The Philadelphia Eagles polished off a remarkable season with a 40-22 pummeling of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night in New Orleans. It was by-the-book domination of the highest order: Philadelphia sacked Patrick Mahomes six times, and while he and the rest of Kansas City’s offense floundered, Jalen Hurts and Co. thrived in record-setting fashion.
The Eagles ultimately captured their fifth NFL championship and second Super Bowl while extracting revenge on the Chiefs, which won this exact matchup two years in Super Bowl LVII. It was defensive domination by coordinator Vic Fangio whose front seven completely overwhelmed Philadelphia’s solid-but-unspectacular offensive line. Mahomes had little time to operate, and when he did, he made two costly mistakes before stringing together a few big plays late in the second half.
In the end, the Eagles prevailed. With a young, talented core returning next season and head coach Nick Sirianni headed for an extension and raise, perhaps it is Philadelphia that will be kicking off a dynasty in the coming years.
Super Bowl LIX winners and losers
Winner: Jalen Hurts
Hurts answered the bell and then some … and certainly shut down the doubters, at least temporarily. The Eagles quarterback went 17-for-22 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and also ran 11 times for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Against a very good and very creative Chiefs defense, Hurts posted 10.0 yards per attempt, the second-most Kansas City has allowed all year. He kept things on track with his arm and his legs, and when the opportunities presented themselves, he also produced explosive plays.
Hurts was confident. He got the ball out quickly and made only one really bad mistake — an early interception when an unblocked blitzer was right in his face — and was rightfully the game’s MVP. People questioned if Hurts could thrive with Saquon Barkley limited, and he did just that.
There’s also something to be said about Hurts’ big-game profile, too. He now has a Super Bowl MVP and one of the best performances by a Super Bowl-losing quarterback (from two years ago), against these very Chiefs. He owns several Super Bowl records, and now he has a ring to go along with it, too.
Winner: Eagles pass rush
Mahomes was under siege from all angles from the very beginning, pressured 16 times and sacked a career-high six times. Philadelphia got 2.5 sacks from Josh Sweat, two from Milton Williams, one from Jordan Davis and one-half from Jalyx Hunt.
But here’s the greatest stat of them all: That happened without Mahomes being blitzed once.
On average, Mahomes took 3.69 seconds to throw, the third-longest average of his career and longest of the season. He was constantly flushed from his spots, and most impressively, when he went into creation mode, the Eagles pass rush was not only disruptive but disciplined, limiting his scrambling and play-extension magic.
Winner: Josh Sweat and Milton Williams’ bank accounts
Sweat returned to the Eagles on a one-year deal and produced a stellar regular season (team-high eight sacks) and then a magnificent Super Bowl. While the 2.5 sacks are nice, his most impactful play was the pressure he forced on Mahomes that led to Zack Baun’s interception. Williams, meanwhile, was one of the most disruptive defensive tackles on a pressure rate basis all year and that showed up once again on the biggest stage. Both Sweat, 27, and Williams, 25, are free agents this offseason, and they’re going to be paid handsomely.
Loser: Patrick Mahomes
There is certainly blame to go around for Kansas City, and we’ll get to it all. But it starts with Mahomes, who looked uncomfortable very early on. The Philadelphia defense and the Kansas City offensive line didn’t help, but within the first few series, you could see Mahomes coming off things quickly, looking jumpy in the pocket and sensing pressure before it even got there. The overall numbers end up looking decent thanks to three touchdowns in the final 16 minutes, but this was a very uncharacteristic Mahomes, one who seemingly resorted to the freestyling play of his college years. The interception back across his body that Cooper DeJean returned for a touchdown is one example.
There were similarities between this loss and the 2021 Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers in that Mahomes’ offensive line was overwhelmed in both. But in the Tampa Bay game, it felt like Mahomes was heroic despite adverse conditions. In Super Bowl LIX, he fell in line with them. Mahomes said that loss to the Buccaneers still haunts him, but this one will surely overtake that.
Winner: Nick Sirianni and the Eagles coaching staff
This time last year, the Eagles were fresh off a stunning collapse. Hurts and Nick Sirianni were seemingly at odds, and there were calls for Sirianni’s job.
What did Sirianni do? He replaced both coordinators — bringing aboard Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio on offense and defense, respectively — and nailed both hires. Moore leaned into a run-heavy offense. Fangio knew exactly how to use the Eagles’ talent to their advantage.
Sirianni is not perfect. The emotions can run hot — he even yelled at his own fans amid a slow start this year — but the NFL is about growth and getting the right people around you. Sirianni grew as a coach and had great, great people around him. That includes both of his coaches as well as …
Winner: Howie Roseman
Saquon Barkley. Josh Sweat. C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Cooper DeJean. Quinyon Mitchell. Zack Baun. Those were all additions this offseason who played huge roles in this triumph. When other teams hemmed and hawed about how much to pay a running back, Roseman saw Barkley as a guy who defies “positional value,” whatever that is. Gardner-Johnson, DeJean, Mitchell and Baun fixed a porous defense. Sweat got a “prove-it” deal and proved it.
Roseman is as aggressive as they come, and when that’s the case, there are going to be some misses. But there are also going to be hits. Roseman has built a consistent winner for the better part of the past decade, and he keeps evolving as necessary. This team overpowered opponents on both sides of the ball, and that’s a testament to a terrific roster.
Loser: Chiefs offensive line
This was a tough one to watch for the Kansas City front. Pro Bowler Joe Thuney, a natural guard who bumped out to left tackle magnificently midseason, allowed four pressures. His replacement at left guard, Mike Caliendo, struggled. At right tackle, Jawaan Taylor struggled. Even the Pro-Bowl center-guard combination of Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith had their hands full and then some. There was pressure from all over the place, and again, this group didn’t face a single blitz. It was a lot of one-on-one losses.
Winner: Free agent and incoming rookie offensive linemen
After the Chiefs lost to the Buccaneers, they added Thuney and Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency and Humphrey and Smith in the draft. Expect them to be active again. Thuney could stay at tackle or bump back inside to guard. Smith and Caliendo are free agents.
Winner: Xavier Worthy
In a game that had few bright spots for the Chiefs, Worthy was absolutely one of them: eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns, the latter two rookie Super Bowl records. Yes, much of that production came in garbage time, but it’s hard not to be excited by those glimpses and, moreover, what Worthy did over the stretch run. From Week 15 onward (including playoffs), Worthy averaged over 76 scrimmage yards and racked up six touchdowns.
Loser: Joe Schoen and the New York Giants
Giants GM Joe Schoen’s decision to not re-sign Barkley looked bad when it happened, worse when it aired on “Hard Knocks,” somehow even worse throughout his record-setting season and now as bad as it gets. Your superstar running back leaves, goes to a rival and immediately wins a Super Bowl? That’s hard to stomach.
Winner: Jake Elliott
It was a very up-and-down season for Jake Elliott. it ended on a major “up.” Elliott made four field goals, tied for most in a single Super Bowl.
Winner: Brandon Graham
Graham somehow returned from a midseason torn triceps and won a Super Bowl in what may be his final game. Does it get better than that?
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Author: Zachary Pereles
February 10, 2025 | 12:50 pm
