KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It will be at least three more years until the next chance for a Super Bowl three-peat.
The two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL team to return to the championship game with a chance to win three straight, but the Philadelphia Eagles steamrolled Patrick Mahomes and company 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The Chiefs had won nine consecutive postseason games, which was the second-longest streak in NFL history, before the loss in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII when Kansas City beat Philadelphia 38-35 two years ago in Glendale, Arizona.
New England — which won 10 consecutive playoff games from 2001-05, including Super Bowl titles during the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons — is the only team to have won more playoff games in a row.
Patrick Mahomes, who has led the Chiefs to an NFL-record five Super Bowl appearances in six seasons, committed three turnovers as the offensive line struggled to hold up against the Eagles’ front four.
The Eagles racked up 17 points off those turnovers, including Cooper DeJean’s pick-six to punctuate his 22nd birthday, en route to scoring the eighth-most points in Super Bowl history.
The 40 points were the most since Philadelphia’s only other Super Bowl title, a 41-33 win against New England in Super Bowl LII seven years ago.
The 18-point margin of victory was the most since Tampa Bay’s 22-point win against Kansas City in Super Bowl LV four years ago.
Mahomes, who is now 3-2 in Super Bowl appearances, finished 21 of 32 for 257 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. He was sacked six times and hit 11 times.
The Chiefs trailed by 34 points before he completed a pair of touchdowns and successive two-point conversions.
D BOTTLES UP BARKLEY
Saquon Barkley, who topped 2,000 rushing yards and was chosen as NFL Offensive Player of the Year in his debut season with the Eagles, was supposed to be the difference-maker in the Super Bowl rematch, but the Chiefs’ defense bottled him up.
Barkley finished with 97 total yards, but it came on 31 touches.
He only managed 57 yards rushing — his second-lowest output of the season on the ground — on 25 carries, adding six catches for another 40 yards with no touchdowns.
Cleveland (54), Pittsburgh (74) and Dallas (78) were the only other teams to keep Barkley under 100 total yards in a game this season and he had averaged more than 147 yards rushing and 159 total yards this postseason for Philadelphia.
OFFENSIVELY INEPT (1ST HALF)
Kansas City’s first three drives netted 26 yards — four plays for 12 yards followed by back-to-back three-and-outs after gaining only seven yards.
The Chiefs ran the ball once — a 2-yard Kareem Hunt carry — on those first three drives and managed only one first down.
It would get worse.
Mahomes was sacked on first and second downs to start Kansas City’s fourth drive, so the Chiefs tried moving the pocket with a rollout to the right on third down.
Facing third-and-16, Mahomes threw across his body toward the middle of the field for DeAndre Hopkins, but he didn’t see Philadelphia rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean lurking underneath for an interception.
DeJean returned the pick 38 yards for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead, becoming the first player to ever score a touchdown on their birthday in the Super Bowl.
When Kansas City got the ball back, Pacheco got stuffed for a 2-yard loss on first down and Mahomes got sacked again on third-and-long, forcing yet another Matt Araiza punt.
The Chiefs’ offense had 14 yards on 16 plays on its first five drives.
“They just came out and were the better team today,” said rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who set a franchise record for receiving yards in a Super Bowl (157). “They came out juiced and we came out flat.”
Again, it would get worse.
A defensive stand gave Kansas City’s offense one last chance with 1:49 remaining in the first half and a chance to double-dip.
If the Chiefs managed to score and then make good with the opening kickoff of the second half, the two-time reigning champs would be right back in the game.
Instead, Joe Thuney — a former All-Pro left guard, who has been forced to play left tackle because of ineffective play from several players at the position — got pushed into Mahomes’ lap, which led to an errant throw and a Zack Baun interception at the 14-yard line.
Two plays later, Hurts threw a 12-yard touchdown to Brown for a 24-0 lead.
Trey Smith was called for a hold and Creed Humphrey was whistled for illegal man downfield, though it was declined, on the ensuing drive, which resulted in yet another three-and-out.
