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The Philadelphia Eagles have won Super Bowl LIX. Coming into this game, much was made of the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs have won 17 straight one-score games. That record remains intact as the Philadelphia Eagles blew out the Kansas City Chiefs and won in an easy fashion, 40-22. The game wasn’t even as close as the score, the Eagles shut down the Chiefs and emphatically proved that they are the best team in the NFL.
Dominance at the Line of Scrimmage
This game was won at the line of scrimmage. The Philadelphia Eagles defensive line was the star of the show. The Eagles got constant pressure on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and shut down the Chiefs run game.
The Chiefs vaunted offense fell silent in this game. At one point in the first half, the Fox producers put a graphic on the screen: the Chiefs had run 10 plays and the Eagles had achieved 10 first downs. This showed how successful and efficient the Eagles were on offense while shutting down the Kansas City offense.
It was a complete performance from the team and made a statement that nobody could deny the Eagles are worthy of lifting the Lombardi trophy.
Relentless Pass Rush
According to PFF, the Eagles’ pass rush in the Super Bowl had zero blitzes, 26 pressures for a 42.9% pressure percentage and recorded 6 sacks. According to Next Gen stats, this was the only fourth defense in Super Bowl history to not blitz once in the Super Bowl. The Eagles’ ability to get pressure while rushing only four men was key to their success. It allowed them to keep plenty of men in coverage to slow down the Chiefs aerial attack.
When Philly had the ball, the offensive line did their job. The Eagles’ offensive line gave Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts plenty of time as he went 17-23 for 221 yards passing with two touchdowns and one interception. Hurts was only sacked twice.
Hurts was also lethal on the ground, leading his team in rushing with 72 yards on 11 carries. Many of those rushes were on 3rd down, allowing the Eagles to continue the drive and keeping the Chiefs offense off the field. Hurts’ ability to extend drives was one of the main reasons the Chiefs offense could not find momentum in the first half.
Hurts’ Legacy
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts cemented his name amongst the top quarterbacks in the league with this victory. Hurts was second in the season-long MVP voting 2 years ago but in most people’s quarterback rankings, he had been left out of the top five. Hurts made a compelling argument that he needs to be in the list for the game’s top quarterbacks. Hurts was beautiful through the air and on the ground and earned his Super Bowl MVP trophy.
Kansas City’s Offseason Priorities
Kansas City knows what it has to do this off-season. The team needs to shore up its offensive line. Kansas City was able to make it through the season with a patchwork offensive line.
Due to injuries, the Chiefs were forced to play guard Joe Thuney at the tackle position. Going into the Super Bowl against the ferocious Eagles defensive line, this was too much for the Chiefs to overcome.
Kansas City needs to allocate draft capital and free agency dollars towards making their blocking up front better. The Chiefs will need a balanced attack of rushing and passing so the offensive line upgrades will be key.
A Statement Victory
Overall, this was a surprising result. Not the fact that the Eagles won, but the dominating fashion in which they did. As a writer who grew up in the ’80s, these are the type of Super Bowls I grew up with; it felt over at halftime. This was an old-school rout, and the Eagles proved they are the best team in the NFL without a shadow of a doubt.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the champions and teams will be copying their style of success. Defensive lineman will become more valuable in the draft and free agency as teams see how the Eagles used their impressive front four to completely dominate the game.
It will be interesting to see how the Eagles fare next season. Eagles Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore is almost certainly gone, rumored to be taking over the head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles will need a new offensive coordinator. Yet the defense should remain intact with Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio at the helm. This is great news for Eagles fans as they begin their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Congratulations to the Eagles, their fans, and the people who bet on them to win the Super Bowl. Your victory is well deserved.
