Super Bowl LIX Recap and Reaction

 The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champs after dismantling the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday. The Eagles completely dominated the game and it was a blowout from the very beginning. Philly won their second Super Bowl in franchise history and avenged their loss to the Chiefs two years ago. Kansas City was denied a three-peat as they fell short of winning three straight Super Bowl titles. Here are my thoughts and reactions to the game....

1) This game was a complete domination by the Eagles. Their defensive line completely destroyed Patrick Mahomes and that KC offensive line. The Chiefs couldn't do anything. They couldn't block the Eagles, and Mahomes got sacked six times and was running for his life throughout. It was also the worst game I have ever seen Mahomes play.

2) When Mahomes got intercepted by Cooper DeJean and he returned for a touchdown to make it 17-0 in the second quarter, I felt like the game was over at that point. I didn't think KC was coming back. After Philly made it 24-0 right before the half, it was really over. 

3) As much as I was rooting for the Eagles to win, the game was never close and it was a blowout-which is a bummer. You want the Super Bowl to be a close game no matter who is in it, and this was a complete demolition by the Eagles. It was 24-0 at halftime and 40-6 in the 4th quarter before the Chiefs got garbage time touchdowns. We usually get close games in the Super Bowl, but every once in a while you get a blowout. This game reminded me of the Seahawks-Broncos game in Super Bowl XLVIII. It was over from the get-go.

4) Give the Eagles credit. They collapsed last season, and there was a lot of heat on head coach Nick Sirianni, but after starting this season 2-2, they righted the ship and went 14-3. They dominated both Washington and Kansas City in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl respectively. GM Howie Roseman deserves a lot of credit for building this team and retooling the roster for this year. No one thought that QB Jalen Hurts would develop to be this good of a NFL quarterback after being drafted in the second round in 2020, but he has exceeded expectations and was named Super Bowl MVP. The Eagles now have their second Super Bowl title, and they look to be a force for years to come in the NFC.

5) As far as KC is concerned, I think this will just make them adjust and restock their roster in certain ways. Look, they still have Patrick Mahomes. He is only 29 years old, so no matter what, he is still going to be back and will give the Chiefs a really good chance at getting back to many more Super Bowls in the future. I don't think this will affect them too much in the AFC. The conference still runs through Kansas City. This is a setback, but the Chiefs are going anywhere. 

6) The loss does quiet the whole "Patrick Mahomes is the greatest QB ever" talk for a little while. That title still belongs to Tom Brady. Mahomes will take a backseat on that for a while. Plus, I also think it quiets the discussion for Andy Reid being the greatest coach in NFL history. Both of those discussions took a hit on Sunday and for the time being are not a conversation. 

7) For the past three years, every time we thought the Chiefs could get beat the argument against it was that they have Pat Mahomes and he will find a way to win-even if the other team is better. Well, now going into next year, we can stop using that theory when we are analyzing the Chiefs in big games. The Eagles put an end to that in dominating fashion and showed that Mahomes and the Chiefs are vulnerable in big games.

8) It was a Super Bowl that really didn't have a lot of storylines or hype going into it, and the game fell flat because it was such a blowout. The legacy of this game will be the Eagles and their dominance of the great Patrick Mahomes. The Eagles defensive performance is right up there with other great defensive efforts in the Super Bowl like the 2000 Ravens, 2002 Bucs, 1985 Bears, and 2015 Broncos. 

9) The Super Bowl is over and the Eagles will have their parade in a few days and that puts a wrap on the 2024 NFL season. I'll have some thoughts on the Broncos going into the offseason in a few days, but it is always sad when the NFL season is over. It will be quiet here for a few weeks and then we will turn our attention to free agency and the draft in March and April.