The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ bid for a historic three-peat led to heartbreak Sunday, as they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, 40-22, in Tremendous Bowl LIX.
In an anticlimactic finish to a promising season, the Chiefs saved their worst efficiency for final because the Eagles outplayed them in each part of the sport. After the loss, head coach Andy Reid shouldered the blame whereas crediting Philadelphia for his or her dominant efficiency.
“At the moment was a tough day,” Reid mentioned in his postgame remarks. “We didn’t actually play properly in any of the phases. I didn’t coach adequate. They did a pleasant job… We’ll be taught from this. Like most video games right here, if you don’t do very properly, you be taught from it as a coach, you be taught from it as a participant, and you progress on.”
Maybe essentially the most vital issue within the Chiefs’ loss was turnovers. Although Kansas Metropolis struck first on this division with security Bryan Cook dinner intercepting Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts within the first quarter, the Chiefs rapidly discovered themselves on the fallacious facet of the turnover battle, with three turnovers in complete, all courtesy of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
His two first-half interceptions proved particularly pricey. Each led to Philadelphia touchdowns, and the Chiefs rapidly discovered themselves in a demoralizing 24-0 gap by halftime.
“If you give a workforce 14 factors, particularly a very good soccer workforce, a Tremendous Bowl soccer workforce, then not quite a lot of good issues,” Mahomes defined. “That’s why I take possession on this loss greater than most likely any loss in my complete profession as a result of I put us in a foul spot. Although we put up some stats on the finish of the sport, these stats didn’t actually matter as a result of we had already misplaced the momentum.”
With their offensive struggles within the first half, Mahomes started to press, forcing throws that weren’t there in an try and spark his workforce. Whereas his means to create one thing out of nothing is without doubt one of the defining traits of his greatness, he admitted afterward that he should be taught to take what the protection provides him, even when meaning throwing the ball away and avoiding pointless dangers.
“When defenses are going to play within the shell protection and keep again and play man on third down, I can’t make dangerous performs worse,” Mahomes admitted. “That’s one thing that you simply noticed right this moment is that there’s instances when guys aren’t open, and I have to throw the ball away or examine it down and let the opposite guys make performs occur. Generally I get the place I wish to make a giant play to spark us, and that’s one thing that I’ve handled my complete profession. If I don’t present that I’ll take what’s there within the recreation, then the defenses are going to remain within the coverages that they’re in.”
To their credit score, the Eagles teaching employees devised the right defensive recreation plan to maintain Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense in examine. Quite than blitzing, Philadelphia relied on its stout four-man move rush to generate strain on Mahomes whereas permitting the remainder of the protection to drop in protection. This resulted in six sacks for the protection. Reid credited Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with executing a recreation plan that saved the Chiefs’ offense on its heels all night time.
“Vic does a pleasant job with that protection,” Reid mentioned. “They performed properly. They’ve excellent gamers, a great scheme, they usually executed higher than what we did. They coached higher—and that begins with me—they usually performed higher.”
As a substitute of celebrating one other championship, the Chiefs are left with an extended offseason of reflection. Their dynasty aspirations are briefly placed on maintain as Kansas Metropolis regroups and reloads for an additional run. As for Mahomes, the loss could also be a bitter finish to the season, however the famous person quarterback appears extra decided than ever to make use of it as gasoline heading into subsequent season.
“There’s issues that I’ve to get higher at, they usually sort of confirmed right this moment on the largest stage,” Mahomes mentioned. “I’m going to discover a means this offseason to fight what defenses are doing to me so far as rush lanes and completely different coverages that they’re enjoying. That’s the fantastic thing about soccer. You possibly can by no means be glad with simply coming on the market and enjoying, pondering you’re going to have success, yr in and yr out. These defenses are going to proceed to get higher, so I’ve to get higher. I take quite a lot of possession in that, and I wish to hopefully come again and play higher soccer subsequent season.”
