The Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Kansas City Chiefs' dream of a Super Bowl three-peat with an engrossing 40-22 triumph in Sunday's main event at Caesars Superdome.
Andy Reid's Chiefs - champions in 2023 and 2024, defeating none other than the Eagles in the former year - were seeking to become the first NFL franchise to win the Super Bowl three seasons running in New Orleans.
However, Patrick Mahomes and co were blown to smithereens by the Eagles in the first three quarters, as the Jalen Hurts-inspired Philadelphia outfit became Super Bowl champions for just the second time in their history after also clinching the 2017 crown.
In front of US President Donald Trump, the Eagles produced a defensive masterclass to deny the Chiefs a page of NFL history, while quarterback Hurts took home a deserved MVP prize from the New Orleans showpiece.
Hurts talked up the strength of the Eagles' defence after the Super Bowl champions stunted Mahomes throughout, telling ESPN: "We saw how they played today. We saw the difference they made in the game. They gave us opportunities, gave us short fields. And we're able to do what we do."
Defensive end Brandon Graham also credited the Chiefs' pre-game three-peat talk as providing fuel for their Caesars Superdome slaughter, adding: "That was motivation because it was kind of a slap to us. It was like, they ain't seen us yet. So, we heard that all week. And when the game came, execution was on point and together."
How Hurts and the Eagles crushed Mahomes's Chiefs to win Super Bowl
Nothing but respect between these two 🤝 #SBLIX@JalenHurts | @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/yDThl59Gfw
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
NFL bests and personal worsts were set at Super Bowl LIX, where the Eagles stormed into a 24-0 lead by half time after Hurts drew first blood with a one-yard touchdown rush.
The 26-year-old threw for two touchdowns and one interception from 221 yards, while two intercepted throws from an off-colour Mahomes effectively ended the game as a contest before the break.
Cooper DeJean and AJ Brown were the beneficiaries of Mahomes's intercepted throws in the second quarter, and the Chiefs' quarterback did not make a telling impact until the final minute of the third quarter with his side already 0-34 down.
The 2023 and 2024 champions finally got on the board through Mahomes's 24-yard pass to Xavier Worthy with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but a failed two-point conversion to Travis Kelce summed up the Chiefs' night.
A late Chiefs surge - in which DeAndre Hopkins and Worthy made it to the end zone - was fruitless, and Mahomes was sacked a total of six times in New Orleans, the most in a single game of his career so far.
On the other side of the coin, the Eagles' Saquon Barkley only needed 57 rushing yards to break the record for the most in a single NFL season with 2,504, surpassing the 2,476 that Terrell Davis managed for the Denver Broncos in 1998.
Ben Knapton
