This stretch of 10 offensive plays doomed the Chiefs’ chances of winning Super Bowl LIX
When the Eagles’ Jake Elliott made a 48-yard field goal with 8 minutes, 38 seconds to play in the first half, few Chiefs fans batted an eye about KC being down 10-0 in Super Bowl LIX.
After all, the Chiefs had trailed by 10 in their three Super Bowl championships with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
- A year ago in Super Bowl LVIII, the Chiefs trailed the 49ers 10-0 with 4:23 left in the first half.
- In Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles held a 24-14 lead at the half only to see the Chiefs win 38-35.
- And in Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs were down 20-10 in the fourth quarter but rallied for a 31-20 victory.
But instead of the Chiefs chipping away at the deficit, their next 10 offensive plays were arguably the worst stretch of the season.
Here is a closer look at how things unfolded with those play descriptions from the official Super Bowl LIX gamebook.
1-10-KC 30 (8:38) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes sacked at KC 26 for -4 yards.
2-14-KC 26 (7:58) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes sacked at KC 24 for -2 yards.
3-16-KC 24 (7:16) (Shotgun) P.Mahomes pass short right intended for DeAndre Hopkins INTERCEPTED by Cooper DeJean at KC 38. C. DeJean for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
That gave the Eagles a 17-0 lead. The Chiefs got the ball back but had to to punt after these three ugly plays.
1-10-KC 30 (7:03) (Shotgun) Isaiah Pacheco up the middle to KC 28 for -2 yards.
2-12-KC 28 (6:27) (Shotgun) I. Pacheco right guard to KC 31 for 3 yards.
3-9-KC 31 (5:46) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes sacked at KC 24 for -7 yards.
The Chiefs’ Matt Araiza punted and Philadelphia moved to the Chiefs 49-yard line but was forced to punt. The Chiefs took over at their 6-yard line with 1:49 before halftime.
With two timeouts in their pocket, the Chiefs had a chance to cut into the 17-point deficit.
Then came this play.
1-10-KC 6 (1:49) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes pass short middle intended for Marquise Brown INTERCEPTED by Z. Baun at KC 14. Zack Baun to KC 14 for no gain.
The Eagles needed just two plays to turn Baun’s interception into a touchdown and a 24-0 lead.
Still, the Chiefs had a chance to do something positive as they got the ball back at their 30-yard line with 1:35 to play before the half.
Here is how it played out, starting with a holding penalty that wiped out the first play.
1-10-KC 30 (1:35) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes scrambles right tackle to KC 39 for 9 yards. PENALTY on KC-Trey Smith, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at KC 30 - No Play.
1-20-KC 20 (1:27) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes pass incomplete short middle to Samaje Perine.
2-20-KC 20 (1:23) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes pass short middle to Brown to KC 29 for 9 yards.
3-11-KC 29 (:40) (Shotgun) P. Mahomes pass incomplete deep right to Hopkins.
The missed connection between Mahomes and Hopkins cost the Chiefs a chance to move into range for Harrison Butker to try a field goal. Three points before the half would have given the Chiefs at least a little boost.
Instead, Araiza punted and the Eagles closed out the half.
The stats of note from those 10 offensive plays: Four drives resulted in minus-3 yards of total offense and two Mahomes interceptions that led either directly or indirectly to Eagles touchdowns. And there was also the 10-yard penalty in that stretch.
ESPN’s win probability chart showed the Chiefs had a 19.1% chance of winning when they got the ball back down 10 points. But by the end of that ugly 10 play stretch, the Chiefs’ chances had dropped to 1.9%.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 9:52 AM.
