At some point later there’s nonetheless just one phrase to explain Tremendous Bowl LIX: disbelief. The ultimate scoreboard learn 40-22, but it surely felt a lot worse than that. The Chiefs trailed 34-0 at one level — their largest deficit in any Patrick Mahomes begin. They went 9 straight drives with out a rating — their longest streak in a Mahomes begin. The Eagles, in the meantime, received each the NFC Championship Recreation and Tremendous Bowl by three scores, with a mixed level margin of plus-50 — the third largest in NFL historical past. Their 95 complete factors are probably the most ever scored in these two video games.
This was dominance, plain and easy, however that does not imply there aren’t key pivotal moments to debate. I’ve highlighted 5 defining performs on this sport. These aren’t all flashy, highlight-reel performs — somewhat, they’re the performs that inform the actual story. How did the Eagles put the sport away? Why did Mahomes appear to play so poorly? And what, if something, may have gone higher for Kansas Metropolis?
These are the performs that outlined Tremendous Bowl LIX:
The scenario: Eagles’ first-and-10 on the Okay.C. 46-yard line, third quarter, 2:47 remaining; PHI up 27-0
The primary play is not only one to observe, but in addition to hearken to. Because the Eagles line up, Fox announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady are discussing the superb move breakup by Avonte Maddox on the Chiefs’ earlier fourth down. Burkhardt transitions to setting the desk simply because the Eagles snap the ball: “…now the Eagles get it again, seeking to run some clock…or perhaps throw the dagger?!”
JALEN TO DEVONTA DEEP TOUCHDOWN!
📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/OTFwM3v8Fb— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Everybody thought they’d run on this scenario. Why not? The Eagles have been one of many league’s most run-heavy groups, they’ve a 27-point lead and their solely blown fourth-quarter lead with Jalen Hurts this season — approach again in Week 2 towards the Falcons — got here as a result of they handed once they may have run.
And actually, they actually may have run! Earlier than the ball is snapped, Hurts walked as much as the road and checked the play. It will seem the Eagles had two performs referred to as within the huddle: a run, after which a play-action move if Hurts likes the look.
Be aware that Hurts is aligned within the pistol, which tends to be a run formation for the Eagles. The Eagles ran a season-high 16 snaps in pistol on this sport, and the primary 5 have been run performs. Considered one of them had the very same backfield motion as the large Smith landing: with guard Mekhi Becton (together with the bottom tight finish) pulling on an influence learn for Hurts and Saquon Barkley. It went for no acquire.
It went for 0 yards largely as a result of the Chiefs bought out to get additional our bodies at or close to the road of scrimmage when the ball was snapped for a lot of the sport. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo needed to verify Barkley did not beat him by climbing to the third degree with a head of steam. If the Eagles have been going to get explosives, Spagnuolo needed Hurts to earn it by the air.
So Hurts did. On the play-action idea, the Chiefs are instantly in a bind. They need to get the bottom security to assist nook Trent McDuffie (22) towards wideout A.J. Brown (11). For lots of the Eagles’ passing downs thus far — together with the Bryan Cook dinner interception within the first quarter — the Chiefs had discovered methods to do precisely that: get two pairs of eyes on Brown. And with out that extra security assist, Brown probably would have been open on the dig in the course of the sector for a bit acquire.
However as a result of Cook dinner (6) is bracketing Brown, there is not any middle-of-the-field security. Frontside security Justin Reid (2) has to take tight finish Dallas Goedert (88) when he releases upfield, which leaves nook Jaylen Watson (35) with completely no downfield assist towards DeVonta Smith (6) on the landing.
Watson seems to be pissed off after the catch, and given the best way he offers Smith an inside launch on the line, he probably anticipated assist from Reid the entire approach. However Reid is in an unattainable bind. If he sinks with Smith, Goedert is vast open close to the sideline and has room to run after the catch. That is simply nice play design — from the run faux to the Brown route — deployed in an ideal second with flawless execution from Hurts and Smith. The dagger!
The scenario: Eagles’ third-and-16 on the Okay.C. 24-yard line, second quarter, 7:16 remaining, PHI up 10-0
Look once more at that scoreboard. It was solely 10-0 midway by the second quarter. The Chiefs have been in a nasty spot, however the Chiefs are at all times in a nasty spot, after which at all times wriggle their approach out. Not this time.
