The Philadelphia Eagles soared to their second Super Bowl title in franchise history, riding a dominant first half to a 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday.
Fueled by two first-half interceptions, the Eagles built a commanding 24-0 halftime lead and never looked back. Their relentless defense smothered Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, racking up six sacks, forcing a fumble and holding Kansas City to just six points until the final three minutes.
"We had to come out and play our best, and we did," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "They're a team in the greatest team sport there is."
At the heart of Philadelphia’s triumph was quarterback Jalen Hurts, who earned Super Bowl MVP honors after a stellar performance. He completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while also leading the team in rushing with 72 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
"I couldn't do it without these guys around me," Hurts said.
It was a measure of revenge for the Eagles after they lost to the Chiefs 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII two years ago, kicking off Kansas City's run at a three-peat.
This time, Hurts helped end that run quickly, navigating his way into the end zone in the first quarter on a "tush push" rushing touchdown, then adding scoring throws of 12 yards and 46 yards to increase Philadelphia's advantage to 34-0.
"He was poised all game," Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said of Hurts. "He was in control."
Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy hauled in eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs, who were emphatically prevented from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.
Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, celebrated his 28th birthday by setting two NFL records in the first half, becoming the single-season scrimmage yards leader (regular season plus playoffs) on his first carry before breaking the single-season rushing yards record on the final play before the break.
Barkley finished with 57 yards on 25 carries and added six catches for 40 yards. Across the regular season and postseason, Barkley totaled 2,857 yards from scrimmage and 2,504 rushing yards to break both records, previously held by the Denver Broncos’ Terrell Davis (1998).
After back-to-back sacks of Mahomes during a second quarter drive, Eagles rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean, who also celebrated his 22nd birthday, broke in front of a pass and returned his interception 38 yards for a touchdown with 7:03 left in the first half, staking Philadelphia to a 17-0 lead.
"I was trying to find the fastest way to the end zone," DeJean said of his interception return. "I've been dreaming about this since I was a kid."
Two drives later, edge rusher Josh Sweat, who finished with 2.5 sacks, pressured Mahomes into his second interception, which linebacker Zack Baun collected at the Chiefs' 14-yard line. Two plays later, Hurts found Brown for a 12-yard touchdown, putting Kansas City in a 24-0 hole with 1:35 left in the half.
The Eagles extended their lead to 27-0 on Jake Elliott's 29-yard field goal. After the Chiefs failed on a fourth-down attempt, Hurts found DeVonta Smith alone behind the defense for a 46-yard scoring play and a 34-0 advantage.
"We'll learn from this," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We battled our tail off to get this far."
Mahomes, who completed 21 of 32 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, finally got the Chiefs on the board with a 24-yard scoring pass to Worthy with 34 seconds left in the third quarter.
"They got after it," Mahomes said of the Eagles' defense. "I just can't turn the ball over."
With the outcome decided in the fourth quarter, Mahomes added a 7-yard touchdown toss to DeAndre Hopkins and a 50-yard scoring pass to Worthy.
Just before the Eagles' first score, Hurts connected with Jahan Dotson for 27 yards down the right sideline, setting up a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Hurts punched it in on the next play to put Philadelphia up 7-0.
Kansas City safety Bryan Cook ended the Eagles' next scoring opportunity with an interception of Hurts at the Chiefs' 2-yard line. A drive later, Philadelphia extended its lead to 10-0 on Elliott's 48-yard field goal, capping a seven-play drive.
The Eagles dominated the first half, outgaining the Chiefs 179-23 in total yardage, and finished with a 345-275 edge for the game.
Elliott connected on field goals of 48 and 50 yards to close out the Eagles' scoring.
