On February 9, the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles at Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs sought to become the first NFL team in the 59-year history of the big game to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Meanwhile, 2 years after a controversial holding call cost them a Super Bowl victory against the Chiefs, the Eagles were out for revenge. This year’s Super Bowl was set to be an exciting matchup between two of the most dominant teams in the league, and it did not disappoint.
While the Chiefs were the opening favorites, it was no surprise to anyone watching from the beginning that the Eagles walked away with the Lombardi Trophy. The Eagles showed their dominance even from the first quarter. Their defense quickly stopped the Chiefs’ drive, and when their offense took over, they took the lead. Even though the long pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts to Jahan Dotson was initially ruled a touchdown, the call was overturned. Regardless, this put the Eagles at first and goal on the 1-yard line. Then, the Eagles scored a touchdown on the Tush Push, a play that has brought Philadelphia a lot of success this season.
One of the most exciting parts of the game was a pick-six from Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean. After the Eagle’s dominant defense sacked Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on back-to-back plays, DeJean intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards to add to Philadelphia’s lead. To make the moment taste even sweeter, DeJean celebrated his incredible touchdown on his 22nd birthday.
The pick-six was soon followed by another Eagles interception, this time by Zack Baun. The linebacker’s diving catch gave the Eagles the ball inside the 10-yard line, setting them up to score again. Hurts threw the touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, putting the Eagles up 24-0 at the end of the first half.
As the game moved into the second half, Philadelphia continued to dominate. With a field goal and a 46-yard touchdown pass caught by DeVonta Smith, the Eagles’ lead grew to 34-0 in the third quarter. The Chiefs were faced with a nearly impossible task to overcome that deficit, but they didn’t back down. At the end of the third quarter, Mahomes threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy for their first score of the night. They then failed an attempt at a two-point conversion, keeping them far behind the Eagles at 34-6.
The Eagles’ defense continued to shine in the fourth quarter. Milton Williams tackled Mahomes for the defense’s sixth sack of the night, forcing the quarterback to fumble and allowing the Eagles to recover the ball. Between the sacks, the interception, and their ability to hold Mahomes and the Chiefs to very few yards, if multiple MVP awards could be given out at the end of the game, the Philadelphia defense was certainly deserving of that honor.
The Chiefs scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter––one by DeAndre Hopkins and another by Worthy––but that wasn’t enough to catch up to the Eagles. At the end of the game, the Eagles put backup quarterback Kenny Pickett into the game to avoid risking injury to Hurts in a game that had already been secured. The Eagles ran out the clock, and the game ended with a final score of 40-22.
More incredible moments followed the game when the Eagles accepted the Lombardi Trophy. After leading his team to victory, Hurts accepted the Super Bowl MVP award. Along with DeJean, Saquon Barkley celebrated his birthday on Super Bowl Sunday. The team, his family, and the NFL on FOX crew sang “Happy Birthday” to the star running back. Even though he didn’t have as many yards in the Super Bowl as expected, Barkley carried his team throughout the season, leading them to becoming the champions of the NFL. During the game, he also set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a single season (including the postseason).
As a lifelong Eagles fan, I was especially excited to see my hometown team come out of the game with this incredible victory. Along with many people around the country, I hoped that the Chiefs would finally lose a Super Bowl and give someone else a chance. Fortunately, the game worked out in my favor, and seven years after winning their last Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles are once again champions. Even if you don’t like the Eagles as much as I do, Super Bowl LIX was an exciting, action-packed game that will always be remembered.
(See more game highlights and videos here)
Junior Carrie Teti is the Arts and Leisure Editor. Her email is cteti@fandm.edu.