Super Bowl 59 was far more uncompetitive than the 40-22 final score — so much so that the NFL’s showcase event gave football lovers too much of a San Diegan.
The dominance of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense led to Kansas City Chiefs rookie Matt Araiza, the graduate of Rancho Bernardo High School and San Diego State, launching six punts before the third quarter had ended.
No offense to Araiza, but a global audience wasn’t hoping to see him so often. No one was.
By then the Eagles were up 34-0, thanks to one of the most stunningly dominant first-half pluses in Super Bowl annals.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, the game’s MVP, outplayed his great Chiefs counterpart, Patrick Mahomes.
By a lot.
Eagles linemen overwhelmed their Chiefs opponents, and that contributed to the huge disparity in quarterback performance.
Contrary to what could have been expected, even by fans who wear Eagles pajamas, it wasn’t until a few minutes after Araiza’s sixth punt that coach Andy Reid’s Chiefs offense crossed midfield for the first time.
Super Bowl blowouts aren’t unusual. What differentiated the snoozefest created by the Eagles was that Kansas City was a 1 1/2-point favorite and a legitimate NFL dynasty appearing in its fifth Super Bowl in six years.
The game’s sharpest unit was Philadelphia’s defensive line, which won with power, speed and rare depth.
Led by tackles Jalen Carter and Milt Williams and end Josh Sweat, the unit took Mahomes out of his game as few opponents have in the quarterback’s career.
The Chiefs didn’t bother trying establish a ground game, and Philadelphia blotted out Kansas City’s ing game by pressuring Mahomes without having to blitz.
Defensive-line dominance has set up numerous Super Bowl routs, and did so against Sunday.
Setting up an Eagles TD, linebacker Zack Baun intercepted a Mahomes after an Eagles edge rusher shoved a left tackle into the QB. When a panicky Mahomes misfired earlier in the half, rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean took the for a TD.
“You knew that Kansas City’s offensive line would have some problems, but not to this extent,” said Eagles radio analyst Mike Quick, a former All-Pro receiver with the franchise.
On offense, the largest line in Super Bowl history led the Eagles to the game’s first touchdown drive and got Hurts into a groove that Mahomes never came close to matching.
Thwarted by a fit and athletic quintet that averages 6-foot-6 and 333 pounds, Chiefs linemen were gasping by halftime.
The Chief couldn’t get near Hurts with their base rush, so they resorted to frequent blitzing. No dice. Eagles blockers repelled them at a high rate.
It was 24-0 at halftime. The Chiefs didn’t score until 34 seconds were left in the third quarter, via Mahomes’ 24-yard completion to Xavier Worthy.
Hurts was appearing in his second Super Bowl. In his first Super Bowl, two winters ago, the former second-round draft pick ed for four touchdowns, but saw the Chiefs exploit his only large error, a fumble. Mahomes led a late rally that night to claim a 38-35 victory in Glendale, Ariz.
In the rematch, Hurts overcame a first-half interception into the red zone to finish with two touchdown es and a sneak for another TD. Especially comfortable throwing downfield to his right, he finished 17 for 22 for 221 yards.
A durable, resilient two-way threat, Hurts, 26, played a role in helping Eagles executive Howie Roseman to assemble the NFL’s most talented roster.
His salary cap charge this year was a modest 16th among NFL quarterbacks. Plowing the savings into several positions, Roseman hit several home runs in free agency by g running back Saquon Barkley, Baun and guard Mekhi Becton, who all responded with a career-best season that stood near or at best in class.
Mahomes was worth every penny to the Chiefs this year, but he cost $25 million more against the salary cap than Hurts cost the Eagles. That gap was evident in the respective ing casts Sunday night.
The Eagles were just too powerful, and too well-coached. K.C.’s ability to win close games earned the Chiefs favorite’s status. Solving that problem, the Eagles made sure it wasn’t a close game.
