Yo Philly: Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni are world champions.
A ferocious Philadelphia Eagles defense tormented and frustrated Patrick Mahomes while Hurts made all the plays the offense needed.
So much for the Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a Super Bowl three-peat.
It wasn’t even close.
Cooper DeJean got a pick-6 on his 22nd birthday, Josh Sweat pressured Mahomes all night and the Eagles routed the Chiefs 40-22 on Sunday to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship.
Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score on a tush push to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, and Vic Fangio’s defense was so dominant that the Eagles didn’t need much from Saquon Barkley.
The game-changing running back finished with 57 yards, breaking Terrell Davis’ record for yards rushing in a season, playoffs included. Hurts threw for 221 yards.
“This is the ultimate team game. You can’t be great without the greatness of others. Great performance by everybody — offense, defense, special teams,” Sirianni said. “We didn’t really ever care what anyone thought about how we won, or their opinions. All we want to do is win.”
Hurts has been doubted since he started for Alabama in a national championship game and was benched for Tua Tagovailoa at halftime. Finishing second to Mahomes in MVP voting two years ago didn’t quite silence all the detractors. Now, he’s hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Sirianni, who mocked fans chanting “Fire Nick!” during a victory over Cleveland in October and was called a “clown” on national television, also quieted critics by adding a championship ring to a coaching resume that includes the fifth-best winning percentage in league history.
“Things come right on time. The last time around, it wasn’t our time, it wasn’t my time and sometimes you have to accept that you have to wait your turn,” said Hurts, who nearly led the Eagles to victory against the Chiefs two years ago in Arizona.
With Donald Trump becoming the first president in office to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outplayed Kansas City in every facet, delighting a raucous pro-Philly crowd that celebrated each score with a familiar rendition of “Fly! Eagles! Fly!”
Even Taylor Swift’s presence couldn’t help the Chiefs. They lost for the first time in 10 games this season with the pop superstar in a suite watching boyfriend Travis Kelce, who didn’t catch a pass until late in the third quarter.
Not in Kansas City’s worst nightmares could its fans have imagined such a lackluster performance. The Chiefs had won three of the previous five Super Bowls, losing 31-9 to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers four years ago.
Mahomes was 8-0 against Fangio’s defenses before the longtime coordinator and former Broncos head coach outcoached Andy Reid, capping his first season with his hometown team. Reid fell to 3-3 in Super Bowls, including a loss with the Eagles.
The Eagles sacked Mahomes six times, the most of his career, including 2 1/2 by Sweat and two by Milton Williams. And they did it without Fangio calling a single blitz.
This story was originally published by the Associated Press. Read the rest of the story here.
