Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs were on their way to a record-breaking “three-peat” of Super Bowl wins, after coming out on top in the past two against the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
That dream swiftly crashed to a halt as soon as Jalen Hurts and the Eagles stepped onto the field. From the first minute of the first quarter, the Eagles absolutely dominated the field, a huge contrast from their neck-and-neck game just a couple years ago.
The Chiefs didn’t manage to score until after halftime, where the Eagles were already running away with the score at 24–0, a score that extended to 34-0 before the Chiefs were able to score. Kansas City was continuously shaken by devastating interceptions, including an impressive pick-six from rookie Cooper DeJean.
Philly’s defense rocked the Chiefs’ offensive line all night, with a record-breaking six sacks on Mahomes, constantly preventing him from gaining momentum from first downs.
Hurts was the face of poise throughout the game, displaying remarkable composure in the pocket. This is largely thanks to Philly’s offensive line refusing to let up on Kansas City all game, giving Hurts ample time to make his many extraordinary passes throughout the night.
“I’d say I’m pretty happy about the outcome. I really just don’t like Mahomes,” sophomore Peyton Hill said. “And I wanted Zach Bryan to drop more music for the Eagles win.”
Although the Eagles dominated the entire night, a huge surprise was Saquon Barkley, MVP nominee, not having his best night. While he wasn’t awful, he had few breakthrough runs, and Jalen Hurts managed to lead in rushing yards over the star running back.
The biggest issue for the Chiefs was their offensive line. Mahomes, while not making the smartest passing decisions and holding onto the ball too long, was not given nearly enough time to find open receivers and make decisions with the football.
“I really think the Chiefs were in their heads and convinced they weren’t going to win from the start, and it messed them up a little,” Hill said.
Additionally, star tight end Travis Kelce only had four receptions all game and struggled with drops throughout, a significant contrast from his usual performance. But unlike Kelce, Kansas City rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy excelled throughout the game, when the Chiefs’ offensive line was able to let Mahomes throw the ball. Worthy, at 157 receiving yards, has the most for a rookie receiver in Super Bowl history.
But Worthy seemed to be the only Kansas City player that shined last night. The real stars of the show were Jalen Hurts and the entire Philadelphia defense for the unrelenting whittling down of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I’m pretty happy that the Chiefs were humbled, really just because I hate Mahomes’ ego,” Hill said. “And I don’t like the morals of a lot of the team members.”
While this may not have been the most interesting Super Bowl, ending at 40-22, there’s certainly no controversy (as in the last Philly-KC matchup) on whether or not the Eagles deserved this win. And in true Philly fashion, light poles are torn down, fires were set and Eagles fans are as delightfully obnoxious as ever.
