After many weeks of waiting, the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans finally arrived. A rematch from 2023, it was the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs were staring down the opportunity for three consecutive championships, while the Eagles were on a revenge tour from two years ago. While experts picked the Chiefs as the favorites to win, the Super Bowl LIX ended up being the most dominant game in Philadelphia Eagles history.
The Eagles first drive ended in a controversial offensive pass interference call on A.J. Brown, while the Chiefs punted on back-to-back drives. Despite completing a first down pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs could not generate any offense. The Eagles, on the other hand, found their footing on their second drive. They needed just seven plays to march 69 yards downfield with Hurts delivering a couple of big passes to tight end Dallas Goedert and wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Dotson’s 28-yard reception was initially ruled a touchdown but was overturned after video review, setting up the Eagles with a first and goal from the 1-yard line. Hurts turned the next play into the game’s first score.
The Eagles’ defensive line delivered a three-and-out on the Chiefs’ next drive. But after collecting 50 more yards on their next drive that stretched into the second quarter, Hurts threw an interception to Bryan Cook, on a throw that was intended for Brown. Kansas City hoped that Cook’s interception would be a momentum boost, but Philly’s defense had other plans, forcing another three-and-out. Hurts and Brown then connected on a 22-yard pass on third down to get them in field goal range. Surely enough, a few plays later, kicker Jake Elliot nailed a 48-yard field goal.
At this point in the game, things went completely downhill for the Chiefs. The first two plays of their next drive ended in sacks. On the third, Mahomes was under pressure once again and tried to make a play, but he was picked off by Philly’s rookie cornerback Cooper Dejean, who returned the interception 38 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs had three more drives in the half, but there were no signs of hope. Two ended in three-and-outs, and the other saw Mahomes get picked off by linebacker Zach Baun. Hurts and Brown turned that into a 12-yard passing touchdown. At the end of the first half, the Eagles led 24-0.
For as poorly as the Chiefs played through the first two quarters, they started the second half with the ball. Their first drive of the half featured a single first down, followed by Mahomes getting sacked twice, forcing a punt. Their next drive ended after a failed fourth down conversion attempt. The Eagles put together a 12-play, 69-yard drive in between, ending in a 29-yard field goal from Elliot.
Following the fourth down stop, Hurts completed a 46-yard bomb to DeVonta Smith for a touchdown. The Eagles lead grew to 34-0. The Chiefs closed the quarter by finding the endzone for the first time. Mahomes hit rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy for a 24-yard score. By that point, however, signs of hope of a comeback were no longer in sight. The fourth quarter saw a pair of touchdown passes from Mahomes (one to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, the other to Worthy) and several field goals from Elliot. When it was all said and done, the final score was 40-22.
Prior to this game, experts compared Mahomes to the great Tom Brady. Questions regarding whether or not Mahomes could catch him had arisen, but after this performance, fans had found their answer. When asked whether or not Mahomes could surpass Brady as the greatest of all time, business teacher and Brady fan Benedict Tieniber said, “No, so he has made it to a couple of Super Bowls, but he hasn’t won every one of them. Kelce is retiring too, so that’s going to take away one of his big weapons,” he explained. “[H]e is going to have to play until he is 50 if he wants to tie Brady.”
Freshman Owen Reid, who is an Eagles fan, had some words on the Eagles’ win: “It feels great to prove that we were the better team all along. I think that Saquon Barkley was a big help, and he was one reason we made it.” For Giants fans, this was a tough pill to swallow. Watching their former Giants superstar running back, Barkley, leave to go to their rival and win a championship in his first year. Some Giants fans put their hatred for the Eagles aside and were rooting for Barkley. While other Giants fans had a different agenda. “As a Giant’s fan, I can never root for the Eagles, although I was happy for Saquon. I feel he got a raw deal from the Giants, but on the flip side, he would never have had such a successful season if he was with them,” English teacher and Giants fan Mike Spinella said. “Saquon winning a ring is neither here nor there for me personally, but he carried himself like a professional this season, so kudos to him,” added Spinella.
Overall, the Eagles’ triumph at this year’s Super Bowl proved the team’s true grit and unity, and left fans celebrating the team’s soaring perseverance. “I think that we have a bright future in our defense, and if our general manager keeps doing what he is doing then it is more than possible to start an Eagles dynasty,” Reid reflected.
