Watching Sunday’s Super Bowl beatdown by the Eagles brought back some not-so-great memories of my high school and college years. Through much of the 1980s and 90s, the NFC routinely took the AFC to the woodshed in the big game, just as Philadelphia did to the two-time defending champions Sunday night.
The game was over well before halftime, much as was the case with the likes San Francisco, Washington and Dallas back in the day. It was a throwback of sorts, but not one many will look back on fondly as it was basically a two-decade stretch of almost entirely uncompetitive Super Bowls. When your team isn’t playing, competitiveness is the only requirement for enjoyment – and we didn’t get it. (Truth be told I’m sure boatloads of Patriots fans enjoyed watching the Chiefs demise just as well).
The Eagles trouncing had a similar feel to those countless blowouts. Jalen Hurts was brilliant, as he was in the conference title with over Washington two weeks earlier. Many folks felt the Eagles boasted the league’s most talented roster, and if Hurts could replicate the passing performance he showed against the Commanders the Chiefs would be in trouble.
That was the case, and basically from the first series through garbage time Philadelphia manhandled its overwhelmed opponent. The 40-22 victory was as thorough as we’ve seen in a Super Bowl since Seattle dismantled Peyton Manning’s Broncos back in 2013. Even Tampa’s 31-9 win over these same Chiefs five years ago had a more competitive look than this one.
It all started up front, particularly on the defensive line for Philly. The Eagles pressured Patrick Mahomes with fourrushers and clearly bothered the three-time Super Bowl MVP throughout. That said, the bigger issue from my view was the Chiefs lack of playmakers. No one consistently got open and was available to make a play, and Mahomes pressed to find a spark that simply didn’t exist. He made awful decisions with the ball and his pick-six to…
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