Super Bowl LIX Recap: Eagles Turn the Chiefs’ TV Off
GQ SportsPhiladelphia had their way with Kansas City at the line of scrimmage, in the offensive and defensive backfields, and—most importantly—on the scoreboard.By Matthew RobersonFebruary 10, 2025Stefano Venturi / GettySave this storySaveSave this storySaveBy the time Kendrick Lamar began his victory lap halftime show at Super Bowl LIX, it felt like the Philadelphia Eagles were already engaged in one of their own. An onslaught like that in the big game is rare enough—there have been 59 Super Bowls now, and Philly is just the ninth team to put up 40 points—but it was the way they did it that felt most shocking. The Eagles were the cartoon villain with their palm planted on the Chiefs’ forehead, watching Kansas City helplessly flail away with futile punches. We can talk until we’re blue in the face about how this night in New Orleans was one of the worst of Patrick Mahomes’ life, how Travis Kelce was a total non-factor, or how Andy Reid and his cronies were thoroughly outcoached, but it’s more about the Birds. To paraphrase KDot’s closing number, shit got crazy, scary, stupid, hilarious.Jalen Hurts and the Eagles cruised to victory in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls of all time. Cooper Neill/Getty ImagesWhat a demolition that was. I am by no means an Eagles fan, but I left the Superdome on Sunday feeling wildly inspired. Seeing one side achieve their dream while stomping out any hope of their opponents’ doing the same (and virtually right away, too) was the type of stuff that makes you believe the same could one day be true of your own life. Players on the Philadelphia defense that I’ve never heard of were getting shots in on Mahomes. At halftime, that tenacious unit had held the Chiefs to a miserable 1.2 yards per play, three combined rushing yards, and one measly first down. It was already 24-0 at that point, and the Eagles would run it up to 34 before Kansas City scored a single point. By the end, the league’s best defense racked up six sacks—without even needing to blitz, just siccing the front four on Mahomes—and forced three turnovers. Crazy.The first play that blew the game open was a 27-yard catch by Jahan Dotson, who, on his very best day, is the fifth or sixth best option on the Eagles’ offense. Even the Philly punter had a hell of a game. All of that happening—one of those games where everything goes right for one team and not a single thing does for the other—against the Chiefs? A squad going for an unprecedented third straight championship, who never get blown out like this unless they’re at the part of the season where they can rest their starters? That’s enough to make you start believing in voodoo, like one of the French Quarter’s witch doctors put a serious hex on all things red and yellow. Scary.Patrick Mahomes endured six sacks, resulting in one of the very worst performances of his storied career. Icon Sportswire/Getty ImagesSeeing it with my own two eyes, seated in the stadium’s lower bowl among a flock of Eagle fans, what jumped out was how comprehensive this whupping was. Philly’s defensive line won their matchups across the board, pushing Chiefs’ blockers into Mahomes’ lap as soon as the ball was snapped. The Eagles’ offensive line, meanwhile, gave Jalen Hurts pockets as clean as his Kangol, allowing their QB to get hit three times to Mahomes’ 11. Philadelphia’s linebackers were always in the right place, whether it was making KC completely give up on their run game—none of the Chiefs’ running backs could muster a run longer than eight yards—or Zack Baun picking off Mahomes deep in his own territory. The secondary balled out too, in true fairy tale fashion. Like, what do you mean that was Cooper DeJean’s first NFL interception? And he housed it, against the best quarterback of his generation, in the Super Bowl, on his birthday? Or that DeJean’s jersey number (33), plus the other birthday boy’s number (Saquon Barkley, 26) equals 59, the number of the Super Bowl they just won. Spooky.When you’re witnessing a beatdown on the biggest possible stage, it reaches a point where you truly can’t believe what’s happening. At some point the Eagles would take their foot off the gas and the Chiefs would catch up, right? Every time they had an opportunity—okay, this is the drive where KC finally gets something going—a penalty would derail the operation, or a sack would put them behind the chains, or both.Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean had a 22nd birthday to remember, hauling in a pick-six to give the Eagles a 17-0 lead. Kevin Sabitus/Getty ImagesI let out a bit of an incredulous chuckle when, already trailing by two dozen points, Reid elected to punt on the Chiefs’ first drive of the second half instead of going for it on fourth down. The two-time defending champs are just going to give up? I felt like Selina Mayer nervously laughing and asking her staff what is happening. That punt led to the Eagles getting three points on their ensuing possession, and when the Chiefs got the ball back and in
By the time Kendrick Lamar began his victory lap halftime show at Super Bowl LIX, it felt like the Philadelphia Eagles were already engaged in one of their own. An onslaught like that in the big game is rare enough—there have been 59 Super Bowls now, and Philly is just the ninth team to put up 40 points—but it was the way they did it that felt most shocking. The Eagles were the cartoon villain with their palm planted on the Chiefs’ forehead, watching Kansas City helplessly flail away with futile punches. We can talk until we’re blue in the face about how this night in New Orleans was one of the worst of Patrick Mahomes’ life, how Travis Kelce was a total non-factor, or how Andy Reid and his cronies were thoroughly outcoached, but it’s more about the Birds. To paraphrase KDot’s closing number, shit got crazy, scary, stupid, hilarious.
