NEW ORLEANS. — The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Sunday’s (Monday in Manila) Super Bowl in New Orleans to deny Kansas City’s bid for a third consecutive title and exact brutal revenge for their loss to the team in the NFL title game two years ago.
The Eagles bullied the Chiefs behind a defensive effort that overwhelmed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, culminating with a strip sack with less than 10 minutes to play that ended any hopes of a comeback.
In the city where jazz was born, versatile Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a masterful conductor, making music with his legs and his arm to score three total touchdowns en route to earning Super Bowl MVP honors.
“It’s been a long journey, a journey with ups and downs, highs and lows,” first-time Super Bowl champion Hurts told reporters.
“You’ve got to be able to use these experiences that you’ve had in the past because they’re all formative for the future.”
Hurts finished 17-of-22 for 221 passing yards and rushed for 72 more on 11 carries, his only misstep a first-half interception that ultimately proved harmless.
It was the Eagles’ second Super Bowl title after they beat the New England Patriots in 2018 and it played out before a sold-out crowd that included US President Donald Trump, pop superstar Taylor Swift and a bevy of other A-list celebrities.
It marked the first time a sitting president had attended a Super Bowl and Trump watched the first half of the game at the Superdome before leaving.
The win spelled sweet revenge for the Eagles after their heartbreaking 38-35 defeat to the Chiefs in Phoenix two years ago.
“In the end, things come right on time,” Hurts said.
“Last time around, it wasn’t our time. It wasn’t my time. Sometimes you have to wait your turn.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni shed tears of joy on the field while embracing his family after the victory.
“You can’t be great without the greatness of others,” he said.
“This is the best team sport there is. It took everybody, I’m so happy.”
Mahomes, who was sacked six times and turned the ball over three times, took ownership of the painful loss that cost his team a chance at completing an unprecedented Super Bowl “three-peat.”
“I threw two interceptions in their end, I mean, I threw a pick six, and I threw a pick that they returned to the five-yard line, and they scored immediately after,” Mahomes told reporters.
“So, you give the team 14 points, especially a really good football team, a Super Bowl football team, and not a lot of good things happen.
“That’s why I take ownership of this loss more than probably any loss in my entire career because I put us in a bad spot there.”
The Eagles got the scoring started with their signature play – a goal line move they call the “brotherly shove” in reference to Philadelphia’s “City of Brotherly Love” nickname—with Hurts plowing into the end zone behind his powerful offensive line as his teammates forced him forward. .
