This time yesterday, the only thing standing in the way of history for the Kansas City Chiefs was 60 minutes of football. By the end of the evening, it turned out that a brick wall in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles was waiting for Kansas City.
The concern level wasn’t very high when it was 10-0 Philadelphia. After all, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes found themselves in a familiar position, one they’ve overcome three times in the Super Bowl, erasing deficits of 10 points. But Cooper DeJean’s pick-six that made it 17-0 was when I told myself that Kansas City might be in trouble. When Mahomes threw the ball into the outstretched hands of linebacker Zack Baun from his goal line, trailing 24-0 at the onset of the second half, I knew it was over.
No three-peat, no fourth ring for Mahomes, no advancement in his quest to catch Tom Brady, and no Super Bowl confetti-laden final act for Travis Kelce (if that was his plan). Just a masterclass by Vic Fangio, an MVP performance by Jalen Hurts, and vengeance for the Eagles and the Philly faithful.
Super Bowl LIX wasn’t just a revenge game for the Eagles; it was a downright beatdown of the champs. Philly delivered a massive blow to their dynasty status, squandering their chance at becoming the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era and delaying Mahomes’ pursuit of Brady.
Jalen Hurts was named the Super Bowl MVP, but the real MVP was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Before kickoff, I said that Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo would be the X-Factor in this contest. Spags is one of the best in the business, and if anyone had an answer for Saquon Barkley, I thought it would be Spags.
And honestly, he did have an answer for the league’s most prolific offensive player in 2024, containing him to 57 yards on 25 carries, good for 2.3 yards per attempt with a long run of 10 yards. But Spags had no answer for Jalen Hurts, who completed 17-of-22 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 71 yards on 11 attempts and scored a signature Tush Push touchdown.
The real star of Super Bowl LIX was Vic Fangio
Fangio, however, had an answer for everything on the opposite sideline. Mahomes threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, and almost all came in garbage time. Fangio’s defense smothered Kansas City’s rushing attack, holding the Chiefs to 49 rushing yards and no scores.
But the key to the Fangio masterclass was his secondary, which smothered Kansas City’s receivers all night, forcing Mahomes to hold onto the ball longer than usual, leading to six sacks for the Eagles’ defense. Through three quarters on Sunday, Mahomes held the ball longer than he had in only one career start, 3.65 seconds (h/t The Athletic’s Mike Sando).
So, kudos to the former Chicago Bears DC and Super Bowl champion Vic Fangio, who outdueled everyone on Sunday and helped the Eagles hoist another Lombardi Trophy.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesThe Xs and Os were pretty simple in this one. On both sides of the ball, Philadelphia’s game plan was too much for Kansas City. They won on the whiteboard and carried it onto the turf in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Which brings me to my first Super Bowl LIX thought …
Kellen Moore aced his audition to become the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints remain the only team without a head coach for the 2025 season, mainly due to Kellen Moore being considered their top candidate. If New Orleans needed to see anything more from Moore, they saw it last night when his offense scored 33 points against a Kansas City defense that was a top-five unit in points allowed (fourth) and yards allowed (ninth) during the regular season.
When Steve Spagnuolo showed up with an answer for Saquon Barkley, Moore had an answer for that. Moore bested Spags, who I consider one of the best in the business. I’m not sure what Kellen Moore’s first crack at being an NFL head coach will look like. I wasn’t high on Moore as a candidate, and I think New Orleans has a less-than-ideal situation for a rookie head coach to take over. Regardless, New Orleans loves Moore, and he aced his final test in their backyard on Sunday.
Expect that hiring to become official at some point this week.
There shouldn’t be any more doubt about Jalen Hurts’ status as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL
Two years ago, Jalen Hurts walked off the field in Glendale, Ariz., trudging through red and yellow confetti as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. With the birth of the Chiefs dynasty, it was easy to overlook Hurts’ performance.
Hurts completed 27-of-28 passes for 304 yards, a passing touchdown, 70 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns. If not for Mahomes marching the Chiefs down the field to set up a game-winning field goal for Harrison Butker, we could be discussing Hurts’ second Super Bowl MVP performance this morning.
