Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LIX to deny Kansas City ‘Three-peat’

Super Bowl LIX was far from anti-climactic as the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed odds-on favourites, Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in what will go down as one of the most heated Super Bowl rematches in history. An almost impenetrable Eagles defensive line and a non-existent Chiefs offensive line saw Kansas City’s dreams of becoming the first team to win 3 years running brutally crushed, and star quarterback, Jalen Hurts’ dreams of redemption after Super Bowl LVII come to life.

The game itself got off to a relatively slow start- whilst both sides demonstrated an energy worthy of American football’s biggest contest, the first quarter saw no score for 9 minutes. This was until Hurts made a pass from the 36 yard line to wide receiver, Jahan Dotson who ran the ball into the end zone, breaking the stalemate and scoring the first touchdown of Super Bowl LIX.

Philadelphia scored the first touchdown of the match, taking the extra point and making the Q1 score 0-7

However, upon review the touchdown was revoked, as it was deemed that Chief’s cornerback, Jaylen Watson tackled Dotson at the one yard line, and Philadelphia were awarded a first and goal. This saw the Eagles employ their infamously unstoppable ‘tush push’, where the quarterback is pushed through the opposition’s defensive line. Once again this paid off and Philadelphia scored the first touchdown of the match, taking the extra point and making the Q1 score 0-7.

The second quarter began with Chiefs safety, Brian Cook intercepting Hurts’ 38 yard pass- something which had not previously happened since November 10th 2024, 9 games prior. After seven minutes and still no score from either team, Eagle’s kicker, Jake Elliot scored a 48 yard field goal, giving his team a 10 point advantage over their rivals.

One point off the highest half time lead in Super Bowl history

A mere seven minutes after Hurts’ pass was intercepted, Eagles rookie cornerback, Cooper DeJean intercepted Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who— like Hurts— had not been intercepted since November, running the ball 38 yards to the end zone, and becoming the first player in NFL history to intercept a pass or score a touchdown on his birthday.

Just 5 minutes later, the Eagles made another interception at their own 14 yard line and Hurts seized this opportunity, throwing a 15 yard pass to wide receiver, AJ Brown, giving Philadelphia a 24 point lead going into the second half- just one point off the highest half time lead in Super Bowl history, when Washington lead Denver 35-10 during Super Bowl XXII.

Some 133 million people watched the halftime show, up 3% from 2024

Half time saw a long-awaited performance from Kendrick Lamar, which included many political messages- particularly interesting knowing Donald Trump’s attendance marks the first year that the sitting President has ever attended a Super Bowl. Some 133 million people watched the halftime show, making Lamar’s performance the most watched ever, up 3% from 2024.

After having half the possession time of the Eagles, the second half represented an opportunity for redemption for the Chiefs. Mahomes is no stranger to being on the back foot, after having had to come back from at least 10 points in his last 3 Super Bowls. Yet even in the third quarter, his team continued to fall short.

The third quarter began with Mahomes being sacked for a fifth time. Apart from this, much like the beginning of the match, play got off to a very slow start, with the first points on the board after just under 10 minutes with a 29 yard field goal for the Eagles.

Mahomes was sacked for a sixth time, this time in the form of a strip sack by Milton Williams

Around 3 minutes later, the ball was back in Philadelphia’s possession, scoring a fourth touchdown, taking the score to 0-34, this being the highest point deficit of Patrick Mahomes’ career.

It was with 34 seconds to go when the Chiefs scored their first touchdown, thanks to a 28 yard pass to wide receiver, Xavier Worthy. Instead of going for the extra point, the team opted for a two point conversion, but this was incomplete, making the final score for this quarter 6-34.

During the final quarter Philadelphia scored another field goal, this time from 48 yards out, taking their scoreline to 37. It was at this stage that the Chiefs began to accept defeat with some players beginning to show their emotions.

Just 30 seconds later Mahomes was sacked for a sixth time, this time in the form of a strip sack by Milton Williams. The Eagles were able to recover the ball, and at the end of this play, Elliot scored his final field goal of the game, from 50 yards out, taking the score to 6-40.

Once play was returned to the Chiefs, they put another touchdown on the board, with a 15 yard pass from Mahomes to DeAndre Hopkins in the endzone, and after a successful 2 point conversion, the Chief’s score increased to 14.
It was at this point, before the 2 minute warning, that Eagles players, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith gave head coach, Nick Sirianni, the infamous Gatorade shower, as celebrations began on the sidelines for Philadelphia.

You cant be great without the greatness of others

It was a 50 yard touchdown from the Chiefs that ended the game’s scoring, which finished at 22-40 after their two point conversion.

In an interview immediately after the match, Sirianni praised his entire team, telling reporters you “cant be great without the greatness of others”. Hurts also offered his compliments to his team’s defensive line, adding “defence wins championships”.

As expected, the Chiefs were disheartened after their loss, particularly after being favourites to take home the Lombardi Trophy once again. In his interviews, Mahomes demonstrated his sportsmanship, congratulating his opponents: “credit to the Eagles, they played better than us from start to finish,” a sincere reaction after bring denied a historic ‘Three-peat’.