By Colby Wyatt
RB Saquan Barkley, WR A.J. Brown, QB Jalen Hurts, WR Devonta Smith (Drew Hallowell/Philadelphia Eagles)
NEW ORLEANS – Two years ago the Kansas City Chiefs denied the Philadelphia Eagles a Super Bowl victory. This year Philadelphia got their revenge, winning 44-22 and preventing Kansas City the chance at making Super Bowl history.
With the opportunity to be the first team to three-peat in NFL history, all eyes were on Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs offense, but all of the attention should have been on the Eagles’ defense. Forcing six sacks and three interceptions, they controlled the game. The Philadelphia D not only held Kansas City to zero points in the first half but created many opportunities for the Eagles’ offense to take a huge 24-0 lead.
The back end of the defense was led by rookie sensation (and birthday boy) Cooper DeJean, the cornerback snatched the first interception of his career and took it back to score the second touchdown of the game. Veteran linebacker Zack Braun had the other interception of the game.
Despite the two interceptions, the pass rush was the highlight of the Eagles’ defense. Even without blitzing a single time, Philly’s front four recorded 16 pressures and sacked Mahomes six times, the most in a game in his career. Top-talent defensive end Josh Sweat led the team with 2.5 sacks while Milton Williams also recovered a fumble to complement his two sacks. The D-line also stuffed the run, allowing four different ball carriers a total of 49 yards.
The scoreboard may show the Chiefs totaling 22 points, but all of those points came in the last 16 minutes when the game was all but decided. The Chiefs converting only three of 11 third-down opportunities gave the Eagles a multitude of opportunities and the chance to excel offensively.
The Kansas City defensive line was able to stifle Saquan Barkley and the Eagles’ run game. Barkley, coming off of one of the greatest seasons by a running back ever, was held to 57 yards on 25 attempts. However, the defense could not stop Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game. Hurts threw one interception but overall went 17/22 with 293 total yards, two passing and one rushing touchdown.
Hurts spread the love among the offense, targeting six different players, four of them having 40 or more yards. AJ Brown caught the second offensive touchdown of the game in the second quarter. Devonta Smith became the first player drafted out of Alabama to score in the Super Bowl with his third-quarter touchdown.
Super Bowl MVP Hurts would credit his team too, saying “Defense wins championships”.
Thanks to dominant performances on both sides of the ball, the Eagles will take home the Lombardi trophy this year.
After taking some time to celebrate, Philadelphia will join the rest of the league in looking towards the NFL Draft on April 24.