Mahomes Pressured All Day By Eagles Defense
Photo – Michael Henriquez – NY Beacon
Caesars Superdome
By Andrew Rosario
New Orleans – The Philadelphia Eagles heard for the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl that they were not supposed to be in New Orleans to take on the 2-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. They squeezed by the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 and blew out the Washington Commanders 55-23. Still, there were questions as to the health of quarterback Jalen Hurts, even though he ran for 3 touchdowns against Washington. The Eagles rode the back of Saquon Barkley and hoped he would be the offensive force one more time. The Eagles knew Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would come up with a game plan to make sure Barkley wouldn’t be a dominating force. Barkley wasn’t as he only gained 57 yards on 25 carries. Kansas City had no game plan for Eagles offensive or defensive line in the 40-22 loss.
The Eagles defense set the tone from the very beginning. They punted the first time they had the ball while Mahomes and Kansas City gave Philly the ball back after only 4 plays. 7 plays and 69 yards later, Hurts runs it in from 1 yard out and the Eagles never looked back. The first half was a nightmare for Chiefs as they punted 5 times, going 3 and out 4 times.
The Eagles would add a field goal and two more touchdowns before halftime taking a 24-0 lead stunning the KC crowd but delighted the Eagles fans. The onslaught continued as the Eagles would extend their lead to 34-0 before Kansas would get on the scoreboard after a Mahomes 24 yard touchdown pass. By games end, he would complete 21 of 32 passes for 257 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Said Mahomes of his frustrating day, “we didn’t start how we wanted to. The turnovers hurt. I take all the blame for that. I didn’t play to my standard.”
Hurts was named most valuable player, completing 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also led both teams in rushing with 72 yards. Hurts was quick to praise his defense. “Defense wins championships,” he began. “We saw how they played today. We saw the difference they made in the game. They gave us opportunities, gave us short fields and we were able to do what we do.”
The Kansas City Chiefs we’re looking to make history when they stepped on the field at the Caesars Superdome. No team had ever won 3 straight Super Bowls. The Eagles would have none of it as they dominated on both sides of the ball. History will have to wait.
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