But the Chiefs won, Hurts and the Eagles lost, and Hurts still got paid. The Eagles took a step back in 2023, mainly because their defense was atrocious, and the narrative that Hurts was overrated, overpaid, and couldn’t take the Eagles across the finish line was born.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles for extra yardage during the first half of Super Bowl 57 against the Chiefs on Feb. 12, 2023.Before this season, Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat. Fans and pundits were discussing the idea of moving on from Hurts. Philadelphia fans can be colorful, but the conversations around their franchise quarterback were downright silly six months ago.
Hurts regular season numbers didn’t do much to quiet the doubters, posting his lowest passing yardage and touchdown totals since his first and second seasons, respectively. Much of that can be attributed to Saquon Barkley’s massive contributions on offense, though. But when it came time for the actual season, Philadelphia’s quest for a Super Bowl, Hurts was as good as anyone, throwing for 726 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, and a 108.6 passer rating. He also rushed for 194 yards and five touchdowns and capped his monster postseason run with a Super Bowl MVP on Sunday.
I enjoyed this quote from Hurts on Sunday evening amid the Eagles Super Bowl celebration:
“I’m not going to look back at anything and remember what someone said about me or an opinion that was had,” Hurts said. “I’m going to think about the championships that we won.”
If Hurts isn’t a franchise quarterback, I don’t know what one looks like.
Jalen Hurts. What a photo. pic.twitter.com/TyG3QEF8ZV
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 10, 2025No, the Patrick Mahomes era isn’t over, folks
I hate to be the bearer of bad news for haters of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, but their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last night did not signal the end of their dynasty or dominance.
Sure, Mahomes’ quest to beat Tom Brady’s record-setting seven Super Bowl rings was delayed by a year, but he’s still on a terrific pace and 29 years old. As Mike Sando pointed out in his Pick Six column at The Athletic, Mahomes’ 106-27 record as a starter (including the postseason) is nearly identical to Brady’s 104-29 record through the same number of career starts. Brady won his seventh Super Bowl at 43.
Brady won his fourth Super Bowl when he was 30. If Mahomes and the Chiefs can re-load and get back to their winning ways next season, Mahomes can win his fourth Super Bowl at age 30.
Kansas City’s front office has work to do this offseason. The offensive line needs work, and offensive firepower is lacking. Mahomes’s favorite target, Travis Kelce, is declining and potentially nearing retirement. But even Brady said last night on the broadcast that if anyone can bounce back from a Super Bowl reality check like this, it’s Mahomes, Reid, and the Chiefs.
“It’s a difficult feeling to have,” Brady said on the broadcast, “but if there’s anybody that can rebound, it’s Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid. This organization and what they’re built on, they got so many great tenets of this organization in place.”
Brett Veach and the Chiefs have to take a long look in the mirror and undergo another reincarnation, but talk of their demise is greatly exaggerated. As long as Veach, Reid, and Mahomes are in tow, Kansas City remains a force to be reckoned with every season.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes will try to win their fourth Super Bowl championship together on Sunday.Have we seen the last of Travis Kelce?
No. Even if we’ve seen the last of Kelce suited up on Sundays, we haven’t seen the last of Kelce, who has positioned himself as a budding media star who’s here to stay. Travis’ podcast with his brother Jason is wildly successful and popular. He’s got the personality, humor, and wit to be a star in the broadcast booth in a role similar to his older brother Jason, who works for ESPN on the Monday Night Countdown broadcast and hosts his own Friday night show on the four-letter network.
However, it might be time for Kelce to explore those options.
Kelce is going to be a Hall of Famer. First ballot, probably. But his on-field performance is beginning to show his age. Kelce still caught 97 passes during the regular season but did so on 133 targets, and his yardage and touchdowns declined to their lowest marks of his career. His 13 receptions in the playoffs were his lowest total since 2018, when Kansas City only played two playoff games. Kelce amassed only 175 yards and one score during the playoffs and had four catches for 39 yards in the Super Bowl last night.
I think Kelce will take his time deciding his future after a tough Super Bowl loss. He might even come back because of that loss, but I think, at minimum, the end is near for his playing days.
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