NEW ORLEANS (AP)— Hey Philly, Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni are world champions.
A powerful Philadelphia Eagles defense tormented and frustrated Patrick Mahomes, but Hurts made every play the offense required.
So much for the Kansas City Chiefs’ attempt to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
It was not even close.
Cooper DeJean scored a pick-6 on his 22nd birthday, Josh Sweat pressed Mahomes all night, and the Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22 on Sunday to win their second Super Bowl triumph.
Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score on a tush push to win the Super Bowl MVP award, while Vic Fangio’s defense was so dominant that the Eagles didn’t need much from Saquon Barkley.
The game-changing running back finished with 57 yards, shattering Terrell Davis’ rushing record for a season, including the playoffs. Hurts passed for 221 yards.
“This is the ultimate team game.” You cannot be great without acknowledging the brilliance of others. “Great performance by everyone — offense, defense, and special teams,” Sirianni added. “We never cared what others thought about how we won or their thoughts. “All we want is to win.”
Hurts has been questioned since starting for Alabama in a national championship game and being benched for Tua Tagovailoa at halftime. Finishing second to Mahomes in MVP voting two years ago did not completely calm the critics. He now holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Sirianni, who insulted fans yelling “Fire Nick!” following a victory against Cleveland in October and was dubbed a “clown” on national television, also appeased detractors by adding a championship ring to a coaching resume that boasts the league’s fifth-best winning percentage.
“Things arrive right on schedule. “The last time, it wasn’t our time, it wasn’t my time, and sometimes you have to accept that you have to wait your turn,” said Hurts, who nearly led the Eagles to victory against the Chiefs in Arizona two years ago.
With Donald Trump becoming the first president to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outperformed Kansas City in every way, thrilling a rowdy pro-Philly audience that chanted “Fly! Eagles! Fly!” after each score.
Even Taylor Swift’s appearance could not assist the Chiefs. They lost for the first time in ten games this season, with the pop star sitting in a suite watching boyfriend Travis Kelce, who did not catch a pass until late in the third quarter.
Kansas City’s fans could not have predicted such a poor showing. The Chiefs had won three of the previous five Super Bowls before falling 31-9 to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers four years ago.
Mahomes went 8-0 versus Fangio’s defenses until the longtime coordinator and former Broncos head coach outcoached Andy Reid to finish his debut season with his hometown team. Reid finished 3-3 in Super Bowls, including a loss to the Eagles.
The Eagles sacked Mahomes six times, the most in his career, with two and a half by Sweat and two by Milton Williams. And they accomplished it without Fangio issuing a single blitz.
“Defense wins championships,” Hurts explained. “We watched how they played today. We noticed the difference they made during the game. They offered us opportunity and short fields. And we can do what we do.
Barkley, the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, had only 31 rushing yards in the first half as Philadelphia opened a 24-0 lead.
The Chiefs hoped to become only the third club in NFL history to win three consecutive championships, and the first to do so in the Super Bowl era.
Two years ago, Mahomes led a comeback and Harrison Butker kicked the game-winning field goal in the last minute to defeat the Eagles 38-35. Mahomes led Kansas City to an overtime win over San Francisco last year.
“That’s a great football team and we had to come out and play our best, and we did,” Sirianni told the crowd.
This time, a revamped Philadelphia defense with eight new starters from the 2022 club ensured Mahomes had no chance to perform his magic.
Sirianni was drenched with Gatorade with roughly three minutes remained in the game, and backup quarterback Kenny Pickett took snaps in mop-up duty.
“Today was a tough day all around. Nothing went correctly. I did not coach well. We’re proud of our guys for battling. “We will learn from this,” Reid stated. “There are too many turnovers and penalties. You can’t do that against a decent football squad.
Barkley assisted Hurts in finding the end zone from the one, giving Philadelphia a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Sweat and Jalyx Hunt sacked Mahomes on successive plays after they were up 10-0 after to Jake Elliott’s 48-yard field goal. Mahomes then rolled out and threw an awful pass, which DeJean intercepted and returned 38 yards for a 17-0 advantage.
“When you have a great line up front … makes it easier on the back end, and when they take the run away, it allows us to get the pass rush going,” DeJean told ESPN.
It was Mahomes’ first pick-6 in 21 playoff games, breaking a string of 297 consecutive throws without an interception.
“We didn’t start the way we wanted. Turnovers are detrimental. “I take full responsibility for that,” Mahomes stated.
Late in the second quarter, All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun intercepted Mahomes again, and Hurts connected with A.J. Brown on a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 24-0 lead.
Hurts fired a flawless 46-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith late in the third quarter, making it 34-0.
Mahomes threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy to prevent a shutout, but the two-point conversion failed. He threw two late, mostly inconsequential touchdown passes: one to DeAndre Hopkins and the other to Worthy.
After two weeks of debate about poor rulings that gave the public the impression that referees favored the Chiefs — a theory NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called “ridiculous” — the game’s first penalty further inflamed opponents.
A penalty for offensive pass interference canceled Hurts’ 32-yard pass to Brown on fourth-and-2 at the Chiefs’ 18 yard line. Brady, now a Fox analyst, and officiating expert Mike Pereira both disagreed with the decision, though Brown shoved Trent McDuffie’s facemask.
On the ensuing possession, the Eagles profited from McDuffie’s unnecessary roughness call on Dallas Goedert after an incomplete pass on third-and-5.
Hurts then connected with Jahan Dotson on a 27-yard pass to the one, scoring on the next play.
Hurts’ string of 217 consecutive throws without a pick ended in the first half when he was intercepted deep in Kansas City territory, but the Chiefs failed to capitalize.
The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL club to win three championships in a row, doing so from 1929 to 1931 and 1965-1967.
From 2000 to 2002, the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neill, were the last team in the major American professional leagues to win three consecutive titles.