COOPER DEJEAN PICK TO THE HOUSE!
📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/y4Q4bGTHE2— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
It is a stunning schematic play from the Eagles’ protection. They’re in quarters, as they have been for many of this sport, however quarters is a toolsy, versatile protection. It is not so simple as enjoying 4 deep gamers and three beneath defenders, all dropping to a spot on the sector with eyes on the quarterback. Quarters coverages — particularly Vic Fangio’s — have loads of guidelines and changes relative to formations and route distributions.
One of the crucial widespread methods to beat any zone protection is by flooding one facet of the sector. That is why the league calls three-level ideas into the sideline a “flood” — as a result of there’s usually solely two zone defenders into the sideline (one beneath and one deep), so with three routes in that vertical house, somebody needs to be open.
On this play, the Chiefs run tremendous flood (not an actual time period). Whereas they don’t seem to be initially in a four-strong formation, they’ve referred to as a sprintout proper with 4 eligibles to the appropriate as soon as working again Samaje Perine (34) crosses quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ (15) face. Watch tight finish Noah Grey (83) look to set the display screen for Mahomes, who’s exiting the pocket to his proper not below duress, however by design. This was an tried schematic adjustment from Kansas Metropolis in response to the constant strain Philadelphia was placing on Mahomes within the pocket.
— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) February 10, 2025
Mahomes had 46 designed rollouts to his proper within the common season; solely Bo Nix and Kyler Murray had extra. He tried 44 passes on these 46 dropbacks, finishing 32 for 345 yards and two scores. That is an EPA per dropback of 0.36 (league common was 0.04) and a hit price of 61% (league common was 50%). Mahomes and the Chiefs are nice within the designed rollout and sprintout sport, particularly with 4 routes on one facet of the sector — one thing else they do extra regularly, and extra efficiently, than most groups. On third-and-16, they relied on what they do finest.
The Eagles play this completely. That’s not a phrase I take advantage of flippantly. Watch linebacker Oren Burks (42) alert Zack Baun (53) and slot nook Cooper DeJean (33) that Perine is releasing sturdy and the Chiefs now have 4 eligible receivers to that facet of the sector. In good zone protection, defenders transfer in live performance, like they’re hooked up by stiff rods that do not enable them to get any nearer or any additional away from each other. Burks pushes the beneath protection to his left, and as he strikes, so does Baun. Baun takes over the beneath space into the sideline, which pushes DeJean again. The spacing is flawless.
Now, the Eagles have solved their flood drawback. They’ve created three layers of zone protection into the sideline, anticipating the three layers of routes the Chiefs would possibly flood them with.
What the Chiefs are literally working is not as neat and tidy as the perfect diagram of a flood idea. The safeties have imaginative and prescient and a bracket on wideout Hollywood Brown (5) if Mahomes needed a deep shot; cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) has depth and leverage on receiver Xavier Worthy (1), who’s breaking on the sticks; Baun is hooked up to Perine out of the flat; and Burks is current for a late tight finish launch or Mahomes scramble.
That leaves DeJean, the bonus dropper, the additional participant within the new layer of the protection. He’s ready for any bottom crosser, and rightfully so, as wideout DeAndre Hopkins (8) comes sprinting throughout the sector. It’s value remarking that the Eagles can play quarters towards these 4×1 route distributions as a result of they’ve a star rookie cornerback reverse DeJean in Quinyon Mitchell (27), who locked up Hopkins on this play. Watch Mitchell, who initially has nearly 10 yards of cushion and massive outdoors leverage, steadily shut the space on Hopkins and condense the window by the point Mahomes releases the ball. This was a move breakup even when DeJean did not exist.
However DeJean does exist, and the rookie performs Mahomes like a 10-year vet. Watch DeJean comply with Mahomes in complete synchronicity. As Mahomes’ palms begin to separate, DeJean settles his toes. As Mahomes begins to gradual his momentum, DeJean additionally slows. And as Mahomes releases the ball, DeJean breaks on it. He eradicated the throw to Worthy along with his preliminary drop, acquired again into the throwing window for Hopkins and ran again the interception nearly 40 yards into the tip zone.
