Super Bowl LIX took place last Sunday, and despite most predictions favoring the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles came out on top, 40-22. For anyone who decided to only watch Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, the commercials or to skip the event altogether, here’s a quick recap!
The first quarter saw only one touchdown, a rushing play from star quarterback Jalen Hurts in his second career Super Bowl appearance. In his last appearance, the 2023 Super Bowl, the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in a much closer call, 38-35. Despite throwing an interception at the beginning of the second quarter, which the Chiefs could not capitalize on, Hurts stunned the Chiefs’ defense for the rest of the evening. Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Chiefs, matched the interception with his own later in the quarter, picked off by Cooper DeJean, a rookie who made the play of the game on his birthday. Not only was it an amazing interception, but DeJean was able to return it for a touchdown. At halftime, the Eagles were up 24-0, a shockingly bad showing for the Chiefs.
The halftime show from Kendrick Lamar was incredible — he played many hits from his most recent album, “gnx,” including “tv off” and “squabble up.” He also featured SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, and Serena Williams in the performance. Perhaps this provided the Eagles with even more energy for the second half, as their dominance did not waver for the rest of the game.
After an Eagles field goal improved the score to 27-0, and the Chiefs failed to score on yet another drive, Hurts threw a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith for over 50 yards, bringing the score to 34-0. The Chiefs managed one touchdown before the fourth quarter, but failed on the 2-point conversion, which was an interception thrown by Mahomes.
There was a notable lack of rushing plays from the Eagles compared to their games from the rest of the season, when they heavily relied on Saquon Barkley, their star running back. After spending six seasons stuck with the New York Giants, with whom he could not come close to the Super Bowl, he was quietly let go and the Eagles picked him up on a $37.75 million contract for three years. With the Eagles, he fit in as a natural leader and set the single-season record for rushing yards this year with an astonishing 2,504 yards. Though he only rushed for 57 yards in the Super Bowl, he served as a huge threat to the defense, drawing their focus away from Hurts’ passing plays.
In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs already looked defeated, and the Eagles began to celebrate long before the clock ran out. Mahomes was stripped of the ball on one of the Chiefs’ last chances to score, a devastating blow that snuffed out any remaining momentum they had. The score was 40-6 with five minutes remaining, and though the Chiefs managed to increase it to 40-22, they had stopped celebrating. For Kansas City fans, it may have been heartbreaking, but for the majority of dynasty-haters watching the Super Bowl, it was the perfect ending.
Hurts was named the Super Bowl MVP, Travis Kelce unfortunately did not propose, and the city of Philadelphia took a lot of damage. Though it was a complete blowout, this Super Bowl was still a joy to watch.
