Highlights and lowlights from Philadelphia’s big win over Kansas City!
Kendrick Lamar tapped out the Kansas City Chiefs at the appropriate moment Sunday night when it flashed “Game Over” in lights in the Caesars Superdome after his Super Bowl halftime performance.
By then, the Eagles had pretty much forced the Chiefs to tap out.
The Eagles captured their second Super Bowl in franchise history with a dominant 40-22 victory, breaking up Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ historic dynasty bid of three-straight Super Bowl championships.
It was impressive. It was thorough. It was complete.
And they did it without Saquon Barkley making his usual impact.
The Chiefs did not cross midfield until there was 2:22 left in the third quarter. By then, the Eagles held a commanding 34-0 lead and had held the Chiefs to 0-for-8 on third-down conversions.
The Eagles’ defense had turned all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes into a skittish passer, rushing his throws and running for his life all night. They sacked Mahomes six times for 31 yards.
This is probably the greatest Eagles team in franchise history, considering their amazing balance as the NFL’s No. 1 defense and the No. 8 offense, fueled by the NFL’s No. 1 rusher in Barkley, who ran for a single-season franchise record 2,005 yards.
And now Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts, Vic Fangio, Kellen Moore, Darius Slay, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Jordan Mailata, Jalen Carter, Zack Baun, Cooper DeJean, Jeremiah Trotter Jr.—and Saquon Barkley are Super Bowl champions.
No one can question them again.
Defense was the difference. They destroyed the Chiefs. After three quarters, the Eagles had outgained Kansas City 303 to 155 and were leading 34-6. They scored 17 points off three turnovers.
Hurts was named MVP after completing 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles ended one dynasty.
Can they start one of their own? This is a young team, with a young defense, and an offense that features Hurts, Barkley, Brown, Dallas Goedert and the league’s best offensive line. There will be some moves that need to be made, like first and foremost locking in Baun and Milton Williams, but if this team can come back close to its current incarnation, they have the foundation to repeat.
There was a mountain of good, some bad, and some ugly, in the Eagles’ brilliant Super Bowl victory over to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Good
Jake Elliott’s two fourth-quarter field goals of 48 and 50 yards putting the exclamation points on the Eagles’ historic victory.
DeVonta Smith’s 46-yard touchdown reception with 2:40 left in the third quarter that sealed the victory. It gave the Eagles a commanding 34-0 lead and further deflated and very flat Chiefs’ team.
Avonte Maddox knocking down the Mahomes’ intended pass to DeAndre Hopkins on a fourth-and-five at the Chiefs’ 46 with 2:47 to play in the third quarter.
Hurts’ 16-yard bolt on a third-and-five to the Eagles’ 41 on the Eagles’ first drive of the second half, followed by his 14 yard-scramble on a second-and-seven. Both plays prolonged the drive and it continued to keep the Chiefs off the field and go up four scores, after a Jake Elliott 29-yard field goal with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
Jordan Davis and Sweat beginning the second half with sacks, the Eagles’ fourth and fifth of the game, for minus-seven yards. Again, they had Mahomes running for his life.
The Eagles’ halftime performance. If there was an excellent category, that’s where this would go. It was 30 minutes of utter dominance over a defending two-time Super Bowl champion. The Eagles led 24-0. They scored 14 points off turnovers. They had 13 first downs to the Chiefs’ one, outgained the Chiefs, 179-23, held the Chiefs to 0-for-6 on third-down conversions, held the ball for 19:59 to the Chiefs’ 10:01, and sacked Mahomes three times for minus-13 yards. Kansas City never crossed midfield in the first two quarters.
Edge Josh Sweat was a machine in the first half, with a team-leading four tackles, 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss. He was beating Chiefs’ all-Pro left tackle Joe Thuney making Mahomes look anxious and causing him to go off script, throwing the ball all over the place. Sweat finished with six tackles, and 2.5 sacks.
Zack Baun’s diving interception at the Chiefs’ 14 with 1:49 left in the first half. It led to a 24-0 Eagles’ lead after Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 12-yard touchdown pass with 1:35 left in the first half.
