The Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a historic three-peat ended in chaos, crashing down harder than a TikTok influencer’s Wi-Fi mid-livestream. Super Bowl LIX saw the Philadelphia Eagles dominate with a 40-22 rout, transforming Patrick Mahomes and Co. into an overnight meme factory. While Mahomes tallied 257 yards and 3 touchdowns, two early interceptions—including a dagger of a 38-yard pick-six by Cooper DeJean—left the Chiefs scrambling like a party host who forgot the guacamole. As the dust settled, one question lingered: Could Kansas City have used a playbook borrowed from Joe Burrow?

Enter Jason McCourty, former Patriots DB, and NFL analyst. While Mahomes licks his wounds, McCourty’s throwing shade with a solution: “Joe Burrow’s out here playing 4D chess. He’s telling Cincy’s front office, ‘Keep Chase and Higgins—or else.’ Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show on Feb 14, McCourty answered a viable question: Which team do you think is closest right now to being able to blueprint it up like the Eagles and take care of business in the AFC against the Chiefs? The former NFLer remarked, “I think the team that we see is the Cincinnati Bengals. We watched Joe Burrow make his ploy to management of saying hey we watch the Eagles build a team we watched contracts being restructured he gave them the whole blueprint on how to do it.”

And how to do that? McCourty added, “It comes at a point where Tee Higgins is a free agent Ja’Marr Chase is going to be up in another year and he’s trying to employ them to say you know what go ahead and sign all of these guys keep our offense together and we have a chance to do exactly what the Eagles have done the flip side of that the other part is that you got to hit in the draft.”

Burrow’s been vocal about retaining his WR duo, channeling his inner Wolf of Wall Street: ‘We’re stayin’ together. No half-measures.’

The Bengals, inspired by Philly’s “pay everyone” strategy, aim to lock down their core. Contrast that with KC, who traded Hill in 2022 (for draft picks that haven’t exactly screamed ‘Steal of the Century‘) and watched their WR room become a MASH unit. McCourty’s not wrong. Since Hill’s exit, Mahomes dragged KC to two rings anyway.

Cincinnati heads into a momentous offseason with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins among several key Bengals seeking long-term deals. Burrow, ever the optimist, is confident the Bengals can keep the band together. “We’ve had those preliminary discussions. It’s really early in the offseason, so those guys and their agents will start to have those discussions coming up,” Burrow told NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew. 

And why wouldn’t he? Burrow’s 2024 season was a masterclass: He’s up for MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year—proof that when Chase (127 catches, 1,708 yds, 17 TDs) and Higgins (73 catches, 911 yds, 10 TDs in 12 games) are on the field, Cincy’s offense is a cheat code. But keeping the duo intact hasn’t been easy. Chase sat out training camp last summer, and Higgins briefly requested a trade after being franchise-tagged. The drama led to a rocky start in 2024, with Cincy dropping four of their first five games.

But this loss exposed cracks. Philly’s D drafted like Ocean’s Eleven heists—Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis—while Cincy’s defense? “They’ve missed on picks worse than I miss 8 a.m. workouts,” McCourty joked. Burrow’s pushing for a Philly-style roster: pay the stars, draft defense, and pray your QB stays upright. Chiefs‘ Patrick Mahomes? He’s stuck hoping GM Brett Veach finds another Travis Kelce in the couch cushions.

Reid’s gamble for the Chiefs’ loss?

The Eagles’ D-line? Relentless. Andy Reid’s playbook? Staler than week-old nachos. McCourty roasted KC’s coaching like a halftime hot wing: “The Eagles never changed. Fangio didn’t blitz—same four guys every play. Andy Reid’s a legend, but he couldn’t figure it out till the game was basically a credits scene.” Cue Groundhog Day vibes—Philly kept running the same play, and KC kept hitting snooze.

McCourty didn’t hold back, comparing Mahomes’ chaos to a Home Alone trap gone wrong: “No max protect? No adjustments? Nothing. It’s like Mahomes was Macaulay Culkin up there—improvised, panicked, and ultimately outsmarted.”

He even drew from his own Super Bowl experience with the Rams: “I remember being in my Super Bowl when we played the Rams, and we kind of anticipated that in the second half, they might try to get to this or get to that. But from the first series on, they never made any adjustments to make it more challenging for the Philadelphia Eagles.”

KC managed just 275 total yards, 3/11 on third downs, and a brutal 23:02 time of possession. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts—Super Bowl MVP—dropped 221 pass yards, 72 rush yards, and 3 TDs. While Saquon Barkley broke the NFL single-season rushing record (2,504 yards). The Eagles didn’t just win—they curated a highlight reel of Chiefs’ Ls.

Post-game, Mahomes owned the L like a true captain: “I take all the blame… These losses will motivate me till I’m 45.” But as Joe Burrow quietly reshapes Cincy’s future, the pressure’s on KC to adapt—or risk becoming the NFL’s version of That ‘70s Show: nostalgic, beloved, but stuck in reruns.