Super Bowl LIX Recap: Chiefs Offense vs. Eagles Defense
On paper heading into Super Bowl LIX, it seemed like the Eagles had an advantage over the Chiefs just about everywhere. But there was no way they were going to actually overwhelm and dominate Kansas City, right? We’re talking about Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the 2-time defending champs here.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs and their fans (and anyone looking for an exciting Super Bowl), that’s exactly how it played out.
The Eagles took it to the Chiefs in a way we haven’t seen since Mahomes became the starter in 2018. This was especially true when their defense was on the field.
Just take in some of these numbers:
The Chiefs were held scoreless through the first 44 minutes and 17 seconds of the game
They had just 23 total yards of offense at halftime
They went 6 straight drives without a first down
They failed to convert on their first 8 third downs
Their first play in Eagles territory came with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter
Their running backs carried the ball just 7 times for 24 yards.
That’s 1985 Bears-level domination. But this wasn’t against an upstart Patriots team with Tony Eason and Steve Grogan at quarterback. This was against a team going for history with the best quarterback in the game.
Yes, Jalen Hurts won the MVP, but this Super Bowl was defined by the way Philadelphia smothered Mahomes. He had no room to breathe. No opportunity to ease into the game. No chance to get the offense into a rhythm.
As the game wore on, the pressure mounted. And as the pressure mounted, Mahomes started pressing. He began playing fast, missing throws, and making poor decisions.
The Super Bowl was over before halftime as a result.
So how did the Eagles do it? It wasn’t with exotic blitzes or coverages. Instead, it started with their pass rush. The Eagles relied on a dominant 4-man rush. How dominant? They didn’t bring more than 4 defenders once in the Super Bowl. And they were still able to sack Mahomes 6 times, the most of his career.
This was a similar approach to what the Buccaneers did in Super Bowl LV. Tampa rushed more than 4 on just 5 of 56 dropbacks that night and were able to get pressure more than 50% of the time.
Philadelphia’s coverages also paired well with their pass rush. Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio did his thing. The Eagles started in those 2-shell looks and then waited until after the snap to reveal their hand.
The majority of the time, they played some form of quarters coverage. In fact, they played quarters at a higher rate than they did all season. That allowed them to keep all routes in front of them, and with their collective eyes on Chiefs receivers and Mahomes, they were able to pounce on anything underneath to limit yards after the catch.
But there were enough plays in there where the Eagles would move post-snap to quarter-quarter-half and take away quick throws that Mahomes thought he had. Whenever the Eagles were able to take away his first read, there wasn’t much time for him to get to #2. Any indecision or hesitation allowed the pass rush a half-second more to get home.
Even on those few snaps when Mahomes did have time, he was off. He missed throws we normally don’t see him miss. He didn’t attempt others that he should have. He began playing fast and moving right at the top of his drop, which actually left some potential plays on the field. The cumulative effects of pressure forced him into probably the worst game of his career.
The best way to break this side of the ball down is to do it sequentially. Because the effects of one play bled into the next and led to an avalanche of Eagles momentum that the Chiefs couldn’t overcome.
Unable to Get Comfortable
This first play was one indication that the Chiefs offense was just a bit off to start the night. This was K.C.’s third play from scrimmage, a 2nd-and-9. Mahomes put this ball just a smidge behind Travis Kelce:
In all fairness, Kelce probably should have caught that. And I know Mahomes was trying not to lead him into a closing defender. That ball needed to be just a foot or two more in front of him, though. I know that’s a small thing, but that’s the level of precision that was needed to beat a disciplined Eagles defense on this night.
Convert there and maybe the Chiefs start to get into a bit of a rhythm. Who knows how the game is different?
But they didn’t convert, and that set up this 3rd-and-9.
The Eagles were initially showing man coverage out of a 2-shell look:
At the snap, however, safety Reed Blankenship would drop down into the middle of the field with his eyes on Travis Kelce to the other side of the formation:
That was the direction where Mahomes was looking first. He also had a wheel route to the same side that cornerback Isaiah Rodgers (#34) did a great job of fighting through traffic to cover:
The pocket then started closing around Mahomes quickly, keeping him from looking elsewhere. I thought he may have had a chance to hit Juju Smith-Schuster to his left if he had climbed the pocket and then reset his feet:
But instead of climbing, Mahomes took off and started scrambling, eventually reversing fields. The play finished with a risky pass that was close to being picked off:
You could tell right then and there that Mahomes was in a little bit of a frenetic play-maker mode to start this game. While watching live, I instantly had flashbacks to Super Bowl LV vs. the Buccaneers. Mahomes needed to settle down.
The Eagles never let him.
On their next drive, the Chiefs faced a 3rd-and-3. This time, the pass rush disrupted the play almost immediately.
First, notice the rush on the right side of the screen by Josh Sweat (#19) against guard-turned-left-tackle Joe Thuney (#62). Mahomes had time to look at his first read only (Kelce to his left), who was taken away. Then he was forced to scramble and unable to make a play:
If Mahomes had time, he might have found Hollywood Brown (#5) right in front of him. But Brown moved as soon as Mahomes was forced to scramble.
From the sideline angle, you can see that the Chiefs had an opportunity for a big play if the protection could have given Mahomes more time. Speedster Xavier Worthy was aligned in the backfield before the snap and motioned to the flat before running a rail route and getting vertical.
The Eagles were playing quarters coverage. That left linebacker Zach Baun pushing with his motion and then locking on:
Worthy had a couple of steps on Baun downfield, but Mahomes never had time to get to him:
On 2nd down of their next drive, you can see how the coverage wasn’t giving Mahomes any quick answers. Again, the Eagles played quarters here, but this time they rushed 3 and dropped 8. The backside safety also pushed to the 3-receiver side. Philadelphia would have 6 defenders over 3 receivers: