It is said that you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. This is the situation the Kansas City Chiefs found themselves in leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Once a group led by a young, relatively unknown quarterback named Patrick Mahomes going up against the decades-long dynasty of the New England Patriots, the Chiefs now find themselves on the other end of the spectrum. That young quarterback is now a two-time league MVP, leading a team that has won three out of the past five championships. The Chiefs were the National Football League (NFL)’s version of Star Wars’ Galactic Empire—a powerful regime on a quest to conquer the league yet again. This year, Kansas City was trying to do something unprecedented: Win three Super Bowls in a row.
In an era where the players’ lives off the field can take the forefront (especially star tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with musical superstar Taylor Swift), the Chiefs’ regular season trudged along without much fanfare. While they won an American Football Conference (AFC)-best 15 games across the regular season, questions arose about their offence, as they never managed to score 30 or more points in a game. This problem was exacerbated against the Eagles’ number-one-ranked defence, who had given opposing offensive lineups problems throughout the year.
Philadelphia had generated 1.9 turnovers per game in the 2024 regular season—a league-best— and its defence had only given up 278 yards per game in the 2024 regular season—33 yards fewer than the second-place Tennessee Titans. To put this in perspective, the gap between first and second in this statistic was as large as the gap between second and 23rd ranked teams. The Eagles also had a little extra motivation as Kansas City had bested them in Super Bowl LVII two years prior. The unstoppable force of the Chiefs and their dynastic power would meet the immovable object of Philadelphia’s staunch defence on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.
Fans expecting a back-and-forth battle much like the first Super Bowl meeting between the two squads were quickly corrected. From the outset of the game, the Kansas City offence seemed completely outmatched by the Eagles’ defence. Mahomes was sacked six times throughout the game, the highest total of his career. Amazingly, Philadelphia did not blitz a single time in the game. They were able to generate pressure on the quarterback through simple three- or four-man pass rush schemes. Mahomes also threw two picks, including a first-half pick-six to rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean (on his birthday no less), which made the score 17-0 and swung the momentum of the game decisively in the Eagles’ favour. Mahomes finished the first half with a career-low 33 yards and a paltry 43 per cent completion rate.
When Eagles quarterback and eventual Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts threw a 46-yard laser to DeVonta Smith for a touchdown to make it 34-0, the game was all but over. Two consolation touchdown catches from Chiefs rookie wideout Xavier Worthy, who finished with 157 yards, did nothing to sway the end result. The Eagles were so confident that they gave Head Coach Nick Sirianni a celebratory “Gatorade bath” with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs’ offensive problems, which had popped up throughout the regular season, emerged at the worst time possible. Their inability to move the ball down the field and generate points, coupled with their relative ineffectiveness on the defensive side, spelled disaster and the end of their hunt for a historic three-peat.
The Eagles now face some big decisions to make in the offseason, as multiple key defensive players will be hitting the free agency market looking for the big payday they deserve, including defensive end Josh Sweat and linebacker Zack Baun. As the green and white confetti fell in New Orleans, however, this was the last thing on anyone’s mind. For now, the Eagles and their fans can revel in the fact that they are Super Bowl champions.
