Published by: Valdemar Carnegie
Updated: 7:26 PM EST, February 10, 2025
Original Photo: Chandan Khanna via Getty Images/Doug Mills/The New York Time
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in dominant fashion with a score of 40-22 on Sunday. With their victory, the Eagles secured their second Super Bowl win in franchise history. Their first came in 2018 when they defeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Both teams started off slow, with the game remaining scoreless for the first eight minutes. However, after the Eagles scored their first touchdown at the 6:15 mark in the first quarter, they gained momentum, and the game quickly became one-sided. Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts had an outstanding performance, finishing with 293 total yards and three touchdowns. Hurts, who was often labeled the “weak link” of the team throughout the year, proved his critics wrong by leading his team to victory. With this win, Hurts solidified his status as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. He is now 46-20 in his regular-season career, 37-10 since 2022, 6-3 in the playoffs, and 1-1 in Super Bowl appearances. Regardless of how critics label him, Hurts has proven he is a winner.
On the other side, Patrick Mahomes had a game he’d likely want to forget. In the first half, he completed just 6 of 14 passes for 33 yards and threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, leading to 14 points for the Eagles. Mahomes finished the half with a 10.7 passer rating, which was on pace to be the fourth-worst by a starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. The Eagles’ defense overwhelmed Mahomes, sacking him six times—the most in his career, regular season or postseason. Mahomes’ struggles also impacted his top target, Travis Kelce, who finished with just four receptions for 39 yards. After the game, Mahomes expressed his disappointment in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “I let y’all down today. I’ll always continue to work and try to learn and be better,” before adding, “We will be back.”
Defensively, the Eagles were relentless. Josh Sweat recorded 2.5 sacks, while Milton Williams added 2.0 sacks of his own. The Eagles’ defense tallied 11 quarterback hits, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and a fumble recovery, showcasing their dominance throughout the game.
Kendrick Lamar delivered a memorable halftime performance, bringing out guest stars SZA and Samuel L. Jackson. Fans speculated whether Lamar would perform his hit diss track, “Not Like Us,” aimed at Drake, and he did not disappoint. Before performing the song, Lamar teased the crowd, saying, “I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” The reference tied back to a 2024 lawsuit in which Drake sued Universal Music Group (UMG), the record label shared by both artists. Drake claimed UMG failed to prevent the release of “Not Like Us,” which he argued contained defamatory accusations against him. Beyond the drama, Lamar’s performance carried a powerful message. The set, designed to resemble a prison yard, highlighted the issue of mass incarceration and racial disparities in the justice system. As Lamar and his all-Black dancers moved across the field, the visual underscored the disproportionate impact of incarceration on Black communities. While the performance had multiple layers, this central theme resonated most strongly.
In the end, the Eagles’ victory and Lamar’s halftime show made this Super Bowl a night to remember, blending sports excellence with cultural commentary in a way that captivated audiences worldwide.
Go Birds!