Patrick Mahomes had gone 297 straight passes without an interception. Cooper DeJean ended that run in the second quarter of Super Bowl LIX, on his 22nd birthday, and took the ball back 38 yards for a touchdown. It made the score 17-0 to Philadelphia. By the end of the night in New Orleans it was 40-22, and the Kansas City Chiefs had missed out on a third straight title.
No team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. The Chiefs had taken three of the previous five, and they were favoured by 1.5 points going in. They were never close to it. By the second half BetMGM had the Eagles ahead by 29.5 on the live line.
The defence did the damage
Vic Fangio’s unit sacked Mahomes six times, the most of his career, with Josh Sweat credited with two and a half. Fangio did not call a single blitz. Zack Baun intercepted Mahomes late in the second quarter, and Philadelphia led 24-0 at the break. Mahomes had been 8-0 against Fangio’s defences before Sunday.
“Defense wins championships,” Jalen Hurts said. “They gave us opportunities, gave us short fields.”
Hurts was named MVP. He passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns, one a 12-yarder to A.J. Brown, the other a perfect 46-yard throw to DeVonta Smith that made it 34-0 late in the third quarter. He also ran for 72 yards and a score on a tush push, with Saquon Barkley helping to shove him over from the 1. Barkley himself finished with 57 yards, just enough to pass Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards in a season, playoffs included. Kicker Jake Elliott, shaky for much of the year, made his first eight kicks.
Kansas City comes alive late
Travis Kelce did not catch a pass until late in the third quarter, with Taylor Swift watching from a suite. Xavier Worthy scored from 24 yards out to avoid a shutout, and the two-point try failed. Worthy added another touchdown, and DeAndre Hopkins caught one with 2:54 left. Worthy finished with eight catches for 157 yards. It was far too late. Nick Sirianni took a yellow Gatorade bath with 2:52 to go, and backup Kenny Pickett was already taking snaps.
The first penalty of the game drew its own argument. A 32-yard pass from Hurts to Brown on fourth-and-2 was wiped out for offensive pass interference. Tom Brady, now a Fox analyst, and officiating analyst Mike Pereira both disagreed with the call. The week had been full of talk that officials favour the Chiefs, a theory NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called “ridiculous”.
Sirianni, who had been mocked by fans chanting “Fire Nick!” in October, said the team never cared what people thought. “All we want to do is win,” he said. “This is the ultimate team game.”
It is the Eagles’ second Super Bowl title. The Packers remain the only NFL team to win three in a row, which they did in 1929-31 and 1965-67, though that was before the Super Bowl era. Kelce has not said whether he will retire. Mahomes said he would give him the time to decide. “We love that guy.”
Sources
- The Latest: Eagles spoil Chiefs' three-peat bid, win Super Bowl 40-22
- Eagles soar, deny Chiefs' 3-peat bid in 40-22 Super Bowl rout
- The Latest: Eagles spoil Chiefs' three-peat bid, win Super Bowl 40-22
