Recap and Highlights

The Philadelphia Eagles had a decisive victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night at Ceasar’s Superdome in New Orleans, claiming the franchise’s second Super Bowl title with a final score of 40-22, denying the Chiefs the opportunity of an unprecedented “three-peat.” 

Their second meeting at the Super Bowl in the past three seasons, this reunion did not fall short of the first. A loss still fresh for the Eagles, the 38-35 ending to Super Bowl LVII fueled several Eagles players, including Quarterback Jalen Hurts, whose lock screen featured himself walking off the field while Chiefs-colored confetti rained down. 

Hurts spoke on his choice to use such a painful memory as a lock screen, “The goal is to win…I don’t need a screensaver to remind me of anything, but it’s there,” he said. This method seemed to work for Hurts, who ended the game with two passing touchdowns and rushed for a third. Hurts had 221 passing yards and led the Eagles with 72 rushing yards. He received Super Bowl LIX’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for his career-defining performance. 

Several celebrities, including personalities such as Paul Rudd, Paul McCartney, Ice Spice, Kevin Costner, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and Pete Davidson, attended the game.

Donald Trump, the newly inaugurated 47th President of the United States, was also at the game, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. 

Taylor Swift, renowned singer-songwriter and girlfriend of Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, was in attendance and received an audible “boo” at her appearance on camera. 

Kelce had a somewhat underwhelming performance on Sunday night, failing to connect with Mahomes until the third quarter. There has been some speculation that Kelce plans to retire this year, but he didn’t meet with reporters after the game to comment. Mahomes spoke on the matter, saying, “I know he still has love for the game. He’ll get time to spend with his family and make that decision on his own. He’ll be welcomed back here with open arms.”

Mahomes has shouldered the majority of the blame for this loss, with two first-half interceptions that led to 14 points for the Eagles. His offensive line was under constant pressure from the Eagles’ defense, who broke through without needing to blitz, leading to several forced throws by Mahomes. The Eagles defense had six sacks, two interceptions (one pick-six), and a forced fumble. 

While the game had meaningful takeaways, it was relatively drama-free. Many fans were concerned that officials would cater to the Chiefs, especially after questionable calls during the AFC Championship matchup against the Buffalo Bills, which ended in a 29-32 victory for the Chiefs. 

The game opened with a pass interference call on wide receiver A.J. Brown after a remarkable fourth down catch deep in Chiefs territory. However, this was one of the few contentious penalties doled out during the game. Only eight penalties were handed to the Eagles for 59 yards and seven against the Chiefs for 75 yards.  

The Eagles’ rookie cornerback, Cooper DeJean, celebrated his birthday during the Super Bowl, but also managed to snag his first career pick-six and became the first NFL player to score a touchdown on his birthday in the Super Bowl. 

DeJean wasn’t the only one celebrating on Sunday night, Eagles running back, Saquon Barkley celebrated his birthday and set the NFL record for rushing yards between the regular season and playoffs with 2,478 yards. 

Barkley had a historic first season with the Eagles after playing six seasons with the New York Giants. He managed to set the NFL rushing record, won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and became a Super Bowl Champion. 

A recent conversation in the sports world included Patrick Mahomes, the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, and whether he could solidify himself in the “GOAT” conversation along with greats such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Joe Montana. Many say that Mahomes’ Sunday night performance is cause for reconsideration of this storyline.