Milton Williams’ strip sack with 9:42 to play beating Chiefs’ left guard
Mike Caliendo at the Chiefs’ 18. It was the sixth sack of the game for the Eagles. Earlier, Williams had a seven-yard sack on a third-and-nine at the Chiefs’ 31 on Kansas City’s fifth possession. That was the third sack for the Eagles for minus-13 yards. Williams finished with four tackles and two sacks.
Birthday boy Cooper DeJean making a bid for Super Bowl MVP with his first career NFL interception in the second quarter on the Chiefs’ fourth drive. DeJean’s 38-yard, zig-zag pick six gave the Eagles a 17-0 lead with 7:03 left in the first half. Earlier in the game, DeJean came up to take down the Chiefs’ Xavier Worth on Kansas City’s first drive at the Chiefs’ 24 on a first-and-10. It forced the Chiefs into a second-and-nine and to eventually punt. Cooper took the punt back 13 yards to the Eagles’ 31.
Consecutive Eagles’ sacks by Jalyx Hunt and Sweat on the Chiefs’ fourth drive for minus-six yards.
Elliott’s 48-yard yard field goal that just slid through the right upright with 8:38 left for a 10-0 Eagles’ lead.
Hurts’ 22-yard, back-shoulder completion to A.J. Brown on a third-and-seven at the Chiefs’ 32 on the Eagles’ fourth possession. It set up the Elliott field goal and a 10-0 Eagles’ lead.
The Eagles’ first quarter. They looked like they had the game won then. They led 7-0. The Eagles outgained the Chiefs by almost a 100 yards in the first quarter, 115-19, had nine first downs to the Chiefs’ one, ran off 21 plays to the Chiefs’ 7 and had the ball for 11:40 to Kansas City’s 3:20.
The Eagles’ second drive. The seven-play, 69-yard series was helped by a Chiefs’ unnecessary roughness call on cornerback Trent McDuffie on a third-and-five at the Chiefs’ 42. The flag brought the ball to the Chiefs’ 28. The other huge play was Hurts hitting Jahan Dotson for a 27-yard completion, and Hurts scored the first points of the game on a “Brotherly Shove” play with 6:15 left in the first quarter.
Dotson’s 27-yard reception on a second-and-11 from the Chiefs’ 28 on the Eagles’ second drive. Barkley made the play possible by picking up blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner, and Hurts did a great job of reading the blitz by lofting a perfectly timed pass to the breaking Dotson. It led to the first score of the game.
Hurts’ 20-yard completion to Dallas Goedert on the Eagles’ second drive on a second-and-eight to the Chiefs’ 47. It was the first play of 20 yards or more for either team.
Jalen Hurts’ rolling right on the Eagles’ second play of the game to find DeVonta Smith for eight yards to the Eagles’ 42 on a second-and-six.
The Bad
Saquon Barkley getting pulled down by Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton on the Eagles’ first drive for a four-yard loss to the Eagles’ 41.
The Ugly
The incompletion to A.J. Brown on the first play out of the two-minute warning of the first half. At the time, the Eagles were up 17-0 and were looking at a third-and-three at the Chiefs’ 49. Why pass there? Why stop the clock on an incompletion and not run the ball to try and gain the first down? Why risk giving a dangerous team a chance? The Eagles were fortunate that Mahomes imploded in the first half for his second interception.
Hurts’ interception to safety Bryan Cook early in the second quarter at the Kansas City two ending the Eagles’ third drive. It blew the opportunity of what would have been a two-score game. Center Cam Jurgens may have been the biggest culprit in the first Eagles’ postseason turnover. He completely missed Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton blow right by him and force Hurts to throw quickly. Hurts deserves some blame simply by not eating the ball and taking the sack.
A.J. Brown pushing off with his left hand and getting called for offensive pass interference on the Eagles’ first drive, wiping out a 32-yard completion on a fourth-and-two at the midfield.