Kansas City had four three-and-outs and two interceptions with no first downs on its final six drives, going 0 for 6 on third down in the first half.
The Eagles had 13 first downs compared to one for Mahomes and company, outgaining the Chiefs 179-23 and dominated time of possession (19:59-10:01).
OFFENSIVELY INEPT (BUT A LITTLE BETTER!)
Things got marginally better in the second half, but not right away.
Mahomes got sacked twice on the opening drive of the third quarter and Philly padded its lead with a field goal.
The Chiefs turned the ball over on downs near midfield the next drive and the Eagles went over the top on the first play for a 46-yard touchdown from Hurts to DeVonta Smith, which made it 34-0.
Kansas City finally got on the board the next drive.
Mahomes started the possession with a 50-yard bomb to Worthy on a deep cross.
Four plays later, a scrambling Mahomes found Worthy for a 24-yard touchdown to break up the shutout bid.
There has never been a shutout in the Super Bowl.
But Philly kept piling up points with two more Elliott field goals sandwiched around a Mahomes fumble for a 40-6 lead before Mahomes darted a 7-yard touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins at the front pylon with 2:54 remaining.
Kansas City trailed 40-14 after a two-point conversion from Mahomes to Justin Watson.
WORTHY OF A HIGHLIGHT
The game was well in hand for Philadelphia, but Kansas City provided a glimmer of hope for next season when Mahomes launched a 50-yard touchdown to Worthy with 1:48 remaining.
The Chiefs have struggled to connect on deep passes in recent seasons, and plans to have Worthy and Hollywood Brown bring back the deep ball this season went off the rails when Brown got hurt on the first play of the preseason.
But Worthy steadily grew during his rookie season, much like Rashee Rice last season.
He caught two 50-yard passes and finished with eight catches for 157 yards, which is a franchise Super Bowl record, and two touchdowns.
TO TUSH PUSH OR NOT TO TUSH PUSH
Philadelphia went for it on fourth down on the opening drive, but Nick Sirianni eschewed the “tush push” on fourth-and-2 at midfield.
Instead, the Eagles went for a deep shot down the right sideline to AJ Brown for 32 yards and a first down, but an offensive pass interference penalty on Brown erased the conversion and led to a punt.
On the ensuing drive, after a deep shot to Jahan Dotson — originally called a touchdown, but overturned on review — put the ball at the Chiefs’ 1-yard line, Hurts moved like a glacier into the end for the game’s first score with 6:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, Philly lined up as if to go for it on fourth-and-3 at Kansas City’s 25-yard line, but took a timeout and wound up kicking a field goal instead.
Jake Elliott’s 48-yard kick, which snuck inside the right upright, made it 10-0 with 8:38 to go before halftime.
As the game went along, the score wasn’t close enough for such plays to matter anymore.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs head into the offseason with plenty of question marks.
Guards Trey Smith and Mike Caliendo are among the players set for free agency along with wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown, Mecole Hardman Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster; running backs Samaje Perine and Kareem Hunt; and backup quarterback Carson Wentz.
But Patrick Mahomes returns, so Kansas City will be among the favorites once again to reach Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Defensively, linebacker Nick Bolton, safety Justin Reid, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, defensive ends Charles Omenihu and Malik Herring; and defensive tackles Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel are unsigned beyond the 2024 season.
Punter Matt Araiza and long snapper James Winchester also are set to be free agents.
WAS TAYLOR SWIFT AT THE GAME?
Her hometown Eagles and her boyfriend’s Chiefs met in the biggest annual sporting event on the planet — so, uh, Taylor Swift was there.
She started dating Travis Kelce around the start of the 2023 NFL season, nearly 18 months ago, and has been a regular at Kansas City’s games ever since.
The Chiefs dropped to 19-4 when Swift attended a game during the last two seasons.
Kansas City had won 14 consecutive games dating back to Christmas 2023 and were 9-0 this season when Swift showed up.
President Trump also became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl.
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