In the midst of this past NFL season, the possibility of the Kansas City Chiefs “three-peating” felt inevitable.
After all, the last-minute finishes, the extremely questionable calls, and all the camera pans to Taylor Swift, everything seemed to once again be going the way of the Chiefs as it has for the past two years.
But then, flew in a flock of Philadelphia Eagles, with the perfect defensive game plan to definitively shut down quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, dominating Kansas City in Super Bowl 59, 40-22. It marks the Eagles’ second ever Super Bowl in franchise history and redeems their 38-35 Super Bowl loss two years ago.
It was the first time since 2021 that Mahomes was definitively shut down. When facing Tom Brady as he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55, Mahomes faced an unstoppable defensive line keen on pressuring the quarterback. He was held to only nine points on that nightmarish Sunday.
From the jump, the Eagles were blitzing Mahomes as if there were no tomorrow, causing Mahomes to crumble under the pressure. He frantically danced within the throwing pocket, and with no time to go through his progressions, Mahomes was either dropped or committed game defining mistakes.
At the start of the second quarter, it seemed as though Kansas City had Philadelphia where they wanted them down 10-0, as every prior championship won by the Chiefs had come off a 10-point comeback.
Yet, instead of making a spectacular play like one would expect from the three-time champ, Mahomes this time threw a back bending interception to Eagles rookie, and coincidentally birthday boy, Cooper Dejean, who took it back to the house for a pick-six.
Kansas City never recovered after that moment and went into the locker room with a staggering zero points. The superstar quarterback threw for a mere 33 yards and two interceptions.
Philadelphia’s replication of the 2020 Buccaneers’ defensive game plan was working, and just like the Tampa Bay squad, the Eagles offensively drained the clock and controlled time of possession. Surprisingly, it wasn’t attributed to the Philadelphia run game, as MVP nominee Saquon Barkley only put up 57 total yards through the ground
The Eagles offensively clicked because of Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts’ demeanor during drives. Hurts completed 77% of his passes, he threw for over 200 yards, and two touchdowns. He made good decisions, rarely missed his targets, and had great control over the game clock.
Plus, it doesn’t ‘Hurt’ Philadelphia that their man under center only needs a ‘brotherly shove’ or ‘tush push’ to score touchdowns. Simply put, Jalen Hurts proved his critics wrong. Throughout the season, he was accused of being carried by potent rushing attacks and the league’s number one defense.
“I never said it bothered me,” Hurts said post-game. “I accepted it for what it was. I found a thrill in it.”
The mantra of proving the doubters wrong was an emotion carried by Philadelphia players, and coaches, specifically Nick Sirianni. After a 2-2 start to the season, and a blowout loss to the Bucs, petitions flooded online calling for the firing of Sirianni. The relationship between the head coach and Eagles fans was so heated that Sirianni got into a shouting match with fans in the final seconds of a win against the Cleveland Browns.
Now, Sirianni enters his final year on contract with Philadelphia, and will adorn a shiny ring in the renegotiation process.
As for the Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce’s future in Kansas City may be uncertain. He’s now 35 years old and had career lows in receiving yards and touchdowns this past season. Kelce signed a contract in 2024 with the Chiefs that lasts until 2027, but after an abysmal Super Bowl performance that saw him post a woeful four receptions and 39 yards, the Chiefs might want to rethink their investments.
The hopes that Kansas City held off becoming the first NFL franchise to win three consecutive Super Bowls were crushed by Philadelphia, and for the first time in a long time, the future’s uncertain for the Chiefs, and even Mahomes.
One thing, however, is certain, across America the dismantled dynasty is being celebrated.
Be careful, though. Last time we saw something fresh in the NFL was the, then beloved, Chiefs winning Super Bowl 54 in Miami. With the youth and talent held by the Philadelphia Eagles, we might’ve just seen the birth of a new NFL dynasty.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is the multimedia editor for the Prospector and can be reached at [email protected] or Instagram and X @sebastianpn8, and on LinkedIn @sebastianperez-navarro.
