On Sunday night, Philadelphia burned and the fountains in Kansas City ran… their normal color. The Philadelphia Eagles emerged victorious in Super Bowl LIX over a Kansas City Chiefs team seeking their third Vince Lombardi trophy in as many years. The dream of the Chiefs’ “three-peat,” is dead—buried beneath a brutally embarrassing 40-22 final score.
Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts put on a dominant performance. The Eagles quarterback completed 17 of 22 passes and took big steps for 72 rushing yards, the most ever for a quarterback in the Super Bowl. The previous record? Mr. Jalen Hurts, in Super Bowl LVII against one Mr. Patrick Mahomes, set the bar with 70 rushing yards.
Hurts, ever humble, gave credit to his teammates and acknowledged his past encounter with the Chiefs in a postgame press conference.
“The last time around, it wasn’t our time, it wasn’t my time. Sometimes you have to accept that you have to wait your turn,” Hurts said.
Once, Mahomes was a dynamic quarterback known for his ability to rise to any challenge when his back was against the wall, as he did in Super Bowl LVII when he elevated the Chiefs over Philadelphia to a 38-35 victory. If football fans knew anything going into this game, they knew never to count him out.
But Mahomes was out of his element Feb. 9. He looked shaky from the start, turning the ball over after a drive with just one first down. The Eagles got the ball rolling with a quick Hurts tush push touchdown. It was all downhill from there for head coach Andy Reid and his boys in red.
Mahomes threw two interceptions before the half, first to newly minted 22-year-old Cooper DeJean, an Eagles defensive back younger than some members of The Spectator’s Editorial Board. After the game, DeJean told SportsCenter when he realized he was going to take the ball all the way.
“Right when I touched it,” DeJean said.
The second interception was thrown to Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, making the score 24-0 going into halftime.
Going into the half, freshly-minted Fox Sports commentator Tom Brady reminisced about the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, when the New England Patriots came back from a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons. While the Chiefs hoped to channel the same energy as a particular Patriots quarterback back in Super Bowl LI, such a comeback did not materialize.
The second half was more of the same. Mahomes was sacked twice on the first drive of the third quarter. In the subsequent quarter, close listeners of the broadcast could hear Mahomes’ soul leave his body after a particularly nasty strip sack left him flattened and without the ball.
The Chiefs mustered a minor offensive effort, with their first score coming late in the third quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Still, the Eagles were flying so far ahead that there was no way to make up for the first half.
The manner in which the Chiefs lost this Super Bowl comes as poetic justice for football fans across the United States. The Chiefs’ 15-2 season leading up to LIX was afflicted with snide commentary on the favorability of calls in their favor. For many, the 40-22 drubbing Kansas City received was cathartic. In the Red Kingdom, there was nothing to do but turn the TV off.
Kansas City fans, on the other hand, were united in grief after green confetti fell on the field in New Orleans. My father, a die-hard Chiefs fan, invited friends over to watch the game and eat a variety of smoked meats as he does every year. This year, everyone left after halftime.
The Fox broadcast did not shy away from showing the Chiefs on the sideline, who were unable to fight the feeling of impending loss during the game. Tight end Travis Kelce was particularly dejected, amid a middling performance and rumors that he is considering retirement. He did not share much postgame.
“You don’t lose that bad without everything going bad,” Kelce said.
The Chiefs have some soul-searching to do in the offseason after the painful reminder that their GOAT-to-be quarterback could just be a mortal man after all.
The euphoria of Sunday’s season-winning victory will roll on for Philadelphia Friday, Feb. 14, with the team’s victory parade.
