NFL – SUPER BOWL LIX – STATS THAT STICK OUT

I don’t think many NFL prognosticators foresaw a blowout by the Eagles over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.  But as hard as it is to believe it could happen, that indeed became the reality last Sunday when Philadelphia trounced Kansas City in the 40-22 rout. For the first time since 2017, the Eagles won the Lombardi Trophy and will be parading it around the City of Brotherly Love on Valentine’s Day in front of tens of thousands of fans. 

The main reason Philly prevailed in the game was the total domination by the Eagles defensive line over the Chiefs offensive line.  Basically, KC had no answer for Philly’s front 4 who hassled, rattled and rolled Patrick Mahomes most of the game.  Shockingly, they didn’t blitz at all on the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s 42 dropbacks (the second most in Super Bowl history), they also pressured Mahomes on almost half of his dropbacks before the fourth quarter, they sacked him 6 times (the most he’s ever been sacked in his career in any game), and got 11 quarterback hits in. They also forced two Mahomes interceptions in addition to forcing the QB to fumble the football on a strip-sack.  It was also the first time in Mahomes’ postseason career that he threw a pick-six.   Per TruMedia, it was Mahomes’ second-worst performance by EPA (expected points added) in a game in his career.

The Eagles’ defensive prowess really culminated late in the second quarter of the Super Bowl when they intercepted Mahomes and returned it for a TD, sacked Mahomes on a third down and got another interception (all within the span of 4 offensive snaps).  By halftime, the Eagles led 24-0 and the Chiefs had just 20 net passing yards on 17 dropbacks — 1.2 yards per dropback for Mahomes.  By the fourth quarter, (before the Eagles started to rest their defensive starters), Philly was up 40-6.  

Interestingly, KC’s offense did not seem to make any adjustments as the game wore on.  Most of us expected the Chiefs to bounce back as HC Andy Reid has guided his team to plenty of comebacks in the past.  But in the end, KC would add a couple of “garbage time” TDs late in the fourth quarter as the Eagles started pulling their defensive starters. By that time, Philadelphia had built the lead too out of reach.  For all the times the Chiefs won close games this season (12 in all, including the playoffs), they could not overcome the tremendous deficit they found themselves in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 59.

What KC did well in the game was to contain Eagles’ superstar RB Saquon Barkley.  He was limited to 57 rush yards on 25 attempts (2.3 yards AVE per play) and no TDs (his second-worst rushing game of the entire 2024 season).  The Chiefs also held Philly to only 5.1 yards per play total (which was actually fewer than the Chiefs).

But by the same token, KC had a hard time containing Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts who had one of his best games of the season with 17 passing completions in 22 attempts, 2 passing TDs and 11 rushing attempts for 72 yards and 1 rushing TD.  Hurts’ 72 rushing yards was the most by a QB in a Super Bowl which breaks his own mark set in Super Bowl LVII (2022- when the Eagles lost to the Chiefs).  Hurts was also honored as MVP of the game.  It was as if the Chiefs put so much emphasis on stopping Barkley, they didn’t (or couldn’t) account for Hurts at the same time…  

Once the cigar smoke cleared in the Eagles’ cheery locker room after the Super Bowl, it became abundantly clear that the Chiefs offensive red flags from the season reared their ugly heads.  As I wrote in my article for the Conf Championship weekend, KC’s offense finished the regular season middle of the road or below in most every statistical category and that includes, at the QB position.  

The lack of good quality play by the Chief’s offensive line appears to be rooted in the team’s offensive woes which also spills into the lack of a running game.  In total, KC only had 49 rushing yards in the Super Bowl and 0 rushing TDs.  This sticks out as a major imbalance.  Defenses may win Super Bowls, but having a one-dimensional offense doesn’t help.

My final thoughts on the game:  A discussion floating around social media and several sports shows this week has been about the Chiefs’ legacy after they got destroyed in Super Bowl 59.  The team didn’t just lose to the Eagles or even simply fail to get their “3-peat”, they got picked apart on offense so badly that the game was basically over by halftime.

So, the question remains: Does this bad loss take away from the team’s legacy?  And does this change the way we view Patrick Mahomes as one of the best QBs in the league?

First, every year since Patrick Mahomes joined the team in 2018, the Chiefs have gone to the postseason and have played in 5 of the last 6 Super Bowls. Mahomes also won MVP in 3 of those championship games.  The last time KC even appeared in a Super Bowl prior his arrival: 1969.  

So, obviously, Mahomes made an immediate and remarkable impact on the team.  There is no question that he’s one of the best QBs in the league and may go down as the best ever after he’s done playing.  He hasn’t even turned 30 years old yet. -There’s so much more football yet ahead of him… No, we can’t take his accomplishments away any from him, nor any of the team’s Super Bowl wins when Mahomes has been at the helm.

That said, I do think the way in which KC lost Super Bowl 59 to the Eagles does diminish what the Chiefs accomplished during the 2024 season.

The team may have gone 15-2, gotten the No. 1 seed in the AFC and went to the Super Bowl this season.  But, in my mind, the issues on offense were finally exposed as a major liability that has been plaguing this team the last couple seasons.  And unless they are fixed soon, I fear the same outcome could affect the Chiefs in the coming years.  

Offensive line issues aside, I think the team has put too much reliance on the passing game and Patrick Mahomes’ ability to save the day.  Against an historic pass rush in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs needed more than just that one person to get the job done. When Mahomes is not able to disperse the football down the field or even get out of the pocket cleanly, other players need to step up, and/or a more creative offensive scheme needs to be implemented.  

That brings me to another common denominator in KC’s slipping offense the last 2 years: The change in offensive coordinator from Eric Bieniemy to Matt Nagy in 2023.  As AtoZ Sports pointed out in a recent article, “after finishing in the top five of the NFL in total offense from 2018-2022, including ranking first three times over that span, the Chiefs fell to ninth in 2023 and 17th in 2024.”  Of course, losing the Super Bowl wasn’t just Nagy’s fault, but I would be surprised if the Chiefs didn’t take a closer look at his effect on the team since he came back in 2023.

Finally, we know changes will need to be made to the Chiefs’ roster to help save the offense.  But with the ninth-lowest salary cap space in the league, it will be a big challenge.  Some players on the current roster will be cut and contracts will have to be restructured prior to June 1, when the NFL will implement the salary cap. This should set the team up to look a lot different in the 2025 season.

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