The Eagles made it look easy in the ‘Big Easy’.
The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions for the second time in their franchise’s history after a dominant performance in a 40-22 rout over the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. The win is the first for the quarterback-coaching duo of Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni after they lost in heartbreaking fashion, 38-35, in Super Bowl LVII against the Chiefs. With the loss, Kansas City falls short in their quest for the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
“This is the ultimate team game. You can’t be great without the greatness of others. Great performance by everybody — offense, defense, special teams,” coach Sirianni said. “We didn’t really ever care what anyone thought about how we won, or their opinions. All we want to do is win.”
With Donald Trump becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outplayed Kansas City in every stage of the game, delighting a raucous pro-Philly crowd that celebrated each score with a familiar rendition of “Fly! Eagles! Fly!”
Even artist Taylor Swift’s presence could not help the Chiefs. They lost for the first time in 10 games this season with the pop superstar in a suite watching boyfriend Travis Kelce, who did not catch a pass until late in the third quarter when the game was already decided.
“Today was a rough day all around. Nothing went right. I didn’t coach well. Proud of our guys for fighting. We will learn from this,” coach Andy Reid said. “Too many turnovers, too many penalties. Against a good football team, can’t do that.”
Embed from Getty ImagesA brilliant night from Vic Fangio and the Eagles’ stifling defense and an efficient, poised evening by Hurts was the catalyst for Philadelphia’s second Super Bowl title in franchise history. The Eagles held the Chiefs to 225 total yards and forced three characteristic turnovers, including a second-quarter Cooper DeJean interception that he returned to the house for a touchdown.
Hurts, who was named Super Bowl MVP and became only the third quarterback to win a national championship and a Super Bowl joining Joe Montana and Joe Namath, finished the night 17-of-22 for 221 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 72 yards, a new Super Bowl record for a quarterback and a Tush Push rushing touchdown. Saquon Barkley had 97 total yards from scrimmage, with 57 on the ground on 31 touches.
“Defense wins championships,” Hurts said. “We saw how they played today. We saw the difference they made in the game. They gave us opportunities, gave us short fields. And we’re able to do what we do.”
Patrick Mahomes might have had the worst game of his career, even though his numbers look respectable, throwing for 257 yards and three scores, the majority of that was empty calories in garbage time once the Eagles had the game well in hand, along with two interceptions including a pick six and a lost fumble. He is now 3-2 in five career Super Bowl starts.
“We didn’t start how we wanted to. The turnovers hurt. I take all the blame for that,” Mahomes said. “I didn’t play to my standard.”
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots could not finish the job. The Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s were legendary teams but suffered the same fate as well. The 1980s San Francisco 49ers and 1990s Dallas Cowboys were NFL royalty, but their streaks were halted at two Super Bowls in a row.
There have been 59 Super Bowls played and still no team has won three of them consecutively. The Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat starts over at zero after they were thoroughly outplayed by the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX. It was one of the most lop-sided games in Super Bowl history, which was stunning given the stature of the Chiefs coming in.
The Green Bay Packers led by Bart Starr is the only NFL team to win three championships in a row, doing it from 1929-31 and 1965-67 before the AFL/NFL merger.
The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neill, are the last team in the major American professional leagues to win three straight titles.
