NEW ORLEANS — OK, now there is a definite blueprint for how to beat the Chiefs in a Super Bowl.
Four years after the Buccaneers’ defensive line obliterated the Chiefs’ offensive line to prevent Kansas City from winning a second straight Lombardi Trophy, the Eagles’ pass rush did the same thing Sunday and turned Patrick Mahomes into a pumpkin.
The Chiefs allowed their superhuman quarterback to take nine hits and be sacked five times in the first three quarters alone, and a rattled Mahomes responded by throwing two critical interceptions in the decisive first half of what became a 40-22 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl 2025.
If any play signified the one-sidedness in the trenches, however, it happened in the fourth quarter.
Backup defensive lineman Milton Williams beat guard Mike Caliendo as Mahomes waited for something to develop downfield. Williams stripped the ball just as Mahomes was about to throw, and Jalen Carter came crashing through the middle of the line and hit Mahomes in the face.
Should it have been a penalty? Probably, but a metaphorical punch in the face is exactly what the Chiefs took.
The first time this happened caused the Chiefs to totally revamp their offensive line during the offseason.
None of the starters from the 2021 Super Bowl were in the lineup Sunday, but the results were scarily similar, even with big investments protecting Mahomes.
The Band-Aid that was moving guard Joe Thuney to left tackle late in the season came unpeeled.
The Chiefs were dominated with two $80 million players on the bookends — Thuney and right tackle Jawaan Taylor, an All-Pro center in Creed Humprey and a guard in Trey Smith who could be the most sought-after free agent in the NFL next month.
But it was no answer for the depth on the Eagles defensive line, which remarkably didn’t miss a beat this season even after franchise icon Fletcher Cox retired.
Mahomes didn’t quite run for the 497 yards behind the line of scrimmage that he had to when the Buccaneers’ pressure wrecked a Super Bowl, but he was twisting and turning into blindside hits all night.
There were hardly any signature Mahomes loops that allowed him to break free for long scrambles — and when there were, it was because of a holding penalty that drew a flag.
What’s strange is that the Chiefs have two Super Bowl wins in the past six years at the expense of the 49ers, whose strength throughout that span has been their defensive line.
The blowout nature of the game also turned the Chiefs into a one-dimensional offense.
The Chiefs finished with 11 carries for 45 yards, but no running back had more than nine rushing yards as most of the “damage” was done by Mahomes as he ran from the pocket for his safety.
