Eagles knock Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs off their throne

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst of the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Post-game takeaways from Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans … 

1. Ding dong the witch is dead: There won’t be a three-peat in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes were made to look mortal by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59. The Eagles’ defense dominated Kansas City’s offensive line, sacked Mahomes a career-high six times, intercepted him twice and forced and recovered a fumble. The Eagles soared to their second NFL championship since 2017 with a 40-22 blowout win in Super Bowl 59. Kansas City’s two-year reign as Super Bowl champions ended with a thud, preserving Green Bay’s distinction as the only NFL team to win three consecutive league championships. No team has done it in the Super Bowl era. Seemingly invincible in big games with Mahomes, the Chiefs beat themselves with two offensive turnovers after falling behind early, and then a third in the second half. A long TD pass by Mahomes in the final three minutes kept it from being the worst loss in Mahomes’ 133 career games, including postseason.  He suffered a 31-9 loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl 55. The Eagles (18-3) avenged a 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57. Jalen Hurts became the fourth QB to win a Super Bowl after losing in his first appearance and was named the game's MVP.

2. Say goodnight: After the Eagles took a 27-0 lead, the Chiefs’ scant comeback hopes died when Mahomes’ fourth-down pass for DeAndre Hopkins was broken up by cornerback Avonte Maddox with 2:50 to go in the third quarter. On Philly’s first play after the turnover on downs, Hurts play-faked from the pistol formation and connected with DeVonta Smith for a 46-yard touchdown. That made it, 34-0, Eagles.

3. Legacy update: Mahomes is now 3-2 in Super Bowls. Reid is 3-3 (counting one loss as Eagles coach). Hurts is 1-1.

4. Defense still wins: The defensive stars for the Eagles were end Josh Sweat (2.5 sacks), tackle Milton Williams (2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery), cornerback Cooper DeJean (38-yard interception return for touchdown) and linebacker Zack Baun (1 interception).

5. Hurts, don’t it?: For the second time in a Super Bowl matchup against Mahomes, Hurts was the better quarterback. This time, his team won, too. Hurts was 17 of 22 passing for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was intercepted once and had a passer rating of 119.7. Hurts also rushed for 72 yards and a tush-push touchdown. The Eagles’ defense and Hurts were so good, they didn’t need a big game from running back Saquon Barkley (25 rushes for 57 yards). Mahomes’ numbers improved with a 50-yard TD to Xavier Worthy when the outcome was long decided. He was 21 of 32 for 257 yards. He tossed three TDs after trailing, 34-0. Mahomes also lost a fumble and had a deceptive passer rating of 95.4.

6. Mahomes down to Earth: Mahomes had one of the worst halfs of football in his career as the Chiefs fell behind, 24-0, at intermission. Mahomes, who had one meaningless turnover in two previous post-season games this year, was intercepted twice, leading to two Eagles touchdowns. The first was a 38-yard Pick 6 by Eagles rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean. The second by linebacker Zack Baun set up a Hurts TD to A.J. Brown with 1:35 left. In the first half, Mahomes was 6 of 14 for 33 yards, with two INTs and three sacks. They were the second-fewest passing yards in the first half of a Super Bowl since Chicago’s Rex Grossman had 32 in 2006. The Chiefs were outgained, 179-23, and made one first down to Philadelphia’s 13. The first down came on the Chiefs’ first play from scrimmage.

7. Happy birthday: DeJean celebrated his 22^nd birthday with his Pick 6. He’s the second player in NFL history to score a touchdown in a championship game on his birthday.

8. Keep eye on him: If Browns GM Andrew Berry makes room to have spending money in free agency, Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams would be a nice target. Williams would be a penetrating tackle in Jim Schwartz’s defense. He was a force in the first half, sacking Mahomes once and drawing double teams with Jalen Carter to free up outside pass pressure.Williams also had a sack, strip and recovery of Mahomes in the second half. Williams had a career-high five sacks in part-time duty in his fourth season with the Eagles. They probably can’t re-sign him with first-round picks Carter and Jordan Davis nearing their second contracts. Williams, a third-round pick in 2021 from Louisiana Tech, will be expensive and highly sought-after.

9. Early KC favoritism: The narrative that NFL officials favor the Chiefs resurfaced with the first flag of the game. It took less than five minutes when Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was flagged for offensive pass interference on a 32-yard reception to the Chiefs’ 18 on Philadelphia’s first possession. Brown faintly pushed off cornerback Trent McDuffie and brushed his face mask. FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira disagreed with the call. “It’s a push-off to the head. Not the typical hand fighting. But to me, I still don’t think it’s enough to get a call,” Pereira said.

10. In case you missed it: Myles Garrett appeared on the ESPN pre-game show to amp up his ring-chasing campaign. In a short interview with the ESPN pre-game studio host and analysts, Garrett reiterated that he wants a trade from the Browns because he doesn’t feel they’re capable of winning. “Speaking with management with the Browns, I just felt like at this current time I don’t feel like our future is aligned with winning right now,” he said. At the end of the interview, Garrett took an unfortunate – if inadvertent – shot at Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas. The context was former Eagles center Jason Kelce jokingly asking Garrett if he’d like to play with the Philadelphia Eagles. Garrett laughed and responded, “I think they’re looking great. Their front four is outstanding. I’m liking how all these young guys are really getting after it. I know they kind of expedited your exit out of the league, Jalen Carter and those guys, kind of like I did with Joe Thomas. Those boys look good.” Thomas’ 11-year career with the Browns ended because of a torn triceps injury suffered in his 167^th consecutive and final game in 2017.