NEW ORLEANS (NEXSTAR/AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs wanted to make history with back-to-back-to-back championships, but Super Bowl LIX was dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles, who won the game 40-22.
The Chiefs avoided making a different kind of Super Bowl history – for much of the game it looked like it could be a shutout. Every team in NFL history has scored at least once in the big game, so there has never been a shutout. Thankfully for the Chiefs, that didn’t happen Sunday either.
Starting the second half, the Philadelphia Eagles were leading 24-0. Another field goal from Jake Elliott pushed Philadelphia’s lead to 27-0 with 5:18 left in the third quarter. A few minutes later, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith for a 46-yard touchdown to enlarge the score to 34-0.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs — vying for the first-ever three-peat in Super Bowl history — finally put up a touchdown shortly before the fourth quarter, pushing the score to 34-6. The Chiefs tried for a 2-point conversion to Travis Kelce but it failed.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were able to hold the Eagles to a field goal that put Philadelphia up 37-6 with just under 10 minutes left. Another field goal with roughly 8 minutes left extended the lead to 40-6.
With less than three minutes left in the game, DeAndre Hopkins caught a touchdown pass for the Chiefs, followed by a two-point conversion. But the score was still far from close at 40-14.
Shortly thereafter the Eagles started celebrating by dumping Gatorade on coach Nick Sirianni before the clock had even run out. The Chiefs scored another touchdown, but it was too late to make a difference.
Just like the officials were a big storyline headed into the Super Bowl thanks in part to social media conspiracy theories about favoritism toward the Chiefs, they were a big part of the first quarter of the game with both teams ending up on the wrong side of a close call.
The first questionable call came on the opening drive of the game when the Philadelphia Eagles appeared to convert a fourth-and-2 from midfield with a 32-yard pass from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown.
But the official immediately threw a flag because Brown shoved cornerback Trent McDuffie’s facemask. While there was some contact, Fox officiating analyst Mike Pereira said it shouldn’t have led to a flag.
Those kinds of close calls that have tended to go in Kansas City’s favor in recent playoff games have fueled the conspiracy theorists and have been a major topic all week. Commissioner Roger Goodell called the allegations “ridiculous” during a news conference Monday and the head of the officiating union called it “insulting.”
On Philadelphia’s next possession, the close call went the Eagles’ way. Hurts threw an incomplete pass to Dallas Goedert on third-and-5 from the Kansas City 42. But the officials once again threw a flag because McDuffie made contact with Goedert’s facemask and Pereira didn’t like that call either.
Three plays later, Hurts scored on a 1-yard run for the first score of the game.
When the second quarter started, Chiefs safety Bryan Cook intercepted a pass from Hurts inside the Chiefs’ 5, giving Kansas City the ball back early.
It was short-lived, however, giving way to three drives and three punts for Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Eagles then turned around and put up a 48-yard field goal from kicker Jake Elliott to put Philadelphia up 10-0 with 8:38 left in the second quarter.
A short time later, the Eagles would score again after Cooper DeJean returned a 38-year interception off of Mahomes for a touchdown. He became the first player to score a Super Bowl TD on his birthday, taking an achievement many thought would go to Eagles running back Barkley — he’s turning 28 on Sunday.
With less than five minutes left in the first half, Philadelphia was leading 17-0.
Before halftime, Hurts connected with Brown for a 12-yard touchdown pass, putting the Eagles up 24-0.
This Super Bowl was a rematch of two years ago, when the Chiefs edged the Eagles 38-35 in Glendale, Arizona. Last year, Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Las Vegas. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
