By To be the man, you have to beat the man, and the Philadelphia Eagles just announced their arrival as the NFL’s best team by snuffing out the league’s latest dynasty.
The version of the Eagles that showed up and stomped the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX was a football machine running at peak efficiency. The league’s best defense in the regular season put on a performance for the ages, holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense to 275 total yards. At the same time, Jalen Hurts used his legs and his arm to great effect – the Kansas City defense simply had little answer for the star quarterback.
It was as well-rounded of a performance as the Eagles have put up all year. Earlier in the season, Saquon Barkley – the team’s All-Pro running back – carried them when the passing game struggled. Despite having a league-leading defense, the Eagles’ pass rush was middling. They ranked 13th in sacks and dead last in quarterback hurries during the regular season.
On Sunday, the Eagles proved how far they had come from their 2-2 start and why the NFL’s hottest team – the Eagles won 16 of their last 17 games – is now Super Bowl champion.
“Big shoutout to the defense. They came out and set the tone,” Barkley said. “We don’t win that game without them. Offense, we came out. Had a game plan. We knew that the focus would be on the run game, and we took advantage of it. We took advantage of it in the pass game. Jalen came out, played big and it took a team effort. Coaches, everyone in the Eagles organization, it takes all of us.”
It was Hurts that led the team in rushing, not Barkley. He also passed efficiently and effectively. The Eagles’ pass rush absolutely went off, sacking Mahomes six times – the most he’s ever been sacked in a game during his career. Defensive tackle Milton Williams put the cherry on top with a strip sack of Mahomes in the fourth quarter, causing a fumble that allowed the Eagles to put up another field goal and get the party started in earnest.
It was overall the kind of performance that is more than just a championship victory. This was a warning from the Eagles to the rest of the NFL that they are the new measuring stick in the league and showing what they can do to the league’s best teams.
Hurts, the Super Bowl MVP, is just 26 years old. Wide receive DaVonta Smith and AJ Brown are 26 and 27 respectively. Barkley is 28. The offensive line, the league’s best unit this year, is similarly young. Williams and Carter are 25 and 23.
Simply put, this is a young, talented group. It doesn’t seem like they’re going to be going anywhere for a while.
“This is the ultimate team game,” head coach Nick Sirianni said after the game. “You can’t be great without the greatness of others. Great performance by everybody, offense, defense, special teams.”
It was clear from the first time that they stepped on the field: The Eagles defense simply had the Chiefs’ number on Sunday night.
“We were on ‘em right away,” said linebacker Zack Baun. “We really knew we could hang with them, and they couldn’t mess with us.”
Kansas City punted on quick drives five times in the first half, only picking up a single first down. Their other two drives ended in the interceptions that essentially turned the game from a close contest into a laugher.
One offensive series started with two straight sacks of Mahomes by the intense Philly pass rush. Clearly feeling the heat, the three-time Super Bowl champion scrambled out of the pocket on third down and threw across his body toward DeAndre Hopkins. Instead, he found Cooper DeJean and the Eagles cornerback easily found his way down the sideline and into the end zone for a score that stretched the Eagles lead to 17 with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
“Score a touchdown,” DeJean said of the thoughts going through his head. “I was trying to find the fastest way to the end zone. Luckily, I got some blocks out there. I had to avoid some of those big guys, but it was just our defense working together like we have all year. It fell right into my lap.”
A few drives later, the Eagles pass rush paid off again as Josh Sweat pushed his blocker into Mahomes. The collision knocked Mahomes off balance and the ball came out weaker than he intended. Baun made a diving play and the linebacker caught the interception to put the Eagles in position to extend their lead another seven points.
“We were just trying to stay locked in and stay in the moment and not get too overzealous on the way we were playing, because, again, that team is likely coming back in a lot of situations,” Baun said. “But four-man rush was key. We were getting pressure and collapsing the pocket. I was just in coverage and I’m looking and the pocket’s just shrinking onto them. Guys were eating up front for sure.”
It was a complete domination. The Chiefs only racked up 12 first downs, went 3-for-11 on third downs and totaled 275 yards on offense. The six sacks of Mahomes, a historical high on who will surely be considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time when all is said and done.
“After a while, it’s just like – cannot go wrong with us right now,” Sweat said. “I said this is just that day. It’s just who’s it gonna be, that’s all it was.”
All week, the Eagles have seemed incredibly focused. While Chiefs players had been used to the Super Bowl Week limelight and everything that comes with playing in the biggest game of the year, the Eagles were looking for revenge – even if they wouldn’t say so.
“It’s not about revenge. We’re not chasing waterfalls,” said offensive lineman Lane Johnson earlier in the week.
Hurts echoed that sentiment in pregame media meetings: “It’s not about them. It’s always about the work you put in.”
After the game, it was clear: that loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago stuck in their craw and they were eager to get their win back. Wide receiver AJ Brown said the message to the team this week was that they can’t change the loss to the Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl, but they could make it even.
“We knew what to do. We’ve been here before, and we had that sour taste in our mouth,” Brown said. “But you learn what’s important during this week. This is cool, all the media, the family, all that stuff is cool, but we’re here to play a game. We’re here to play the game and make sure that green confetti is falling at the end. So, whatever you have to do to prepare, make sure you lock in. This wasn’t a vacation. We were serious and it showed.”
It was a team that was in New Orleans to take care of business.
Hurts had been cool and calm all week, and that didn’t change during the game Sunday. The Chiefs’ vaunted defensive line caused him no trouble and, aside from one errant pass that turned into an interception in the second quarter, Hurts didn’t put a foot out of line.
His stats were not eye-popping like they were in that loss to the Chiefs in Arizona. He went 17-for-22, passing for 221 yards and running for 72 more. There were no massive runs like the earlier rounds of the playoffs – his biggest scramble was for 17 yards – and he only completed one long pass, a 46-yard bomb to DaVonta Smith for a third-quarter touchdown.
What stood out instead was that the fifth-year quarterback looked like a man on a mission and was ready to do whatever was needed to lead his team to a championship.
“It’s about us and how we approach things and never get too high, never get too low, just process it,” he said. “You have to be able to use these experiences you’ve had in the past because they are formative for the future. I think we’ve been able to do that.”
