Super Bowl LIX

After four hours of plays, passes, and interceptions, the Philadelphia Eagles kept control of the football over the Kansas City Chiefs, blasting through their offensive and defensive lines with a 40–22 victory at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Before the NFL season even began, the Kansas City Chiefs were the favorites. They, alongside coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have been the team to beat since the turn of the decade, appearing in five and winning three of the last six Super Bowls. This year, the Chiefs sought their third straight championship after going 17–2 in their 2024-25 campaign and defeating the Buffalo Bills for the NFC championship. Playing them in this year’s Super Bowl are the Philadelphia Eagles, who reached a similar 17–3 season and defeated the Washington Commanders for the AFC championship. Interestingly, the two teams played for the Vince Lombardi trophy two years ago, where the Chiefs narrowly bested the Eagles 38–35. No matter how the score turned out this year, millions of eyes watched the two of the season’s best teams give their all for the illusive Lombardi trophy.

With a strong start to the game by the Eagles, keeping the Chiefs and Mahomes tip-toeing around, the Eagles finally found the end zone with six minutes to go in the first quarter, with a running play after a pass that brought them mere yards before the goal line. After a back and forth final few minutes, the Chiefs came back swinging in the second quarter with an interception–their first and only of the night. The Chiefs also kept the Eagles out of their end zone, but not far enough from it to stop the Eagles’ first field goal of the night. Then, mere minutes later, the Eagles extended their lead with a 40-yard interception-turned-touchdown after two consecutive sacks on Mahomes. After some strong defensive drives to fend off anything the Chiefs threw against them, leading toi another Eagles interception and touchdown close to the Chiefs’ goal line, the Eagles led 24–0 going into halftime. This gave the Chiefs a long recovery drive necessary to take the lead in the second half after a series of failed passes and flag penalties riddling their first-half performance.

After a lackluster comeback by the Chiefs to open the third quarter, the Eagles returned the favor with a methodical run down to the Chiefs' end zone. However, as they drew within reach of the end zone, the Chiefs' defensive line halted their progress, forcing the Eagles to take the field goal. Fortunately, after a blocked fourth down conversion, the Eagles threw a fifty-plus-yard pass to the end zone. The Chiefs returned the favor with a great drive to the end zone but with a failed two-point conversion. This brought the score to 34–6 going into the fourth quarter, making it extremely difficult for the Chiefs to make a run for the trophy with fifteen minutes left to run.

The Eagles kept their momentum going in the fourth quarter, running down the field (and the clock) to give the Chiefs offense as little time as possible to make a comeback. When they got into field zone territory, they took the punt and increased their margin to 31 points…before sacking Mahomes, intercepting the ball, and getting another field goal to make it a 34-point margin. The Chiefs had two touchdown drives in the closing minutes, one from an impressive 50-yard pass, but it was not enough to match their deficit against the Eagles. Final score: 40–22.

There was much to be desired in the Chiefs camp. After a strong season, they wanted to top it off with a three-peat at the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, their offense and defense were no match for the Eagles, who took every opening they had to take possession of the ball and stop the Chiefs from moving down the field. Super Bowls often come down to which team can outsmart the other. This year, the Philadelphia Eagles with coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts outdid and outsmarted one of the best in the league today to claim the illustrious Lombardi trophy, and gave the Chiefs much to reflect on moving into the 2025-26 season.