This year’s Super Bowl was anything but super. Heading into the NFL’s 59th edition of the Super Bowl, fans had high expectations. The Kansas City Chiefs were aiming for a league-first three-peat, while the Philadelphia Eagles were seeking revenge on the team that denied them their franchise’s second Super Bowl title in 2023. The Eagles did in fact get their revenge, defeating the Chiefs 40-22. Despite their comeback story, many critics are calling this “the worst Super Bowl in history,” so why exactly is LIX getting this title?
It was clear from the start that Philly was the favorite going into the matchup. They entered the postseason with 160 net points while the Chiefs entered with 59. Despite the 101-point difference, many fans expected a competitive game.
Fans who tuned in late might have thought it was a close contest, but the reality was far different. The Eagles already built a commanding 34-0 lead by halftime. Even though the Chiefs managed to score a few touchdowns late in the game, it felt as if the Eagles allowed it out of pity.
Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes struggled to gain yardage due to the Eagles’ outstanding defensive pressure. The 29-year-old was sacked a total of six times, setting a new personal worst for sacks in both a regular season and playoff game. It also made him the second QB in NFL history to take six or more sacks in a Super Bowl game.
It also didn’t help that Mahomes threw two critical interceptions, one of which resulted in an Eagles touchdown by defensive back Cooper DeJean. It is not common for something like this to happen to Kansas City but when it did, it was horrific. These miscues not only halted potential scoring opportunities, but the game as a whole.
The game was extremely lopsided, as shown by the Eagles defense. Philly’s defensive coordinator Sean Desai deserves a lot of praise, especially after what we saw on the field on the 9th. For fans, Philly’s defense was a double-edged sword. On one end, fans can be impressed that the Eagles were able to shut down the league’s best QB and on the other, they were left with a pretty one-sided affair.
The lack of build up and back-and-forth scoring disappointed fans across the league. As previously mentioned, the Eagles held on to a 34-0 lead going into halftime. In almost every football game, halftime is a time for fans to hype up what might happen in the next half. Instead, the game was decided nearly 20 minutes into the game, leaving fans little to look forward to.
Super Bowl LIX will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The Eagles were the clear winners from start to finish. The first half was a punch in the face to both the Chiefs and viewers. This matchup lacked the proper anticipation and excitement that a Super Bowl should always have. While Philly’s defense was impressive, it made the game get even more boring as the time passed. Fans can only hope that next year’s Super Bowl is something more eventful and actually worth watching.
