On Sunday, February 10, 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles took down the Kansas City Chiefs 40 to 22 in Super Bowl LIX. Going into the game, the Chiefs were favored slightly, however, both teams went in with a high win count, the Chiefs’ record being 15-2 and the Eagles’ 14-3.
This game had extremely high stakes. The Chiefs, having won the last two Super Bowls had the opportunity to become the first three-peat in Super Bowl history. The last team in the NFL to even pull together two Super Bowl wins in a row was the New England Patriots, winning from 2003-2004. For Philadelphia, this game served as a rematch for Superbowl LVII, in which the Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35.
The game started with Kansas City winning the coin toss, calling tails. During the first quarter, each team matched the other. The energy was there, and fans were still optimistic. Around halfway through the quarter, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, a starter since late 2020, ran the ball one yard, putting the Eagles on the board. Followed by an attempt of an extra point, and a made extra point, the score changed to 7-0, in favor of Philadelphia. Throughout the rest of the quarter, Chiefs players maintained to hold back the Eagles, resulting in no score change.
The second quarter was when the Eagles started to strive. Starting the scoring with a forty-three-yard field goal by Jake Elliott, Eagles kicker, Philadelphia pulled ahead, changing the score to 10-0. Following that, Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean intercepted Mahomes pass and scored a touchdown, also known as a pick-six, pulling the Eagles to 16-0. DeJean, who turned 22 the day of the Super Bowl, was only the second person in history to ever score a touchdown in the Superbowl on their birthday. Kicker Elliot also managed the extra point, changing the score to 17-0. Eagles A.J. Brown also received a twelve-yard pass from Jalen Hurts, followed by an extra point, putting Philadelphia at a 24-0 score by the end of the first half. This was Philadelphia’s most prominent quarter, scoring seventeen points in total.
The Eagle’s start blew all expectations out of the water. While the game was by no means finished, the Chiefs were forced to pick up the pace if they wanted a chance to make it competitive.
Famous American rapper Kendrick Lamar headlined the halftime show, eventually bringing out SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Mustard, and famous tennis star, Serena Williams. He performed many hits including: “Not Like Us,” “Luther,” “Squabble Up,” “TV Off,” and “All the Stars.” His stage was shaped like a PlayStation controller, along with many other hidden easter eggs.
At the start of the third quarter, the Eagles continued their scoring streak. It started when Jake Elliott kicked a 29-yard field goal. After that, Eagles’ DeVonta Smith received a forty-six-yard pass, scoring, along with the extra point, bringing the Eagles to a score of 34-0. Kansas City started to show some hope when rookie Xavier Worthy scored on a twenty-four-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes, putting them on the board for the first time in the night. The Chiefs attempted a two-point conversion, but failed, ending the third quarter at 34-6, Philadelphia in the lead.
The fourth and final quarter started with yet another field goal for the Eagles, gaining three more points, putting the score at 37-6. They followed their previous score by kicking another field goal, bumping the Eagles to a 34-point lead, 40-6. Chiefs DeAndre Hopkins then scored a seven-yard passing touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion, changing the score to 40-14. Kansas City then managed to score another touchdown by Worthy, then another two-point conversion, making the score 40-22. This was the final score point of the Super Bowl LIX.
While glimmers of hope appeared at the tail end, the last two touchdowns scored by the Chiefs were a result of the Eagles letting off the gas, even subbing in the backup quarterback, rather than the Chiefs truly picking up steam. What ultimately caused Kansas’ demise was the trench game. The Chiefs’ offensive line was simply not prepared for the Eagles’ elite defense which led to 16 pressures on Mahomes, along with a career-high six sacks, as well as two interceptions.
It was one of the worst games performance-wise for both Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and tight end Travis Kelce, who didn’t have a single reception in the first half. This game was his only failure to do so in his playoff career. This, coupled with the Eagles’ shockingly efficient pass game, one of their few weaknesses throughout the season, caused the one-sided victory to take place.
The game, played at Caesars Superdome, in New Orleans, Louisiana, had an attendance of 65,719 people. Ronald Torbert, Max Causey, Boris Cheek, Jonah Monroe, Mike Morton, Mearl Robinson, and Mark Stewart were the referees of the game, ensuring it was fair, and called neutrally.
