to tie Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105), Barkley joined the Eagles’ other starters and sat out their regular-season finale against the Giants to rest in advance of the playoffs.

Entering Philadelphia’s Week 5 bye, Sirianni made a major move on offense, deciding to rely more on Barkley. Wise decision: The Eagles won 10 straight en route to producing a 14-3 record. For his efforts, Barkley was selected the AP Offensive Player of the Year.

Sirianni’s shift in philosophy, however, was roundly perceived to be bad for Hurts. After finishing second in the AP MVP voting during the season in which the Eagles previously reached the Super Bowl, Hurts had not been as effective passing the past two seasons. This season, Hurts overcame a concussion and a knee injury he suffered in the Eagles’ divisional round victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Longtime Eagles observers cited Hurts’ performance among the factors in the team’s 2023-24 collapse. They lost six of their final seven games, including in the NFC wild-card round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who’s one of the best in his line of work, strengthened the roster in the offseason. This time, Philadelphia had what it needed to outlast Kansas City.