Confetti rained down on the makeshift Super Bowl LIX presentation ceremony podium as the Philadelphia Eagles owner, Jeffrey Lurie, lifted the Lombardi Trophy high above his head. Finally, he had done it. The redemption arc that was waiting to be fulfilled soared high in the sky—in a fashion that can only be described as iconic. The Kansas City Chiefs, on the other hand, were going through the worst time of their lives—visible from Patrick Mahomes‘ heartbreaking post-game revelations. But before we get to that…

After the 40-22 victory, Terry Bradshaw patted Jalen Hurts on his back, asking what everyone was wondering about. “Super Bowl 59 MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts. Well…How cool is this? This got to be especially sweet for you, having to answer so many critics who say, ‘Why don’t you throw for more yards? Why don’t you do this? Why don’t you do that?’…What do you say in response to all that Jalen?”

“God is good, with us in the highs and the lows. I wouldn’t be here without my teammates the effort and determination everyone displayed…I can’t control what these people think, but if it takes all the hating, all the scrutiny, all the different opinions for me to be a world champion, keep it coming,” the 26-year-old proudly answered. Notably, this is not even the first time the QB has addressed the immense criticism that has been thrown his way.

Ahead of The Big Showdown, too, he had said, “I don’t play the game for stats. I don’t play the game for numbers, any statistical approval from anyone else. And I understand that everyone has a preconceived notion on how they want it to look, or how they expect it to look. I told you guys that success is defined by that particular individual, and it’s all relative to the person. And what I define it as is winning.”

Well, the words surely aged well for Hurts. Mahomes, on the contrary, seems to be stuck at crossroads over his February 9 performance. For a QB who is widely known (and feared) for his physicality, arm strength, and pocket awareness, the Chiefs QB’s career-high six sacks, two interceptions, including a pick six—both in the first half that helped elevate his opponent to a 24-0 lead—and a fumble, turned heads, but not in the way anyone was expecting. So, of course, like a true leader, the 29-year-old was going to take all the blame for it…

In the post-game press conference, he admitted, 

“We didn’t start how we wanted to. Obviously, the turnovers hurt, and I mean, I just kinda, I take all the blame for that, I mean, just those early turnovers swing the momentum of the game, and then they capitalized on them, and they scored, I mean, they scored on the one, and then they got a touchdown immediately after. So that’s 14 points that I kinda gave them, and it’s hard to come back from that in the Super Bowl. And so, just didn’t play to my standard, and I’ll have to be better next time.”

Furthermore, he also said, “

Yeah, I mean, credit to the Eagles, man. They played better than us from start to finish,” after he failed to keep Josh Allen‘s request. Notably, after the Chiefs’ controversial AFC Championship win over the Buffalo Bills, the two QB had shared an endearing meet in the gridiron. “I’m proud of you brother, hell of a year, man. Hell of a year,” Mahomes said, as they embraced. Allen’s response? A classy, “Go, get another one!”

Having said that, the Chiefs quarterback even took to social media to express a heartfelt apology, barely an hour after the final whistle.

“Appreciate all the love and support from #ChiefsKingdom I let y’all down today. I’ll always continue to work and try and learn and be better for it. Want to give thanks to God for every opportunity he has given me. We will be back,” he wrote on X.

Unfortunately, the three-peat didn’t come for Patrick Mahomes, and we all could see that easily in the first half itself. Heartbreaking, yes. But for some, it was also what they were waiting for…

Vic Fangio came up with a perfect answer for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs!

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had never beaten Patrick Mahomes. Eight tries, eight losses. But this time, he flipped the script. Without any doubt, Super Bowl LIX was a defensive masterclass shown by Philly. The Eagles didn’t just slow Mahomes down, they actually buried him, sacking him 6 times.

As a result, for Patrick Mahomes, pressure came from everywhere. No escape, no answers. By halftime, Philly had a commanding 24-0 lead. This happened in a game-sealing moment. Mahomes, rattled from back-to-back sacks, forced a pass over the middle. That was a bad move. So, delighting in the opportunity, rookie Cooper DeJean read it perfectly, snatching the football, and sprinting 38 yards for a touchdown.

The Chiefs never recovered again. To be precise, the Eagles never let them up. And in this way, Vic Fangio finally got his win, on the biggest stage of all. The Chiefs were defeated in Super Bowl LIX. And Patrick Mahomes made Super Bowl history in a way he’d never forget – by taking back-to-back sacks before throwing a pick-six, all within just three plays.