Everybody expected a heavyweight fight. Instead, we got a clinic. Honestly, when you look at the score of the Super Bowl LIX—a 40-22 shellacking of the Kansas City Chiefs by the Philadelphia Eagles—it’s easy to just see the numbers and move on. But that 18-point gap doesn't actually tell the whole story. For nearly three full quarters, the "unstoppable" Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs were basically locked in a basement with no way out.
Philly won. They didn't just win; they dismantled a dynasty-in-the-making. The Chiefs were chasing an unprecedented three-peat, something no team in the Super Bowl era has ever pulled off. They failed. Spectacularly.
The Score of the Super Bowl: A Tale of Two Halves (and One Shutout)
The final was 40-22. If you turned the game off at halftime, you saw a 24-0 scoreboard that felt even more lopsided than it looked. Philadelphia’s defense, led by coordinator Vic Fangio, turned the Caesars Superdome into a house of horrors for Kansas City. The Chiefs went into the locker room at the half with a measly 23 total yards.
Twenty-three.
That is the second-lowest first-half yardage total in the history of the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes, the guy who usually finds magic in the dirt, was sacked six times and looked genuinely rattled.
🔗 Read more: Who Won the Golf Tournament This Weekend: Richard T. Lee and the 2026 Season Kickoff
The Eagles' scoring started early. Jalen Hurts took it in himself on a 1-yard "tush push" in the first quarter. Then the floodgates opened. Jake Elliott hammered a 48-yarder, A.J. Brown caught a 12-yard touchdown pass, and rookie Cooper DeJean—celebrating his 22nd birthday, no less—snagged a 38-yard pick-six that basically signaled the end of the competitive portion of the evening.
Why the Chiefs Couldn't Move the Ball
It wasn't just bad luck. The Eagles' defensive line, spearheaded by Josh Sweat and Jalyx Hunt, bullied the Chiefs’ offensive line. The weirdest part? Philadelphia barely blitzed. They got that "blindingly quick" pressure, as analysts called it, using only their front four. This allowed them to drop seven or eight players into coverage, effectively erasing Travis Kelce from the game plan. Kelce finished with just four catches for 39 yards.
Jalen Hurts and the Redemption Arc
While the defense was the hammer, Jalen Hurts was the surgeon. Two years ago, Hurts put up a historic performance in Super Bowl LVII but came up short against these same Chiefs. This time, he wouldn't be denied.
Hurts finished the night with:
💡 You might also like: The Truth About the Memphis Grizzlies Record 2025: Why the Standings Don't Tell the Whole Story
- 17 of 22 passing for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- 72 rushing yards (a Super Bowl record for a QB) and 1 rushing touchdown.
- Zero turnovers.
He was the obvious choice for Super Bowl MVP. He didn't just manage the game; he dictated it. Whether it was the 46-yard bomb to DeVonta Smith in the third quarter or the methodical 11-carry ground attack, Hurts looked like the most composed person in New Orleans.
Breaking Down the Final Stats
The score of the Super Bowl eventually climbed to 40-6 before the Chiefs managed some "garbage time" dignity. With the Eagles' starters mostly resting on the sidelines, Mahomes connected with Xavier Worthy for two late touchdowns and found DeAndre Hopkins for another. Worthy ended up with a massive stat line—8 catches for 157 yards—but most of that happened when the outcome was already decided.
| Key Metric | Philadelphia Eagles | Kansas City Chiefs |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 40 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 345 | 275 |
| Sacks Allowed | 1 | 6 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of Possession | 36:58 | 23:02 |
Philly simply owned the clock. They held the ball for nearly 14 minutes longer than Kansas City. When you can't get off the field on defense and your quarterback is getting hit every three snaps, you aren't winning a championship.
The Kendrick Lamar Factor and the Record Books
Outside of the lines, Super Bowl LIX was a monster. Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, featuring SZA, pulled in 133.5 million viewers. That actually beat the record Michael Jackson set back at Super Bowl XXVII. The game itself averaged 127.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched broadcast in American TV history. People tuned in for the history of a three-peat; they stayed to watch the coronation of a new king in the NFC.
📖 Related: The Division 2 National Championship Game: How Ferris State Just Redrew the Record Books
What Most People Missed
The "trench war" won this game. General Manager Howie Roseman spent two years rebuilding the Eagles' defensive front specifically to handle Mahomes. In Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles failed to record a single sack. In Super Bowl LIX, they had six. That is the definition of learning from your mistakes.
Actionable Insights for Football Fans
If you're looking back at this game to understand the future of the NFL, here’s what you need to take away:
- The Blueprint to Beat Mahomes exists. It’s not about blitzing; it’s about winning with a four-man rush and playing disciplined "bracket" coverage on the primary targets.
- Jalen Hurts is Tier 1. Any remaining doubt about Hurts’ ability to win the "big one" or outplay elite competition should be gone. He’s the first QB to run for 70+ yards in a Super Bowl win.
- Drafting for Defense works. Cooper DeJean’s pick-six and the impact of young edge rushers like Jalyx Hunt prove that the Eagles' "retooling" was a masterclass in roster management.
- The Dynasty isn't dead, but it's dented. Kansas City is still the team to beat in the AFC, but their offensive line vulnerabilities are no longer a secret.
To truly understand the score of the Super Bowl, you have to look at the 40-6 lead the Eagles held with five minutes left. That was the reality of the game. The final 40-22 score was just a bit of late-game cosmetics on a very one-sided face.
To keep up with how the Eagles defend their title, start by tracking the NFL scouting combine results for offensive linemen—the one area where the Chiefs will likely spend big this offseason to ensure Mahomes never gets hit six times in a game again.