NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Cooper DeJean, Josh Sweat and the Philadelphia Eagles’ ferocious defense denied Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs a Super Bowl three-peat.
It wasn’t even close.
DeJean got a pick-6 on his 22nd birthday, Sweat tormented Mahomes and the Eagles routed the Chiefs 40-22 on Sunday to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship.
Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score on a tush push, and Vic Fangio's defense was so dominant that the Eagles didn't need much from Saquon Barkley.
The game-changing running back finished with 57 yards, breaking Terrell Davis’ record for yards rushing in a season, playoffs included. Hurts threw for 221 yards.
With Donald Trump becoming the first president in office to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outplayed Kansas City in every facet, delighting a raucous pro-Philly crowd that celebrated each score with a familiar rendition of “Fly! Eagles! Fly!”
Even Taylor Swift’s presence couldn’t help the Chiefs. They lost for the first time in 10 games this season with the pop superstar in a suite watching boyfriend Travis Kelce, who didn’t catch a pass until late in the third quarter.
Not in Kansas City’s worst nightmares could its fans have imagined such a lackluster performance. The Chiefs had won three of the previous five Super Bowls, losing 31-9 to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers four years ago.
EAGLES WIN: Philadelphia takes Super Bowl
It’s over. Philadelphia has won the Super Bowl, beating Kansas City 40-22 behind 221 passing yards, two passing TDs and one rushing score from quarterback Jalen Hurts.
SCORE UPDATE: Eagles 40, Chiefs 22
The 2-point conversion is good. It’s 40-22 with 1:48 remaining.
Worthy has eight catches for 157 yards and two scores for the Chiefs.
Earliest Gatorade bath ever? (the color was yellow)
Nick Sirianni got hit with the Gatorade with 2:52 remaining, which might be the earliest victory bath for a coach in a long time.
Also, for those betting on such things (because you could): The Gatorade was yellow.
Here’s the most recent three-peat teams in the major US pro sports
Kansas City isn’t getting it done, so there’s never been a three-peat champion in the Super Bowl era.
The most recent three-peat champions in the other major U.S. pro leagues:
1. NBA -- the Los Angeles Lakers, 2000-02
2. MLB -- the New York Yankees, 1998-2000
3. NHL -- the New York Islanders, 1980-83 (a four-peat)