After a season when the Chiefs always did just enough to win, the Eagles’ talent exploited every crack in Kansas City’s armor.
Inside: Why it looked so easy for Philly, what’s next for both teams and your NFL offseason calendar. Let’s dive in.
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Super Bowl LIX: Eagles answer every question
Dominant. If any single word can describe the Eagles’ performance in Super Bowl LIX, a resounding 40-22 victory over the defending back-to-back champions, that’s the one.
Their win should dam the annual flood of talk radio callers questioning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts’ abilities or Nick Sirianni’s leadership. In the duo’s four years together, they have the league’s second-most wins (54, including playoffs), two NFC Championship titles and now the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
Here are some numbers that illustrate just how dominant the NFL’s most talented roster was in the first half of last night’s game, which more or less decided the whole thing. At halftime:
- The Eagles had more points (24) than the Chiefs had yards (23).
- Kansas City had 1.2 yards per play and one first down, while Travis Kelce had zero receptions for the first time in a postseason half.
- Patrick Mahomes’ completion percentage (42.9) was lower than his pressure rate (47.1 percent), per NextGenStats.
Overall, the Chiefs rebounded a bit, but the final score is deceptive.
On the night, they stopped Saquon Barkley (25 carries for 57 yards) while daring the 26-year-old Hurts to beat them. The QB obliged, completing 17 of 22 passes for 221 and two TDs (plus an INT) and a Super Bowl QB record 72 rushing yards.
- If not for Xavier Worthy’s touchdown, after Kenny Pickett had stepped in for Hurts and Sirianni had received his Gatorade shower (yellow/green, thank you), 40-14 would have been the fourth-largest Super Bowl margin of victory since 2000.
- Instead, the 18-point margin ranks fifth, fittingly behind the most dominant defensive performances in Super Bowls in that era: the 2013 Seahawks, 2002 Buccaneers, 2000 Ravens and 2020 Buccaneers (also against a depleted Chiefs OL).
This Philly defense deserves to be in that group. Last night, despite never blitzing (!), DC Vic Fangio had a 38 percent pressure rate with four rushers. With Jalen Carter frequently double-teamed, linemates Josh Sweat and Milton Williams combined for 5.5 sacks. Able to drop seven into coverage while getting pressure, the Eagles played zone on 40 of 42 Chiefs dropbacks. Most of Mahomes’ pockets looked like this:
As we discussed on Friday, all of this slowed Mahomes, forcing him to hold onto the ball for 3.3 seconds per pass. He’s now 1-4 in playoff games when he takes longer than 3.26 seconds to throw.
Again, despite never blitzing, Fangio’s unit sacked Mahomes a career-high six times, intercepted him twice (once for a TD) and recovered the fumble in the above GIF. When sorted by EPA per play, this ranked 129th of Mahomes’ 132 career games (-0.26), nearly as bad as that 2020 Super Bowl loss (-0.29). Read how Fangio prepared his unit for last night.
Mahomes has now underperformed in four of his five Super Bowls, besting his career average EPA (0.21) just once. His Super Bowl EPA sits at a pedestrian -0.01. For context, Daniel Jones finished 2024 at -0.02. Mike Sando explains how this impacts Mahomes’ legacy.
As for the officials favoring the Chiefs, those discussions are quieted, though WR DeAndre Hopkins wondered if the media attention led to “a lot of touchy calls” favoring the Eagles. But when you drop the ball on a crucial third down (as Hopkins did here), your excuses fall on deaf ears.
“You don’t lose that bad without everything going bad,” said Kelce.
Off the field, Tom Brady wasn’t much better than the Chiefs, writes Andrew Marchand. “Overall he just didn’t say much and still needs to fully grasp the concepts of being a successful broadcaster.” Even former Eagles QB Nick Foles got a dig in.
Beyond the game, Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance received mixed reviews — I enjoyed it, and Levi Weaver ranks it in the top five halftime shows ever, but I found it hard to hear at times and thought he had more suitable songs — while David Beckham and Matt Damon starred in the second-best ad, according to Jake Ciely’s Super Bowl commercial rankings.
The only questions remaining are … what happens next? More on each team’s offseason now.
Can they get back here?
Yes, the NFL season is really over. Players and coaches can take vacations. And, like folding tables in Buffalo, the rest of us can relax, right?
Of course not. The final whistle immediately flipped the calendar to next season, when the 2026 Super Bowl will be at Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers. We’ll expand tomorrow, but let’s start with questions about last night’s competitors.
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The Eagles: The early 2026 Super Bowl favorites should remain mostly intact, with the biggest potential losses being pending free-agent All-Pro LB Zack Baun and starting RG Mekhi Becton. Super Bowl sack duo Sweat and Williams are also free agents, and 36-year-old DE Brandon Graham, a 15-year veteran, may retire.
Nothing suggests Fangio is leaving, but OC Kellen Moore remains the favorite to land the Saints coaching job. That won’t stop Sirianni from pitching Moore on staying: “Let’s run this s— back, Kellen,” he said as confetti fell.
The Chiefs: Will Travis Kelce return next season? “I’ll let [him] make that decision on his own,” Mahomes said, after his 35-year-old tight end reportedly began the game undecided on his future.
It’s also clear that an offensive line overhaul is needed, particularly at the tackle positions. It won’t help if they lose G Trey Smith, maybe the most coveted offensive lineman set to hit free agency.
Other free agents include LB Nick Bolton, S Justin Reid, DE Charles Omenihu and WRs Hopkins, Marquise Brown and Justin Watson, though the receiving corps will welcome back a healthy Rashee Rice.
Tomorrow: We’re looking at broader offseason questions, such as where Aaron Rodgers goes now that the Jets are moving on. To finish up today, let’s look at the offseason schedule.
Offseason NFL Calendar 🗓
The 2024-2025 season ended a few hours ago, but everyone outside of Philadelphia is ready to move on. Hope you got your yearbook signed already.
Franchise Tags: Feb. 14-Mar. 4
Initially referred to as the “Elway Rule” — former Broncos owner Pat Bowlen wanted to avoid ever losing his franchise quarterback — the franchise tag has since become a strategy to keep players while refusing to sign them to long-term deals. This year, Bengals WR Tee Higgins and Vikings QB Sam Darnold are the most notable candidates. Here’s an explainer on how tags work.
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Scouting Combine: Feb. 27-Mar. 2
Every February, college prospects are scouted by teams and media members in Indianapolis. Last year, we saw Worthy set the 40-yard dash record (4.21 seconds) while eventual Rams DT Braden Fiske was arguably the biggest riser. Revisit last year’s combine winners.
Free Agency: Mar. 10
From March 10th to the 12th, teams can begin contract negotiations with upcoming free agents, though contracts can only be signed after 4 p.m. ET on the 12th, when the new NFL year officially begins. Prior to that, it’s “legal tampering.” Here’s a full list of every upcoming free agent.
2025 Draft: Apr. 24-26
All eyes turn to Green Bay, the first-time hosts for the NFL’s 90th draft. Can the Eagles repeat their 2024 haul? Will the Falcons draft another quarterback? And where do the top-ranked passers — Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders — land? The Athletic’s post-Super Bowl mock draft has answers.
And not too long after that, camps begin. As usual, it promises to be a busy offseason.
If you’re a Chiefs fan looking for a win today, or need a quick break from work, put your ball knowledge to the test with Connections: Sports Edition.
Thanks for joining us for our first season of the Scoop City newsletter. Here’s to an even better 2025-2026. How did we do in 2024? Share your thoughts.
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(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
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