What a demolition that was. I am by no means an Eagles fan, but I left the Superdome on Sunday feeling wildly inspired. Seeing one side achieve their dream while stomping out any hope of their opponents’ doing the same (and virtually right away, too) was the type of stuff that makes you believe the same could one day be true of your own life. Players on the Philadelphia defense that I’ve never heard of were getting shots in on Mahomes. At halftime, that tenacious unit had held the Chiefs to a miserable 1.2 yards per play, three combined rushing yards, and one measly first down. It was already 24-0 at that point, and the Eagles would run it up to 34 before Kansas City scored a single point. By the end, the league’s best defense racked up six sacks—without even needing to blitz, just siccing the front four on Mahomes—and forced three turnovers. Crazy.
The first play that blew the game open was a 27-yard catch by Jahan Dotson, who, on his very best day, is the fifth or sixth best option on the Eagles’ offense. Even the Philly punter had a hell of a game. All of that happening—one of those games where everything goes right for one team and not a single thing does for the other—against the Chiefs? A squad going for an unprecedented third straight championship, who never get blown out like this unless they’re at the part of the season where they can rest their starters? That’s enough to make you start believing in voodoo, like one of the French Quarter’s witch doctors put a serious hex on all things red and yellow. Scary.
Seeing it with my own two eyes, seated in the stadium’s lower bowl among a flock of Eagle fans, what jumped out was how comprehensive this whupping was. Philly’s defensive line won their matchups across the board, pushing Chiefs’ blockers into Mahomes’ lap as soon as the ball was snapped. The Eagles’ offensive line, meanwhile, gave Jalen Hurts pockets as clean as his Kangol, allowing their QB to get hit three times to Mahomes’ 11. Philadelphia’s linebackers were always in the right place, whether it was making KC completely give up on their run game—none of the Chiefs’ running backs could muster a run longer than eight yards—or Zack Baun picking off Mahomes deep in his own territory. The secondary balled out too, in true fairy tale fashion. Like, what do you mean that was Cooper DeJean’s first NFL interception? And he housed it, against the best quarterback of his generation, in the Super Bowl, on his birthday? Or that DeJean’s jersey number (33), plus the other birthday boy’s number (Saquon Barkley, 26) equals 59, the number of the Super Bowl they just won. Spooky.
When you’re witnessing a beatdown on the biggest possible stage, it reaches a point where you truly can’t believe what’s happening. At some point the Eagles would take their foot off the gas and the Chiefs would catch up, right? Every time they had an opportunity—okay, this is the drive where KC finally gets something going—a penalty would derail the operation, or a sack would put them behind the chains, or both.
I let out a bit of an incredulous chuckle when, already trailing by two dozen points, Reid elected to punt on the Chiefs’ first drive of the second half instead of going for it on fourth down. The two-time defending champs are just going to give up? I felt like Selina Mayer nervously laughing and asking her staff what is happening. That punt led to the Eagles getting three points on their ensuing possession, and when the Chiefs got the ball back and inevitably stalled out, they did go for it on fourth down, drawing up an unimaginative pass that Avonte Maddox swatted away.
The very next play was also the evening’s most beautiful, an arcing throw from Hurts that dropped perfectly to DeVonta Smith in the end zone. That was the moment everyone realized the Chiefs were not only in the Twilight Zone, but they still had more than a quarter left to play, unable to turn the TV off just yet. Hilarious.
