The Eagles hit Mahomes early and often.

In Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles registered a 40-22 blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs by dominating the line of scrimmage throughout the game. Kansas City didn’t score until it was trailing 34-0 in the third quarter.

Taking advantage of the Chiefs’ lackluster offensive line play (and the team’s refusal to run the ball), the Eagles defensive line had a day to remember, hitting quarterback Patrick Mahomes early and often. Philadelphia finished the contest with six sacks, 11 hits and 17 pressures.

All of this rattled Mahomes — and as a result, his timing was off throughout the night.

Hitting Mahomes

The Eagles’ biggest play on Mahomes came on the first play of a drive that began with just under 10 minutes left in the game — and it pretty much summed up the Chiefs’ struggles.

Milton Williams working on Caliendo here. Humphrey slides to help, but Williams just plays further into the B gap and rips around. Smith doing all he can vs Carter, but 15 has to get away from Williams. Massive hit and fumble. pic.twitter.com/V91trmGlvb

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 12, 2025

Here, Philadelphia defensive tackle Milton Williams is lined up over Mike Caliendo. On the snap, Williams starts to work the B-gap. Creed Humphrey comes over to assist, but Williams works outside and rips his way through Caliendo’s block.

This forced Mahomes to move to his right, where Jalen Carter lit him up and forced a fumble. Mahomes’ movement opened a lane for Carter to get past Trey Smith for the kill shot.

The Chiefs’ ancillary blocking from the running backs and tight ends was also subpar. This didn’t help left guard Joe Thuney, who struggled while filling in at left tackle. To his credit, he’d had a good playoff run playing out of position — but Philadelphia took advantage of him by putting their larger, more physical pass rushers on the outside against the short-armed All-Pro guard.

Really bad from 10+87. KC leaving seven in protection, and the pressure still gets home. Thuney's lack of length came back to bite him. Mahomes couldn't escape. pic.twitter.com/nF03DEDF2I

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 13, 2025

Attempting to make first contact, Thuney misses his shot, hitting the edge rusher in the helmet. The defender quickly fires his longer arms and blows Thuney into the backfield to create pressure. Meanwhile, the Chiefs use Travis Kelce and Isiah Pacheco to block the opposite edge rusher while Jawaan Taylor helps Smith along the interior.

Kelce initially locks onto the defensive end — but when Pahceco approaches, Kelce lets go. Pacheco whiffs. Mahomes is already stepping up from the pressure on the left, but the pressure from both sides gives him nowhere to go.

Thuney’s physical deficiencies, Kelce’s baffling decision to let go of the end, and Pacheco’s miss add up to an awful play.

It wasn’t the only befuddling decision we saw in pass blocking.

Run-action looks don’t always pan out when there is no threat of running the ball. This play needs Kelce to hold up the edge rusher long enough for Humphrey to work his way over, but the edge blows by Kelce. This felt like KC getting too cute. pic.twitter.com/eaAAstZm59

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 13, 2025

Here, we see the Chiefs go with a run-action look where Xavier Worthy is coming back across the formation. Kelce is supposed to give the edge rusher a chip block while Taylor blocks the other direction. This is meant to help sell the run and give the Chiefs an extra body in protection.

Humphrey is also supposed to fold outside to support Kelce, which is intended to keep the Eagles’ pass rushers guessing — and give Mahomes extra time for a long play down the field.

It doesn’t work.

The Eagles don’t bite on the run sell or Worthy’s motion — and Kelce whiffs on the block. With the defensive end chugging up the field, Humphrey has no time to get where he needs to be. Mahomes tries to escape, but he is swarmed.

Miscues from Mahomes

Mahomes is still the best player in football — but Sunday was one of the worst games of his career. While his late-game numbers didn’t look awful thanks to some memorable passes to Worthy, the entire first half — and much of the second — was a struggle.

On an early third down, poor play-calling led to Mahomes missing an open man.

Frustrating play. Four Eagles swarm Kelce, where Mahomes wants to throw it. Pass might have been to JuJu. Deep ball isn't there, and Worthy doesn't leave the line of scrimmage. Mahomes runs into the sack, but frustrating play calling. pic.twitter.com/qtamEYuKi6

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 13, 2025

On this play, JuJu Smith-Schuster appears to be open — but Mahomes keys on Kelce, who is quadruple-covered in the middle of the field. Seeing the heavy coverage, Mahomes tries to scramble but runs into pressure and gets taken down.

While Mahomes was rattled, Kansas City’s results were poor. Even on plays where he was well-protected, he still wasn’t comfortable, running himself into pressures and sacks.

This isn't awful initially from the KC OL, but Mahomes just isn't comfortable at all, Taylor starts to get pushed back but he is able to lock in. That push was enough to flush Mahomes and the defense brings him down for the sack. pic.twitter.com/Cumzh6WQWV

— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) February 13, 2025

Here, Mahomes looks to escape as he perceives slight pressure from Taylor being pushed back into the pocket. On the left side, Thuney and Caliendo pick up the defensive line’s twist — but Mahomes runs directly into the looping defensive end.

With the beating he was taking, it’s hard to blame Mahomes for running out of clean pockets. Still, it was thanks to poor pass protection — and it’s been one of the team’s biggest issues all season.

The bottom line

The Chiefs’ offensive line issues (and Mahomes’ resulting problems with pocket presence) caught up with them at the worst possible time. The need for stability at left tackle has never been more apparent. It should be one of the team’s highest offseason priorities.

In the blink of an eye, the Chiefs’ dream season turned into a nightmare. Now it’s time to pick up the pieces and move on.