NEW ORLEANS — During the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday night, a three-play sequence perfectly encapsulated the struggles of Patrick Mahomes and the entire Kansas City Chiefs team. With the Philadelphia Eagles leading 10-0, Mahomes faced immense pressure as he was sacked twice by Eagles defender Josh Sweat. On the next play, under extreme duress, Mahomes threw an interception that Cooper DeJean returned for a 38-yard touchdown, leading to a painful sequence of events for the Chiefs.
In total, the Chiefs faced six sacks and committed three turnovers, resulting in a game devoid of Mahomes’ usual brilliance on the field. As the game concluded and the clock ran out in the Superdome, the Chiefs departed with a staggering 40-22 defeat, a result that felt both humbling and humiliating. “They played better than us from start to finish,” Mahomes remarked, acknowledging that his team did not meet their initial expectations. He took responsibility for the turnovers, stating, “Those turnovers swing the moment of the game and they capitalized on them. They scored on one and got a touchdown immediately after another. That’s 14 points I gave them. It’s hard to come back from that in the Super Bowl.”
Mahomes’ performance was notably disappointing, as he took more sacks than he had since 2015 during a college game, and the pick-6 marked his first in the playoffs, ending a remarkable streak without an interception. The three turnovers in total represented one of the most challenging games of his career. Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins remarked, “He’s a human being, man. I guess the world got to see that.”
The Chiefs aimed to earn a historic third consecutive Super Bowl win, with Mahomes and several key teammates, including Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, pursuing a fourth championship in just six seasons. However, their performance was reminiscent of an earlier loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the previous Super Bowl, where Mahomes endured relentless pressure. “These will be the two losses that motivate me the rest of my career,” he noted.
Interestingly, Kansas City struggled to mount an offensive response, recording only one first down during the first half, thanks largely to the dominance of the Eagles’ defensive line. The Chiefs’ coach, Andy Reid, succinctly acknowledged his team’s struggles, saying, “Their defensive line did a nice job,” while the scoreboard showed a daunting 24-0 deficit as Kendrick Lamar performed at halftime.
Despite the dire circumstances, Mahomes could not shoulder the blame alone. The Chiefs’ offensive line, which had been a concern all season, failed to provide adequate protection against the formidable Eagles’ defense, leading to multiple sacks and contributing significantly to Mahomes’ interceptions. In an effort to bolster the offensive line, the team had shifted players around throughout the season, even moving All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to tackle, but the adjustments fell short during the critical moments of the Super Bowl.
Reflecting on the defeat, Mahomes expressed deep disappointment but also a determination to overcome this setback, saying, “It’s going to hurt for a while, but how can you respond from it?”
