LAS VEGAS – Two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles left the Super Bowl field heartbroken, watching Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs hoist the Lombardi Trophy after a gut-wrenching comeback win in Super Bowl LVII. This time, there was no comeback. No late-game Mahomes magic. No second-half surge.
The Eagles made sure of that.
Philadelphia’s 40-22 victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX wasn’t just a statement—it was a dismantling. A team that had built a reputation for finding ways to win, even when they weren’t at their best, the Chiefs finally ran out of answers. Mahomes, the face of the dynasty-in-the-making, didn’t have his usual spark. And the Eagles? They smelled blood.
A Different Script This Time
Two years ago, the Eagles jumped out to an early lead, only to watch Mahomes orchestrate a second-half comeback that left them stunned. This time, they never let their foot off the gas.
From the opening kickoff, the Eagles controlled the tempo. Their offensive line imposed its will, keeping the Chiefs’ defensive front at bay and allowing Jalen Hurts to operate with confidence. The Eagles played a complete game on both sides of the ball, setting the tone early and never allowing Kansas City to find a rhythm.
On offense, superstar running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for over 2,000 yards this season, didn’t have his best game—but it wasn’t a bad one either. He did just enough, finishing with 57 yards on 25 carries, averaging 2.3 yards per carry. Barkley had been the workhorse and primary factor in the Eagles’ offensive success all season, but in this game, Hurts stepped up when it mattered most. He threw for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and completed 77.2% of his passes. The Chiefs’ defense had no answers for him on the ground, as he rushed for 72 yards on 11 carries, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt, and added another touchdown with his legs.
Philadelphia’s receivers made timely plays as well. DeVonta Smith, the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama, hauled in four receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown, averaging 17.3 yards per catch. A.J. Brown added three receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown, averaging 14.3 yards per reception. The Eagles didn’t put up gaudy numbers offensively, but they controlled the game, finished drives, and didn’t let the Chiefs gain any momentum.
Dominance on Defense
While the Eagles’ offense did its part, the defense set the tone. Linebacker Zach Baun had seven tackles, broke up one pass, and snagged an interception. Edge rusher Josh Sweat was a nightmare for the Chiefs’ offensive line, racking up six tackles, two solo tackles, 2.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. Even though Hurts won Super Bowl MVP, if a defensive player were to make a case for it, it would be Sweat.
Other key contributors included linebacker Oren Burks, who had five tackles, and defensive tackle Milton Williams, who recorded four tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss. In the secondary, defensive back Cooper DeJean picked off Mahomes once, adding to the Chiefs’ struggles. In total, the Eagles’ defense forced two interceptions and completely shut down Kansas City’s rushing attack, holding them to just 49 yards on the ground.
Mahomes led the Chiefs in rushing with 25 yards on four carries, while their running backs were completely shut down. Kareem Hunt managed just nine yards on three carries, Samaje Perine rushed for eight yards on one carry, and Isiah Pacheco had seven yards on three carries. Kansas City’s offense was one-dimensional, and the Eagles’ front seven took full advantage.
The End of the Chiefs’ Luck?
If the past few seasons have taught us anything, it’s that you can never count out the Chiefs. Even when the numbers said they weren’t elite—when Mahomes wasn’t putting up MVP-level stats, when their defense had lapses—they still found ways to win. It’s what made them so dangerous.
But this time, their magic ran out.
Mahomes was under siege all night, sacked six times and hit countless more. The Eagles’ secondary, burned in key moments two years ago, stood tall. And for the first time in a long time, Kansas City looked like a team that simply couldn’t overcome the storm.
All things considered, Mahomes played a good game. He threw for 257 yards, completed 65.6% of his passes, and tossed three touchdown passes. Yes, the two interceptions hurt, but he was constantly under duress and forced to carry the entire offense, especially with no running game to support him.
Despite the loss, Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy put on a show. He hauled in eight receptions for 157 yards, averaging 19.6 yards per catch, and scored two touchdowns. Not only was that an outstanding performance overall, but for a rookie on the biggest stage, it was remarkable.
A Win for the City, A Win for Fangio
For Philadelphia, this wasn’t just about winning a Super Bowl—it was about reclaiming what it felt was theirs. The players talked about it all week, about how much Fangio wanted this, about how much they wanted it for him.
When Fangio was a consultant for the Eagles two years ago, he badly wanted that Super Bowl win over the Chiefs. He poured everything he had into helping that team prepare for Super Bowl LVII, only to watch them fall short. And when they did, the players saw the emotion on his face. They saw how much it meant to him, how devastated he was that they let it slip away. That moment stuck with them.
So when they got their rematch, they didn’t just want to win for themselves—they wanted to win for him.
And they did.
This time, there was no heartbreak. No collapse. No comeback for Kansas City. This time, it was Fangio’s defense that slammed the door shut.
When the final whistle blew and the confetti rained down, Fangio wasn’t a consultant anymore. He was the defensive coordinator of a Super Bowl champion. And the Eagles? They didn’t just get their revenge.
They dominated their way to it.
Pacific Playbook 
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