That could be a particular, particular play.
The scenario: Chiefs’ first-and-10 on the Okay.C. 44-yard line, third quarter, 14:18 remaining; PHI up 24-0
This was the worst sport of Mahomes’ profession. He put up sufficient garbage-time manufacturing that his minus-0.46 EPA per dropback barely clears his career-low minus-0.47 from a loss to the Broncos in 2023, however everyone knows what we noticed. This was not just like the AFC Championship Recreation loss to the Bengals or the Tremendous Bowl LV loss to the Buccaneers, the place Mahomes largely performed properly after which had a number of unhealthy drives. Sure, he was below fixed duress in an offense with no working sport and bereft of any good move catchers. However that had been the case for a lot of the season, and his excellence sustained them to the Tremendous Bowl. He was not wonderful Sunday night time, and all of it got here crashing down.
It was not a robust sport for Mahomes’ pocket footwork or pocket administration. He seemed jittery early, even earlier than the strain and hits began to build up. He averted sacks within the first quarter earlier than taking three within the second quarter, together with two straight earlier than the DeJean pick-six. He had solely taken three first-half sacks in 9 of his earlier 132 profession video games.
The Chiefs acquired the ball to start out the second half, and if there was any likelihood at a comeback, it will begin with a tone-setting, confidence-building landing drive. After choosing up one first down, Mahomes took back-to-back sacks on first and second down, establishing a third-and-17 the Chiefs predictably did not convert. By the tip of the sport, Mahomes was sacked a career-high six occasions.
The primary sack on that drive was a really telling play.
— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) February 10, 2025
The Chiefs need to get Travis Kelce, their star tight finish who was catchless thus far within the sport, activated. They name a zone-beating mixture to the sturdy facet of the formation, however the Eagles are prepared for it. Watch each safeties, Reed Blankenship (32) and C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8), drill down on the wrap route from Kelce. They’re anticipating this route behind the primary layer of the protection; they need to take it away. The Eagles challenged Kelce on the line of scrimmage and warped zone protection towards him for a lot of this sport; his zero-catch first half was solely the eighth empty first half of his profession.
When the safeties shut on Kelce, they achieve this on the expense of serving to on downfield routes. Brown now has house to run away from Slay to the highest of the display screen. It is a long-developing route, and the Eagles are betting Mahomes will not have sufficient time to get to it — wager, given how their move rush has performed.
However on this specific rep, the Chiefs truly construct a semi-decent pocket. The house is tight, and defensive sort out Jordan Davis (90) is slowly collapsing left guard Mike Caliendo (66), however this pocket is extra manageable than most Mahomes acquired that night.
Mahomes continues to be jumpy. He has gotten used to fast strain after his first learn all sport lengthy, and an prolonged halftime break did not soothe these issues. Mahomes offers a glance to JuJu Smith-Schuster (9), would not just like the leverage on the route after which decides to tuck and run. It’s an comprehensible intuition. He’d need to take a shot within the pocket whereas making an attempt to ship an correct downfield ball to Brown, and that is provided that each tackles maintain their water for lengthy sufficient, which hadn’t been occurring. However the protection is telling Mahomes to not move up a one-on-one alternative with a speedy receiver, particularly in a 24-point gap within the Tremendous Bowl.
As a substitute, Mahomes drops his eyes and drops the ball, climbing proper into the ready arms of Davis. It seems to be like a panic sack as a result of it’s one, the product of how properly Philadelphia’s move rush and protection performed over the course of the sport.
On the very subsequent play (second-and-11), the Chiefs dial up a designer route for Worthy to win downfield. He initially seems to be like he is releasing on a shallow crosser earlier than climbing up the seam — an odd, extremely particular route meant to interrupt the Eagles’ guidelines. It really works — Worthy is open. However as soon as once more, Mahomes has to handle a muddy pocket, and this time, the Eagles have looped a defensive finish in anticipation of Mahomes’ step up. When he climbs, Josh Sweat (94) is true there to complete the play earlier than Worthy may even flip his head.
— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) February 10, 2025
That is what it seems to be like when a quarterback has misplaced religion in his move safety and the rhythm of the sport.
