Eagles’ D smashed the Chiefs

New Orleans, LA (News4usOnline) – Hulk smash. No, it was the Philadelphia Eagles defense doing all the smashing in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles’ defense hit Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the mouth and kept coming.

The beginning of the end for the Chiefs in their quest to win their third straight Super Bowl came in the second quarter of against the Eagles. You might say that this was the turning point in the ballgame. 

Philadelphia, thanks to Jalen Hurts scoring on a one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, had staked itself to a 7-0 lead. Nothing to worry about, especially if you have Mahomes as your starting quarterback. 

Then the unthinkable started to happen. Mahomes and the Chiefs started to fall apart.

That #SBLIX Championship feeling pic.twitter.com/eZQAPs8cZZ

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 11, 2025

That’s because Philadelphia’s defense made it that way. The Eagles go up by 10-0, thanks to a field goal. Still, there’s nothing to panic about. It’s early in the game. But then the hits started happening and they would not stop. The Eagles defense took down Mahomes on consecutive plays midway in the second quarter. 

In another rush job, the Eagles stepped up their pressure a little bit more on Mahomes for a third straight play. This time, Mahomes was able to get rid of the football. He would regret it. As it was, the errant pass thrown by Mahomes, landed in the hands of Philadelphia defensive back Cooper DeJean for an interception. 

Not only did DeJean picked the ball off, he took his gifted item from Mahomes all the way back to the house for a 38-yard touchdown return. Just like that, Philadelphia’s lead grew to 17-0. The Eagles never looked back in recording a 40-22 win in Super Bowl LIX over Mahomes and the Chiefs. 

After the game, DeJean talked about what was going through his head as the ball settled in his hands for the interception. 

“Score a touchdown,” DeJean said. “I was trying to find the fastest way to the end zone. Luckily, I got some blocks out there. I had to avoid some of those big guys, but it was just our defense working together like we have all year. It fell right into my lap.”

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was named the game’s MVP after accounting for three touchdowns in the win, but the most pivotal moment of Super Bowl LIX was DeJean’s catch-and-run to the endzone to widen the scoring gap between the Eagles and the Chiefs. 

Good morning to the World Champions pic.twitter.com/UqK77jFLvx

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 11, 2025

DeJean made the game’s biggest play on the biggest stage on his birthday.  

“It’s crazy. To be able to do it with this group of guys, I come in and since day one – all of us rookies, they brought us in, taught us everything they know,” DeJean said. “Now, to be here on the biggest stage and be able to hold that Lombardi Trophy and do it on my birthday and Saquon’s birthday – it’s pretty crazy.”

DeJean was not the only star on Philadelphia’s defense against the Chiefs. Just about everyone got in on the action as the Eagles smashed and grabbed Mahomes all evening to the tune of registering six sacks and a whole bunch of other quarterback pressures. The Eagles also recorded another interception of Mahomes. 

The second pick came courtesy of lineback Zack Baun. 

“Yeah, it was kind of similar over the middle, but me and my linebacker coaches work it all the time, body and back. I felt it behind me, and then I got to quarterback vision. I couldn’t feel him behind me but then just broke on the ball, quarterback eyes, just had to catch it,” Baun said. 

Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat, who recorded 2.5 sacks in the championship game, said the defensive unit just played the way the unit has played all season. 

“Defense all year has been physical, that’s one of our biggest things and we just executed,” Sweat remarked. “We already know we’re going to be physical. We know we’re going to run to the ball and we just have to get it done.”

Lead Photo Caption: NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 09: WR Xavier Worthy #1 of the Kansas City Chiefs is swarmed by S Reed Blankenship #32 of the Philadelphia Eagles, CB Darius Slay Jr. #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles, and LB Oren Burks #42 of the Philadelphia Eagles after catching a pass in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on February 09, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire)