The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Chiefs 40-22 in Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans to deny Kansas City in their bid for a third consecutive title and exact revenge for their loss to the team in the NFL title game two years ago.
The Eagles bullied the Chiefs behind a defensive effort that overwhelmed Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, culminating with a strip sack with less than 10 minutes to play that ended any hopes of a comeback.
In the city where jazz was born, versatile Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a masterful conductor, making music with his legs and his arm to score three total touchdowns en route to earning Super Bowl MVP honours.
“It’s been a long journey, a journey with ups and downs, highs and lows,” first-time Super Bowl champion Hurts told reporters. “You’ve got to be able to use these experiences that you’ve had in the past because they’re all formative for the future.”
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Hurts finished 17-of-22 for 221 passing yards and rushed for 72 more on 11 carries, his only misstep a first half interception that ultimately proved harmless.
It was the Eagles' second Super Bowl title after they beat the New England Patriots in 2018 and it played out before a sold-out crowd that included US president Donald Trump, pop superstar Taylor Swift and a bevy of other A-list celebrities.
It marked the first time a sitting president had attended a Super Bowl and he was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos from fans.
The president entered the field via a tunnel at the Chiefs’ end, greeting first responders and victims of the New Year’s Day attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and watched the first half of the game before leaving.
Swift, who was supporting boyfriend and Chief’s player Travis Kelce, was spotted at the Superdome along with Lionel Messi, Jay Z, Paul Rudd, Anne Hathaway and Paul McCartney.
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Before the game, New Orleans local actor and singer Harry Connick Jr welcomed the crowd with a Mardi Gras-style performance.
The halftime performance was delivered by Rapper Kendrick Lamar who entertained a packed stadium crowd with his ubiquitous, Grammy-winning diss track Not Like Us. Lamar was introduced by actor Samuel L Jackson dressed in a top hat as Uncle Sam. Dancers in all white, all red and all blue piled out of a Buick Grand National GNX, the car that inspired the name of Lamar’s recent album GNX.
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Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni shed tears of joy on the field while embracing his family after the victory. The win was sweet revenge for the Eagles after their heartbreaking 38-35 defeat to the Chiefs in Phoenix two years ago.
“You can’t be great without the greatness of others,” he said.
Mahomes, who was sacked six times and turned the ball over three times, took ownership for the painful loss that cost his team a chance at completing an unprecedented Super Bowl “three-peat”.
“I threw two interceptions in their end, I mean, I threw a pick six, and I threw a pick that they returned to the five-yard line, and they scored immediately after,” Mahomes told reporters.
“So, you give the team 14 points, especially a really good football team, a Super Bowl football team, and not a lot of good things happen.” – Reuters
