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I don't think any of us expected that. The Eagles absolutely beat the brakes off the Chiefs - despite the score telling a different story. The three-peat attempt was thwarted, and the Eagles hoisted their second-ever Lombardi seven seasons after their first.
Let's look at how this Eagles team took down the Chiefs, and dissect the (possible) cadaver of this Kansas City dynasty.
Photo: George Walker IV/Associated Press
How The Eagles Won
Defense, defense, defense. The story of the Eagles' season has been how well Vic Fangio had this unit playing. The Eagles are probably the only roster who could run Fangio's zone-match scheme to the level that he requires, and it clearly showed in the Super Bowl. In fact, the Eagles blitzed zero times the entire game and were still able to generate 30 total pressures and 7 sacks on just 42 pass rush plays. They had a field day up front with their deep defensive line, and the secondary held Mahomes and his receivers in check all night long.
Offensively, they didn't do anything over the top, but they did what they needed to. They chipped yards away in the run game, then trusted Jalen Hurts to make the right reads on 3rd down. He used his arms and legs to move the chains, giving the Eagles more time to chew clock and wear out the Chiefs defense. It wasn't pretty, but it gave their defense ample rest to come full-tilt at KC.
How The Chiefs Lost
There are quite a few pain-points you could look to and see where the Chiefs lost their edge, but it all comes back to the offensive play-calling. I have no idea what Andy Reid and Matt Nagy schemed up for this game. They tried to do their usual dink-and-dunk that wasn't effective for the majority of the season, and it especially didn't work against Philly. Mahomes' average depth of target was 8.7 yards, which is decent, but if you remove the 67 air-yard bomb to Xavier Worthy at the end of the game, that number drops to 6.8, which was lower than his season long ADOT. Between that and not running the ball nearly as much as they should've, Vic just had his guys sit back in match and catch coverages to stall out the Chiefs every time they had the ball.
Defensively, they put all of their focus on stopping Barkley and they played way too much Cover 1 to make up for it. It didn't help that Jaylen Watson, who was hurt for the majority of the year, was tasked with covering one of the best receiving corps in the league. Spags, like me, was probably under the impression Hurts was not going to be nearly as effective as a passer as he ended up being. We were both clearly wrong, and the Chiefs felt the brunt of that as they allowed 34 points through three quarters.
Super Bowl LIX Awards
Offensive MVP: Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
I've been critical of Hurts this entire season, and although he didn't put all of my concerns to rest, this was clearly his best game of the season. He was surgical throwing the ball outside of his lone interception, completing 77.3% of his passes, with a wildly high 12.6% completion rate over expected per NextGenStats. This, paired up with a 22.7% tight window rate and 4 big time throws, shows he arrived on the biggest stage and lifted this offense to victory in a big way.
Defensive MVP: Cooper DeJean - Philadelphia Eagles
Coop has been a dawg all year. He's played high-level football at the toughest position on defense, and the Super Bowl was no different. Outside of the 50 yarder he allowed to Xavier Worthy when they were up 34-0 and switched to man coverage, he allowed 5 receptions on 7 targets for just 35 yards. DeJean also recorded 3 tackles with 1 stop and a pick six to go up big early. He played like a vet, and he was one of the best players from Super Bowl LIX as a result.
Special Teams MVP: Jake Elliott - Philadelphia Eagles
Jake has had his struggles this season, but he showed up when it mattered. He nailed all 4 of his field goals, with three kicks made between 40-50 yards. He never had to be clutch in this game, but his 4 makes made the difference between a blowout and a close game.
Trench Tyrant: Lane Johnson - Philadelphia Eagles
I don't think Lane is done playing quite yet, but if he is, he put up a hell of a performance in his final outing. Despite allowing a sack, he was nearly flawless on his other 28 pass protection snaps, as he allowed just 1 pressure in that span. He also was the only Super Bowl linemen to score an 80+ blocking grade in the pass and run games. He was dominant like he always is, and virtually shut down George Karlaftis and Chris Jones all night.
Relentless Rookie: Jalyx Hunt - Philadelphia Eagles
The safety-turned-edge-rusher showed he has what it takes to succeed in the pros. He recorded 5 pressures on just 20 pass rushes, and he got in on a sack. He was also decent in the run game, contributing 2 stops on just 3 run defending reps. If Josh Sweat leaves in Free Agency and Brandon Graham retires, he should slide right into the main rotation.
Photo: Kiel Leggere/Philadelphia Eagles
Final Notes
Despite the box score, the Chiefs were outright embarrassed through the first three quarters of football. Xavier Worthy, who had been building up steam over the previous eight weeks, was held to just 2 receptions for 9 yards by the time it was 34-0. The Chiefs had combined for less than 70 total yards by the time they started to drive and generate positive plays. The Eagles got pressure, held up pressure, and took the top off the Chiefs' defense while keeping theirs intact. While I believe the Chiefs will be back in the future, it's clear as day that the Eagles are the new superpower of the NFL - and they're only going to get better.
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