Chiefs-Eagles in Super Bowl LIX: What We Learned from Philadelphia's 40-22 win

FULL BOX SCORE

• RE-WATCH: Chiefs-Eagles on NFL+ Premium
• READ: Eagles QB Hurts named Super Bowl LIX MVP with 3-TD night
• READ: Battista: Mahomes owns poor Super Bowl performance
• READ: Chadiha: Graham says SB LVII loss fueled Eagles in blowout
• READ: Saquon sets single-season rushing record (including playoffs)
• READ: Chiefs TE Kelce sets Super Bowl-catch record in defeat
• READ: Who should SB LIX champion Eagles face to kick off '25?
• READ: Social media reacts to Eagles’ SB LIX win over Chiefs

NEW ORLEANS --

1. Eagles' trench warriors lead way. The last time the Eagles were in the Super Bowl, they brought a vaunted defense that was flirting with statistical history. That sack-hungry unit never took down Patrick Mahomes even once in Super Bowl LVII. With two years to retool, general manager Howie Roseman's rebuilt defensive line carried this game. Philadelphia had the rare privilege of being able to play coverage for most of this game because its front four generated consistent -- and often blindingly quick -- pressure. The Eagles absolutely shut down the Chiefs offense in the first half and affected Mahomes enough to force turnovers and fry his mental processing, creating a clear advantage while racking up six sacks along the way. On the offensive side, the Eagles handled Steve Spagnuolo's defense quite well, limiting pressure and protecting Jalen Hurts for most of the game. It's telling that for much of the night, the Chiefs' pressure rate matched their blitz rate. They couldn't get home with base rushes and left space for Hurts to find open targets or scramble when they sent heat, resulting in an uphill climb on both sides manufactured by Philadelphia's coaching staff and front office. We haven't seen such a lopsided Super Bowl in a while, but this one can be explained by the changes Roseman made in the trenches. They made all the difference in this rematch.
2. Mahomes proves he's human. Patrick Mahomes had a total of three snaps in which he looked like himself on Sunday: His first completion of the game on the Chiefs’ first play from scrimmage, his long pass to Xavier Worthy to set up the Chiefs’ first touchdown, and a backhanded flip to Travis Kelce on a scramble when the game had already become a blowout. Otherwise, he looked as if he’d left his superpowers in Kansas City. Early pressures and a variety of coverages made Mahomes incredibly hesitant, removing his pre-snap reads and speeding up his clock. He threw a number of inaccurate passes -- some while under pressure, some while free from it -- never settled in and made a couple of awful decisions resulting in interceptions. It looked a whole lot like the last time the Chiefs were soundly beaten: Super Bowl LV against the Buccaneers, another game in which a superior defense dominated Kansas City. The problems obviously begin with the offensive line, which has been Kansas City’s weakness all season, but it was almost shocking to see Mahomes reduced to a frantic, uncertain quarterback. It also left no doubt as to who would win this game by the middle of the third quarter.
3. Fangio delivers a defensive master class. In the lead-up to Super Bowl LIX, much of the conversation revolved around this legendary matchup of coordinators. It didn't take Vic Fangio long to prove his superiority. Situationally, Fangio was excellent early. On third down during the Chiefs' opening possession -- a drive that began with a well-designed play for a first down -- Fangio put one of most athletic defenders in Cooper DeJean on Travis Kelce, then added Reed Blankenship as a robber defender in Cover 1, plastering an Eagle to every pass catcher while eliminating Patrick Mahomes' favorite third-down target, Kelce, from the equation. That play ended in a desperate heave by Mahomes that was almost intercepted and ended up proving to be a precursor of what was to come. Fangio complicated the picture for Mahomes, who struggled to find open targets even while the Eagles leaned on Cover 4 shells. This was possible because of Philadelphia's effective front four, and by the time the Eagles held a 24-0 lead, it was clear who owned the more complete defense. Philadelphia's Super Bowl triumph was built on an incredible offseason completed by Roseman and the right hires made by Nick Sirianni after their dreadful finish to the 2023 season. As they’d said all week, they needed to go through that experience to get here. But even they likely didn’t know it would be this emphatic.
4. DeJean makes his mark. Everyone will remember the pick-six that put the Eagles ahead by 17 points, but Cooper DeJean made a big play even earlier in the game on the Chiefs' first possession when he cut down Xavier Worthy in the open field for a minimal gain. That play set the tone for the Eagles on a night in which nothing easy was available for Patrick Mahomes, and even when they thought they got matchups they liked, their targets were rarely open. DeJean embodies precisely what Howie Roseman sought when he retooled this defense over the last two years. When the time came for DeJean to make an instinctive play amid the chaos of a Mahomes scramble, he was in perfect position to slide underneath Mahomes’ hurried throw and rely on his athleticism to return it through traffic all the way to pay dirt. That play took a game that remained very much undecided and swung it in favor of the Eagles, giving us our first bit of proof that the team that ended up proving to be superior -- Philadelphia -- might wipe the floor with Kansas City. The Eagles did just that so dramatically, they drenched Sirianni in a Gatorade bath with 2:52 left and Kenny Pickett in the game. They can thank their young, hungry defense.
5. Chiefs fall short of history. On paper, the Eagles had the more talented roster, but the Chiefs' history of success and the existence of Patrick Mahomes required everyone take them seriously. History mattered, too. Kansas City rode the wave of having a chance to become the first team to three-peat in NFL history all the way to New Orleans, increasing the significance of an already massive game. In the end, the talent difference won out for the opposition. Because of the presence of some highly paid stalwarts (Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor, Joe Thuney), Kansas City has been forced to cut corners with their roster. The Chiefs tried to address left tackle with a combination of a rookie and a veteran, and both struggled so mightily, they ended up sliding an elite guard in Thuney out to tackle just to settle the group. That weakness -- plus an inability to generate pressure without blitzing, and their reliance on a cobbled-together receiving corps -- ended up being the obvious difference. It didn't help that Mahomes wasn't sharp for much of this game, but it was clear how much personnel mattered, and while GM Brett Veach deserves the credit he's received for keeping the Chiefs competitive for the last decade, his roster risks burned Kansas City on Sunday. Don't be surprised if Veach operates accordingly in the offseason.

Next Gen Stats Insight for Chiefs-Eagles (via NFL Pro): The Eagles generated a pressure rate of 38.1% on Sunday -- and didn't blitz once.

NFL Research: On his 22nd birthday, Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean became the first player in NFL history to record a pick-six on his birthday.