A very simple first down
The scenario: Eagles’ third-and-5 on the PHI 24-yard line, third quarter, 10:42 remaining; PHI up 24-0
Hurts ran 11 occasions for 72 yards and a rating Sunday night time, beating his personal Tremendous Bowl report of 70 dashing yards from two years in the past. The majority of his manufacturing got here from scrambles, not from the designed working sport. He had 5 scrambles for 60 yards by NFL Subsequent Gen Stats’ monitoring — probably the most scramble yards he has had in a sport for the reason that 2022 season.
Three Hurts scrambles went for explosive good points — 16, 14 and 17 yards, all within the second half. There wasn’t a lot have to scramble within the first half, however within the second half, when the Chiefs have been searching the stops essential to kickstart a comeback, he constantly moved the chains along with his legs.
On this third-and-5, the Kansas Metropolis protection is on the sector for its first drive of the second half after its offense’s opening drive stalled. If it could get off the sector rapidly, perhaps it could nonetheless play the remainder of the sport at a semi-normal tempo and shut the space. On the 2 earlier performs, it pressured a checkdown and a brief Barkley run.
— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) February 10, 2025
Spagnuolo performs man throughout the board, with a bracket on Brown and a single-high security in addition. Two potential blitzers present, linebackers Nick Bolton (32) and Leo Chenal (54), however neither are literally dashing. They’re studying the discharge of the working again. Whichever path Barkley heads, that linebacker will take him in man protection, and the opposite will turn into a spy on Hurts. If the tight man protection forces him to carry onto the ball, Hurts will probably break the pocket, and the spy can deal with him.
It half-works. Fast, high-side strain from George Karlaftis (56) on Hurts’ bottom will get him to drop his eyes even sooner than the Chiefs meant — he has sufficient time to have a look at Brown, affirm the wideout is doubled and get to the bottom earlier than he is below hearth. However there is no such thing as a hesitation in Hurts’ sport, not one of the uncertainty that plagued him when below strain within the common season. Hurts goes, instantly tucking and working into the lane simply vacated by Bolton when Barkley pulled him away.
Chenal is supposed to spy Hurts right here, however he has simply now disengaged from the offensive line and would not have an angle on Hurts, who’s transferring too rapidly to be caught earlier than the road to achieve.
The Chiefs struggled with rush lane integrity all night time, and frequently did not deal with Hurts’ escape paths. On the primary drive of the sport, Bolton was spying Hurts on a protracted third down, however the Chiefs’ rush acquired too far upfield and Hurts was capable of climb the pocket and simply outpace Bolton. This play was finally meaningless, but it surely foreshadowed scrambles to come back.
How the Chiefs know they’re cooked
The scenario: Chiefs’ third-and-11 on the Okay.C. 29-yard line, second quarter, 0:40 remaining; PHI up 24-0
The Eagles have been going to win this sport. No quantity of Chiefs tomfoolery, late-game hijinks nor preordained three-peat whimsy may have presumably bridged the chasm between how good the Eagles have been in each section — trenches, protection, quarterbacking, playcalling, particular groups — and the way unhealthy the Chiefs have been. Philly had Kansas Metropolis outmanned and outmaneuvered.
With that mentioned, I’ll at all times discover myself questioning what would have occurred if Hopkins caught this move.
— Good Clips (@MeshSitWheel) February 10, 2025
On an evening by which the Eagles didn’t make any errors, they made a giant one right here. Blankenship and Slay try to speak who ought to take which route, which is already exhausting sufficient — however they’re making an attempt to do it excessive of Gardner-Johnson, who’s between the 2 of them and studying his personal keys within the midst of the chaos. The Eagles bust, and Hopkins is about as vast open as vast open will get. Possibly he would not rating on this play (he would not actually have high gears anymore), however on the very least, the Chiefs are in wholesome discipline purpose vary with a while left on the clock.
That is how you already know it is not your night time. If the Jahan Dotson explosive catch within the first quarter did not tip individuals off or the two-pick, three-sack first half from Mahomes did not make it abundantly clear, then this simple drop from one of the vital famously sure-handed receivers in soccer takes the cake. The Chiefs did not have it Sunday, and the opposite guys did.
