The Kansas City Chiefs were vying to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Instead, they became the ninth squad to come up short while attempting to score the elusive three-peat.
Unlike the other eight teams to win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies, Kansas City actually made it to the Super Bowl to try for a third. But the Chiefs came up short with Sunday’s 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
The Chiefs trailed by as many as 34 points before narrowing the gap late in the contest.
“Today didn’t go our way, but I’m proud of what we were able to accomplish this year and the last three years together,” Kansas City safety Justin Reid said.
The Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots were the other organizations to win two straight Super Bowls.
Three of those teams lost in the conference championship the following season, two others fell in the divisional round and three missed the playoffs.
Prior to this season, the Patriots were the most recent team to give it a shot, beating the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2003 season and topping the Eagles a year later before losing to the Broncos in the divisional round of the 2005 campaign.
Kansas City defeated the 49ers to win it all last season, and this year’s Super Bowl was a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs won 38-35 over the Eagles on Feb. 12, 2023.
The Steelers’ two chances for a three-peat came when the franchise won four Super Bowls in a dominating six-season span. After winning titles following the 1974 and 1975 seasons, Pittsburgh lost to the then-Oakland Raiders in the 1976 AFC Championship Game.
The Steelers later won the 1978 and 1979 season Super Bowl crowns before missing the playoffs in 1980.
–Philadelphia’s Cooper DeJean is a rookie cornerback known for preventing touchdowns. Saquon Barkley, a seven-year veteran, ran for 2,005 yards, caught 33 passes for 278 yards and scored 15 touchdowns this season.
So among the Eagles’ players who played in Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX on their birthday, guess who found the end zone?
Midway through the second quarter, with the Eagles leading 10-0, the 22-year-old DeJean stepped in front of a pass by Patrick Mahomes near the right sideline, crossed the field and found blockers near the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown. It was his first NFL interception and touchdown.
The score made DeJean the second player in NFL history to score a touchdown in a championship game on his birthday. The other also played for Philadelphia. Running back Steve Van Buren scored on his birthday on Dec. 28, 1947, in the NFL Championship Game, but the then-Chicago Cardinals won the game, 28-21.
Barkley, 28, finished with 97 total yards from scrimmage. He rushed for 57 yards on 25 carries, and his 40 yards receiving came on six catches.
ESPN had the pair on their set for a postgame interview, where host Chris Berman awarded them with birthday cake.
DeJean knew what he was going to do after the game.
“Celebrate. Celebrate with my teammates and my family and the people around me and just enjoy the moment,” DeJean said. “Just take it all in because it’s hard to get here.”
–In a game nearly free from injuries, the one notable exit was that of Kansas City Chief star defensive tackle Chris Jones, who left the game in the third quarter with a knee issue and did not return.
Jones went down on a run by Barkley with about six minutes left in the period. He was ruled doubtful to return soon after.
Earlier in the game, Jones was seen receiving treatment on his neck after the Chiefs attempted and failed to stop a Philadelphia “tush push” touchdown.
Jones, who recorded one quarterback hit, is a three-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion during his tenure with Kansas City. He signed a five-year, $158.75 million free agent deal with the Chiefs in March 2024 that made him the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history.
Jones had one sack earlier this postseason against Houston and five in the regular season.
–With the state of NFL officiating seemingly under extra scrutiny in recent weeks, referee Ron Torbert’s crew doled out penalties to the Chiefs and Eagles in similar numbers.
Kansas City was dinged seven times for 75 yards, and Philadelphia was flagged eight times for 59 yards.
Notably, on the Eagles first possession, they faced fourth-and-2 at midfield and Jalen Hurts appeared to complete a 32-yard pass to A.J. Brown. However, Brown was called for offensive pass interference amid some hand-fighting with cornerback Trent McDuffie, and the Eagles punted on fourth-and-12 instead.
Fox analyst Tom Brady expressed concern with the call.
“(Brown is) a big, physical, strong receiver. Just getting off the press on McDuffie. Aw, don’t like that one bit. This is too critical of a game,” Brady said.
–Field Level Media
