Super Bowl LIX Recap: Eagles’ Defense Stifles Chiefs in 40-22 Victory

Super Bowl LIX has been won by the Eagles!

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs faced off for the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in three seasons, and the latest game was just a complete and utter dominance from the Eagles. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were trying to make NFL history by becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowl titles, but the Philadelphia Eagles had another plan.

Here are some of the game’s highlights.

How the Eagles Routed Patrick Mahomes

Experts and fans alike would say that the Eagles exploited and overpowered the Chiefs’ tackles and that’s for a good reason. Returning to the last time Fangio coached against an Andy Reid-led offence, it was an exciting wild card round last season. Fangio, who experts usually say is a conservative coach, turned up the heat without his star edge rushers. The coordinator blitzed Mahomes on over 50% of the QB’s dropbacks. In short, it didn’t end well.

But the Eagles didn’t blitz once in this year’s Super Bowl. Fangio rushed four players 39 times and three players 3 times. Because of this, the Eagles managed to pressure Mahomes early. This resulted in them sacking Mahomes six times with a four-man rush, which has never happened to the future Hall of Famer.

Besides hoping the offensive line would deal with it, the Chiefs never had a solution for pass rushes. Despite the Latest NFL lines suggesting they are slight favourites, they spent most of the game blocking five linemen before mixing in running backs and tight ends, which didn’t help. They also tried moving the launch point for Mahomes by using scrambles, which led to a pick-six by DeJean.

Jalen Hurts as MVP

Jalen Hurts had an amazing game in this year’s Super Bowl. This would’ve been easy to see for fans and a logical choice for the game’s MVP. However, some experts would disagree. They say that the award should’ve gone to a defensive player because the Eagles’ defense is the story of this game.

The Eagles’ defense was a dominant presence in the game and they had managed to constantly pressure Patrick Mahomes. The way the Eagles swarmed him and kept him off balance was a sight to see and what ultimately gave the Eagles the lead.

Don’t get it wrong, however. Jalen Hurts was great during the game. He was 17 of 22 for all 221 yards and two touchdowns. However, regardless of his contribution, the game won because of the Eagles’ defense.

The Chiefs Let the Tackle Problem Linger

This loss can be looked back on in week 2. The Chiefs entered the season with a second-year lineman, Wanya Morris, and the rookie, Kingsley Suamataia, and had them compete with each other for a starting job of protecting Mahomes’ blind side at left tackle. Of course, Suamataia has won the competition and got the job. However, after struggling with the Bengals, the Chiefs benched in exchange for Morris.

Sometimes, Suamataia got meaningful snaps and was substituted when Morris got injured. But even then, Morris was a problem filling in for Donovan Smith in 2023, and Suamataia won the camp battle. That said, Smith was still a free agent but never signed anywhere. However, the Chiefs decided to hold the line.

Eagles’ Aggression Pays Off

When everyone expected the Eagles to run the ball and grind the clock, they surprised everyone, especially the Chiefs, and decided to go for it aggressively. And, of course, Jalen Hurts delivered magnificently. He threw a 48-yard pass down the field to an open DeVonta Smith for a touchdown and a 34-0 lead.

On the Eagles’ previous drive, which turned out to be a field goal, they bullied their way and took 6 minutes off the clock. However, Nick Sirianni is naturally an aggressive coach, and he wants to have a huge lead against the Chiefs whenever possible.

Because of that, it was game over for the Chiefs even way before the fourth quarter. That DeVonta touchdown was the deciding blow. The experts said Jalen Hurts was so protected during that throw that it was all down to the trenches. The Chiefs’ pass rush has been nonexistent, and their offensive line is killing Patrick Mahomes’ play style offensively. 

Final Words

Philadelphia’s win over the Chiefs will be remembered as one of the most dominant victories in recent memory. The defensive front completely overwhelmed Patrick Mahomes, while Jalen Hurts took over the offensive front. While some may debate the MVP choice for the game, there’s no question that Philadelphia’s defense set the game’s tone from start to finish. Ultimately, the Eagles amazingly took the Lombardi Trophy.