Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles away from Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) in the third quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew
The Eagles embarrassed Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bow LIX back in February. There's no other way to describe it. The Eagles' defense made Mahomes look silly and held him to arguably his worst performance in his career. The 29-year-old was sacked six times, threw two interceptions and had a QBR of 11.4, the second-lowest of his career. Most of Mahomes' 257 passing yards came during garbage time, when the Eagles were blowing the Chiefs out.
The Eagles prevented the Chiefs from becoming the first three-peat in the Super Bowl Era. They also might've kept Mahomes from being catapulted even higher among the list of the greatest NFL players ever. Mahomes is already in some rarified air, but if the Chiefs won, he would've become just the fourth quarterback to win four Super Bowls, joining Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.
Instead, Mahomes fell flat against the Eagles. He never got going and the Chiefs fell behind 24-0 at halftime, which included a Cooper DeJean pick-six of Mahomes. The result is a blemish on Mahomes' legacy, which CBS Sports analyst Bryan DeArdo noted when he released his list of the 25 greatest NFL players ever Tuesday. Mahomes was ranked 11th, dropping three spots from last year:
"Mahomes was eighth on last year's edition of this list but he has temporarily fallen out of the top 10 after he suffered his second blowout loss in a Super Bowl," DeArdo said. "While he has lost some real estate, Mahomes still comes in a few spots ahead of an all-time great QB in (Johnny) Unitas, and for good reason.
"Still just 29 years old, Mahomes is a two-time league MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP. He's juts one of five quarterbacks all time with at least three Super Bowl rings. Expect him to climb back into the top 10 — and possibly even in the top five — in the coming years."
If Mahomes played like Jalen Hurts did in a losing effort in 2022, he might not have dropped out of the top 10. Hurts went toe-to-toe with Mahomes in their first Super Bowl meeting, throwing for 300 yards, but falling just short in a 38-35 Chiefs win. In Mahomes' losing effort, he struggled. Vic Fangio's defense had answers for everything Mahomes wanted to do. The normally calm and calculated signal caller was flustered, with the Eagles' pass rush forcing him into constant mistakes, despite Fangio not calling single blitz all game.
It's rare to see Mahomes as rattled as he was. The Chiefs had 23 yards and just one first down in the first two quarters against the Eagles. Could Mahomes' offensive line have held up better? Yes. However, he also takes the blame for mistimed throws and the interceptions to DeJean and Zack Baun right before halftime, which allowed the Eagles to increase their lead.
COOPER DEJEAN LFGGGGG! 💪
pic.twitter.com/iymixYUaYa
— On Pattison (@OnPattison) February 10, 2025
One game doesn't change how people will view Mahomes' career. Like DeArdo mentioned, he has the potential to be remembered as one of the five greatest players in NFL history. But losing to the Eagles makes it difficult for Mahomes to catch Brady's legacy of seven rings, especially considering Brady beat Mahomes head-to-head in Super Bowl LV.
One thing the two have in common — other than being two of the best quarterbacks ever — is the Eagles prevented both from achieving three-peats. The Eagles' Super Bowl LII triumph was sandwiched between two New England Patriot victories. The next time there's a potential three-peat, just pencil the Eagles as the favorite to win it all.
Anyway, Mahomes might get another crack at the Eagles in Super Bowl LX. The Chiefs aren't an overbearing force, but as long as they have Mahomes, they'll be a Super Bowl favorite. The Eagles also look to be among the top teams again as well. A third meeting in four seasons would hardly be shocking.
