The rosters haven’t changed much, so it’s reasonable to think back to the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Chiefs back in February ahead of their Week 2 matchup. These are the five plays that shaped that game.
Philadelphia was all over Kansas City from the opening kickoff, and the Chiefs never really made it a competitive matchup. Ahead of the highly-anticipated rematch on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX), here are the plays that led to the Eagles’ dominant win – from noteworthy takeaways, touchdowns and everything in between.
Travis Kelce’s drop in second quarter
Early in the second quarter, with the Chiefs facing a third-and-3 from their own 9, Kelce appeared a bit sluggish coming off the line as the ball was snapped. He ran a quick stop route — no more than a few yards — and dropped a catchable pass as he fell to the ground.
This was Kelce’s performance in a nutshell. Known for coming up big in the playoffs, Super Bowl LIX just wasn’t his day. He had just four receptions for 39 yards, a disappointing finish to what was overall a difficult year for the star tight end.
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After that Chiefs’ three-and-out, the Eagles responded with a field goal drive that put them up 10-0.
Travis Kelce walks off the field after the Chiefs lost to the Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX. (Tammy Ljungblad/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
After back-to-back sacks on the Chiefs’ second drive of the second quarter, the Eagles stamped the series — and their dominant first half — with DeJean’s interception.
Patrick Mahomes threw an errant rollout pass, which was picked off by the second-round rookie and returned 38 yards for the touchdown. Philadelphia went up three scores at 17-0.
By no means was the game over at this point, let alone during the first half, but DeJean’s pick-six was emblematic of Kansas City’s dreadful start. It so happened that the interception, and the Eagles’ Super Bowl win, coincided with DeJean’s 22nd birthday, too.
Birthday boy Cooper DeJean celebrates his pick-six that put the Eagles up 17-0 early in Super Bowl LIX. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Zack Baun’s interception before the half
This is when the Chiefs needed to get to halftime with something positive.
Looking to get some points on the board before the break, trailing 17-0 with 1:45 left in the second quarter, Kansas City had the ball on its own 6 with a fresh set of downs and two timeouts. But Mahomes threw a pick on the first play of the drive. He was looking for Hollywood Brown in the middle of the field, but inside linebacker Baun, the underneath defender, quickly outstretched his hands to secure the pass before it could get to the receiver behind him.
The pick set up Jalen Hurts’ touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, giving the Eagles a 24-0 lead through two quarters.
Zack Baun’s pick late in the first half ended any hopes for the Chiefs to get some momentum before heading to the locker room. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Josh Sweat kills Chiefs’ first drive out of halftime
The Chiefs hoped to finally get into a rhythm by starting the third quarter on the right note, but edge rusher Sweat had other plans.
He followed up a sack by teammate Jordan Davis with one of his own on second-and-long, blowing through right tackle Jawaan Taylor and a chip by running back Isiah Pacheco. Sweat’s sack put Kansas City into a third-and-17, leading to a punt.
It was one of the plays that encapsulated Sweat’s dominance, and why many thought he deserved Super Bowl LIX MVP honors over Hurts. Sweat led Philadelphia with 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits, and tied a team-high with two tackles for loss. Mahomes was sacked six times overall.
Josh Sweat hounded Patrick Mahomes all day, putting himself in the running for the Super Bowl MVP Award that ultimately went to Jalen Hurts. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Jalen Hurts’ TD pass to DeVonta Smith
Before the two-minute mark in the third quarter, on a first-and-10 just past midfield, Hurts threw a beautiful 46-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, who easily beat Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson inside the numbers. Kansas City had no safety help on the play.
This touchdown was the nail in the coffin. It essentially ended the game. The Eagles went up 34-0, with the Chiefs showing no signs of life.
DeVonta Smith’s touchdown catch late in the third quarter sealed the deal for the Eagles. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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