The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs squared off in Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans last weekend. These two titans of the NFL carried many storylines along with them entering this game. The Chiefs were looking to complete the three-peat and tight end Travis Kelce was possibly playing his last NFL game. For the Eagles, many were looking at star running back Saquon Barkley, believing he would be a key part and the main contributor to an Eagles victory.
In regards to the game itself, the storylines that were so heavily covered and reported didn’t quite match up to the results. To start, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs played one of, if not the worst, first half in Super Bowl History. The offense amassed only 23 yards, Mahomes turned the ball over two times and the defending champs were down 24-0 at halftime. If you told Eagles fans that they would be up 24-0 at halftime, they would probably assume that Barkley had a monster half; however, the star running back only ran for 31 yards on twelve carries. Instead, it was quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia defense that shined in the first half and for the entire game. Hurts started the scoring with the signature “tush push” from one yard out. After a field goal that put Philadelphia up 10-0, the Eagles’ star rookie defensive back, Cooper Dejean, lurked Mahomes, intercepting the ball and returning it 38 yards to the house to put the Birds up 17. Hurts would continue his efficient day right before half with a touchdown pass to AJ Brown.
The second half followed a similar script to the first. The Eagles continued their dominance throughout the half and it got to a point where Head Coach Nick Sirianni decided to pull his starters from the game. Yes, Kenny Pickett, the backup Quarterback for the Eagles, was taking snaps in the Super Bowl.
Hurts’ stellar performance awarded him with the Super Bowl MVP. His final line was 17/22 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. With that being said, it would be a disservice to not mention the amazing job the Eagles’ defense did, particularly the defensive line. They sacked Mahomes six times despite running zero blitz plays.
Pure dominance by the Eagles’ defense and efficient offense carried Philadelphia to a 40-22 Super Bowl victory over Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.