Two of the National Football League’s (NFL’s) hottest teams faced off in a Super Bowl rematch on Sunday, Feb. 9, on the biggest stage in New Orleans to determine who would be crowned the Super Bowl champion. The Kansas City Chiefs aimed to become the first team in NFL history to three-peat, while the Philadelphia Eagles sought to prove themselves after enduring criticism over the past few seasons.
The stadium roared as the kickoff resulted in a touch back, leaving Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense to take the field. The seas of green and red painted the background, and anxiety radiated off the sidelines as the, and the crowd cheered.
The Eagles’ started off strong, moving down the field with some big plays. On a third down, Hurts connected with wide receiver A.J. Brown for a big gain, but a penalty led to a fourth down and an Eagles punt. The Chiefs’ first few plays, however, were shaky as quarterback Patrick Mahomes faced constant pressure from the Eagles’ defensive line.
The Eagles looked to their MVP candidate and offensive player of the year running back Saquon Barkley to get their offense going. He only averaged a few yards as the Chiefs run defense was looking great.
Very shortly after, Hurts connected with his wide receiver Johan Dotson for a big gain that would lead to him rushing for a touchdown, putting the Eagles in the lead 7-0.
The Chiefs looked to strike back, but once more, couldn’t form anything on offense.
As the second quarter began, the Chiefs defense forced a turnover off an interception leading to them start deep in their own territory. Mahomes came out passing this drive but once more had no success.
The Eagles were able to string a few plays together but the Chiefs defense held them to a field goal as they took a 10-0 lead.
The Chiefs got the ball back and fans were hoping to see the team get into Eagles territory. Mahomes looked down field and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Cooper Dejean, now giving the Eagles a 17-0 lead.
Mahomes found himself deep in his own territory once more as he threw his second interception of the game which was picked off by linebacker Zach Baun. This led to a very quick touchdown caught by A.J. Brown giving the Eagles a 24-0 lead heading into halftime.
After the halftime show performed by rapper Kendrick Lamar, featuring Sza and Mustard, the Chiefs looked to at least cut the deficit and start the long uphill climb ahead of them.
Their first drive back resulted in another punt and an Eagles possession that was held together by the legs of Hurts as he scrambled out the pocket for many big rushing gains. The drive resulted in a field goal giving the Eagles a 27-0 lead.
Kansas City fans and players looked hopeless, even though the Chiefs were finally able to reach Eagles’ territory. Late in the third quarter, there was no chance to come back, with only eight pass completions and 52 passing yards.
At this point, the only thing the Eagles needed to do to secure the game was run the clock out but they decided they still had unfinished business as Hurts connected with Smith on a 50 yard passing touchdown to bring the score to 34-0 and put him up over 200 passing yards with 15 completions and three total touchdowns.
The next drive was promising for the Chiefs as they strung together many small gains and Mahomes found wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the endzone for a touchdown. However, facing a large deficit, their two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 34-6 in favor of the Eagles.
For the remainder of the third quarter, the ball bounced between the two teams and the only points awarded were from two field goals to give the Eagles a 40-6 lead.
The Chiefs, already down by a lot, tried to make the game look close on the scoreboard as they finished with two more touchdowns to make the final score 40-22.
The Eagles, waiting for the moment since halftime, took the field to seal the game officially with two kneel downs.
Green and white confetti filled the air as Eagles fans erupted in cheers, celebrating the end of the long-awaited rematch. Players, coaches, and owners proudly hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, cementing their status as the champions of Super Bowl LIX.
