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NEW ORLEANS — This time they left no room for a comeback.
The Philadelphia Eagles waited two years to avenge a Super Bowl defeat by the Kansas City Chiefs.
On Sunday, there was no way they were going to let Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending champion Chiefs do it again.
Dynasty?
The Eagles derailed it by dominating the Chiefs in a 40-22 victory before 65,719 in Super Bowl LIX at the Superdome.
“The message was that we can’t rewrite history or do nothing about the past,” receiver A.J. Brown said, “but we can make it even. The guys came with that mindset, and didn’t let up.”
Eagles players celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Chiefs. (Athan Atsales / Los Angeles Times)
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. Saquon Barkley set a single-season record for rushing yardage and the Eagles’ defense sacked Mahomes six times and forced two turnovers.
Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean returned an interception for a touchdown and linebacker Zack Baun’s interception set up a touchdown pass from Hurts to Brown as the Eagles raced to a 24-0 halftime lead en route to their first Super Bowl victory since the 2017 season.
That Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots will forever be remembered for quarterback Nick Foles’ touchdown catch on the “Philly Special” trick play.
Behind a dominant defensive performance that shut down Patrick Mahomes, the Philadelphia Eagles proved they are great enough to derail a Super Bowl dynasty.
No trickery was required Sunday.
On a night when Kendrick Lamar wowed the crowd at halftime with a set that included his monster hit “Not Like Us,” the Eagles showed there was no team like them.
“This is the ultimate team game. You can’t be great without the greatness of others,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Great performance by everybody — offense, defense, special teams. We didn’t really ever care what anyone thought about how we won, or their opinions. All we want to do is win.”
Their 18-point margin of victory was the largest in a Super Bowl since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Chiefs 31-9 in 2021.
After the Eagles were eliminated in the wild-card round last season, Sirianni fired both coordinators and hired Kellen Moore to oversee the offense and Vic Fangio to run the defense.
The moves, which paid huge dividends during the season, reached their apex on Sunday.
Hurts, who rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another in the Super Bowl two years ago, outplayed Mahomes. He passed for 221 yards, with an interception, and rushed for 72 yards.
“Offense was able to score points and take advantage of opportunities just enough to put points on the board,” Hurts said. “And then defense, the defense played their ass off. They played the way they played all year. I truly believe offenses win games but defenses win championships. And how that defense has been able to play, it’s a great testament to them.”
Barkley did not break off a long touchdown run, but the NFL offensive player of the year celebrated his 28th birthday by rushing for 57 yards in 25 carries. The effort pushed his season total, including playoffs, to 2,504 yards, breaking the record 2,476 yards set by Denver’s Terrell Davis in 1998.
“It was a hell of a year,” said Barkley, who spent his first six seasons playing for the New York Giants. “All the numbers and stats and records is cool but all the best thing is being able to hold that Lombardi Trophy.”
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is named the MVP of Super Bowl LIX two years after a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
Fangio’s defense played a pivotal role by never letting up.
With tackle Jalen Carter disrupting the middle, edge rusher Josh Sweat sacked Mahomes 2½ times. Milton Williams had two sacks for a pass rush that pressured Mahomes into uncharacteristic mistakes.
“Vic just gives us the call — we don’t question it,” Sweat said. “He puts in a position to make the play. I mean, I don’t know how he does it. We just run it. All we’ve got to do is play with great effort and technique and he’ll get it done.”
Mahomes completed 21 of 32 passes for 257 yards and three late touchdowns with the two interceptions. He rushed for 25 yards.
“They played better than us from start to finish,” Mahomes said. “We didn’t start how we wanted to. Obviously, the turnovers hurt. I take all the blame for that ... It’s hard to come back from that being in a Super Bowl. I just didn’t play to my standard, and have to be better next time.”
From the moment actor Bradley Cooper introduced them coming out of the tunnel before the game to the moment green and white confetti showered the field, the Eagles appeared in control.
When Eagles defensive back Avonte Maddox broke up a fourth-down pass late in the third quarter, and Hurts followed with a 46-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, Eagles fans heartily began belting their fight song, “Fly Eagles Fly” echoing through the stadium.
Mahomes finally answered with a pair of touchdown passes to Xavier Worthy, but it wasn’t enough for Mahomes to join Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks to win four or more Super Bowls.
It was a disappointing finish for a Chiefs team that was trying to win a fourth Super Bowl in six years and become the first team to win three in a row.
Two years ago, the Chiefs defeated the Eagles with a last-second field goal in Glendale, Ariz. Last year, they beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime in Las Vegas to become the first team since the Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons to win back-to-back Super Bowls.
But the Eagles ended coach Andy Reid’s shot at a three-peat.
“They all hurt when you get to this level and things happen, three-peat aside or any of that stuff,” Reid said, lamenting his team’s turnovers and penalties. “You get this far and you don’t play the way you want to, it hurts.”
The victory capped a dominant season for the Eagles.
Check out the game summary from the Eagles’ win.
It did not start particularly strong: They were 2-2 going into their open date.
However they came back from the break and won 10 games in a row before suffering a 36-33 defeat by the Washington Commanders on Dec. 22, a game during which Hurts suffered a concussion that sidelined him until the playoffs.
The Eagles won their final two games and then defeated the Green Bay Packers, Rams and Commanders to advance to the Super Bowl for another shot at the Chiefs.
This time, they finished the job.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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