Grading the Chiefs: Instant report card from bleak Super Bowl blowout loss to Eagles

A team that lived on the edge all season fell off the cliff in the biggest game.

The Chiefs were embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome. The Eagles dominated on defense, a triumph for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whose teams had been 0-8 against Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs have won 17 straight one-score games, including last year’s Super Bowl and 12 games this season.

The Eagles made sure this one was never close. Here’s our report card from a sad Sunday for the Chiefs:

KC STAR OF THE GAME

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught a pair of touchdown passes and two 50-yarders, finishing with 157 receiving yards.

Special mention to linebacker Nick Bolton, who finished with nine tackles, made a terrific tackle for loss on a Saquon Barkley reception early (while the game was still competitive) and got the pressure on Jalen Hurts to force an interception. The KC defense kept the Chiefs in the game early.

Next: The Chiefs missed their chance to tie an NFL record with 18 victories, including playoffs. The 2025 schedule will be announced in May.

REPORT CARD

Passing offense: F

The most disillusioning part of the night for the Chiefs was how poorly the offensive line played.

The Joe Thuney switch from guard to tackle was exposed not because Thuney failed at his position, but rather because guard Mike Caliendo was overmatched in the first half — when the Eagles sacked Mahomes three times. Mahomes was rushed in nearly every one of his pass attempts.

There was no passing game to speak of because there was no time to pass. Mahomes hadn’t throw an interception since Nov. 17. Now he has a pick-six on his Super Bowl record courtesy of Cooper DeJean. That made the score 17-0 and was perhaps the first time it felt like this game was getting away from the Chiefs.

And the Eagles were doing this without blitzing. Edge rusher Josh Sweat was especially impactful with 2 1/2 of Philly’s six sacks. The final indignity: a fourth-quarter strip sack as Mahomes was attempting a deep launch.

The Chiefs avoided becoming the first victim of a Super Bowl shutout when Mahomes found Worthy in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. He added a 50-yard touchdown to complete the scoring.

And although the Chiefs weren’t celebrating this late in the game, it was nice to see DeAndre Hopkins get a touchdown in his first Super Bowl. Mahomes did find Worthy again, deep on the Chiefs’ final possession. But it was long past the time when things were out of hand.

Rushing offense: F

The Chiefs came out throwing. Then the Eagles built their lead, and there was no choice but to air it out.

Three rushing attempts netted 3 yards in the first half. Perhaps the Chiefs should have leaned into the ground game earlier.

Mahomes usually has been good for a danger-escaping first-down run. The Eagles made sure that didn’t happen.

All second-guessing is fair game after this one. It was easy to feel bad for running back Kareem Hunt, getting his first crack at a Super Bowl after rejoining the Chiefs the season.

Passing defense: D

The Chiefs needed to blitz to bother Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, who was especially effective early with deep shots on the right sideline.

A 27-yarder to Jahan Dotson set up Philly’s first touchdown. A blitz by Chiefs linebacker Bolton forced a Hurts underthrow that safety Bryan Cook picked off. It was the Chiefs’ lone bright moment of the first half.

After treading water for much of the night, the dam finally broke on the Chiefs late in the third quarter, when the Eagles stopped a Chiefs fourth-down attempt. On the next play, Hurts completed a 46-yard bomb to DeVonta Smith.

Rushing defense: C

This worked, for the most part. The Chiefs more or less contained Saquon Barkley, who had been running wild in the playoffs. He averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

But the Eagles didn’t build their lead on Barkley’s legs — and slowing Hurts was another story. Hurts scrambled for a pair of long runs on his way to garnering the Pete Rozelle Trophy as the Super Bowl MVP.

Special teams: C

In his first Super Bowl, Matt Araiza was a busy punter. That’s not a good thing.

Nikko Remigio made the most of his first kickoff return, gaining 35 yards. But the Chiefs’ special teams unit never really got a chance to make a difference in this blowout.

This story was originally published February 9, 2025 at 9:24 PM.

Blair Kerkhoff

The Kansas City Star

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Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.