The Eagles jumped on the Chiefs early and never looked back in an emphatic Super Bowl beating.
There will be no three-peat for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the Super Bowl champions after shutting down the Chiefs in a 40-22 romp that was somehow not remotely close as the score indicated. It was a virtuoso display by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s group, earning him his first Super Bowl in his decorated career, while offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s potential farewell saw his quarterback Jalen Hurts turn in an efficient performance on his way to game MVP. Something tells me head coach Nick Sirianni’s job is not going to be under scrutiny any time soon.
This was a history-setting game for the Eagles on multiple fronts, both for the Super Bowl win and the context of their outstanding postseason.
The Eagles are officially dynasty deniers
There have been seven Super Bowl champions who have won against the reigning champion. The Eagles are the first team to record multiple Super Bowl victories against repeat (or, in the Chiefs’ case, three-peat) seeking teams.
Philadelphia’s only other Super Bowl win was a 41-33 upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 53 back in 2018. Nick Foles’ stunning performance won him MVP honors and thwarted the Patriots’ repeat efforts. Ironically, it was the Eagles the Patriots bested in Super Bowl 39 to get their only repeat during their two dynastic championship runs.
The Eagles got unprecedented revenge in the rematch
Eagles vs. Chiefs was only the the fourth Super Bowl rematch between the same head coach and quarterback combos. The previous three rematches were all sweeps:
- Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw’s Pittsburgh Steelers swept Tom Landry and Roger Staubach’s Cowboys in the 1970s;
- Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman’s Dallas Cowboys hammered Marv Levy and Jim Kelly’s Buffalo Bills in back-to-back season in the 1990s;
- Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning’s New York Giants pulled off a pair of upsets against Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in 2007 and 2011 seasons
Andy Reid also twice beat Kyle Shanahan when the Chiefs bested the San Francisco 49ers in the 2020 and 2024 Super Bowls, but the Niners had Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy as their respective starting quarterbacks.
Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts came up just short against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 57. They got their revenge and then some in New Orleans.
Jalen Hurts broke his own Super Bowl record
One of the few things that went right for the Chiefs was containing superstar running back Saquon Barkley, who only had 57 yards on 25 carries and no rushes longer than 10 yards. They had no answers for the mobility of Jalen Hurts, who rushed for 70 yards in the Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs two seasons ago and topped his own mark on Sunday with 72 yards and a ‘tush push’ score.
Hurts joins Patrick Mahomes (Super Bowl 58) and Steve Young (Super Bowl 29) as the only quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl by leading the team in passing yards and rushing yards. He’s also the fourth quarterback to lose his debut Super Bowl and win any of his subsequent appearances, alongside Hall of Famers Len Dawson, Bob Griese, and John Elway.
Patrick Mahomes was dealt the largest deficit of his illustrious career
Garbage time flattered the Chiefs, who were the NFL embodiment of the Chris Paul meme. It was 24-0 at the half and 34-0 in the third quarter and 40-6 in the fourth quarter. The 34-point deficit was the biggest of Patrick Mahomes’ career, breaking the previous mark of 24 points when the Chiefs lost 27-3 to the Tennessee Titans during the 2021 season.
Mahomes was harassed and off his game from the start. He threw two bad interceptions, both of which led to touchdowns, and was clobbered on a strip-sack fumble for his third and final turnover of the game. At halftime his passer rating was 10.9, the lowest of his career. The six sacks Mahomes took were one shy of tying the Super Bowl record.
It was a personal victory for Vic Fangio, who was 0-7 lifetime against Mahomes as either a defensive coordinator (0-1 with the Miami Dolphins) or as head coach (0-6 with the Denver Broncos). The eighth time was the charm, and he ruined the Chiefs offense without dialing up a single blitz all game.
The Eagles scored the most points in a single NFL postseason
Philadelphia started the playoffs somewhat laboring its way to 22 points against the Green Bay Packers. The next three games saw the Eagles score a combined 123 points. Their 145 points is the most in a single postseason in NFL history, breaking the previous mark set by the 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers, who scored 131 but in one fewer game.
By scoring 55 points in the NFC Championship and 40 in the Super Bowl, the Eagles became the first team to ever score at least 40 points in both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl.
It’s perhaps fitting that just one year after the stunning late-season collapse that cost the Eagles the NFC East title and a quick Wild Card exit, they saved their best for last this postseason and steamrolled their way to their second Lombardi Trophy.
