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The Philadelphia Eagles showed exactly what it looks like during Sunday night’s 40-22 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome.

The Eagles were relentless in their pressure of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and they needed just four rushers to do so. Mahomes looked more rattled than maybe he ever has, throwing a pair of first-half interceptions and getting sacked three times as the Eagles raced out to a 24-0 lead on their way to a lopsided win.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Eagles did not blitz a single time over 42 dropbacks by Mahomes, becoming just the fourth team in the NGS era (since 2016) to do so in a game. With just their front four rushing, the Eagles pressured Mahomes 16 times and sacked him six times – more than he’d ever been sacked in a single game during his eight-year career. The Eagles’ six sacks fell one short of the Super Bowl record shared by four teams.

“It allows the guys to cover on the back end. We ain't got to add an extra guy to do that,� said Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat, who led Philadelphia with 2½ sacks and three quarterback hits. “It's just big ups to the guys out there. That's what we work for. We don't like when we've got to send extra guys. That's our pride: to be able to just four-man rush and get it done.�

To get nerdy with it, Next Gen Stats tracked Mahomes’ expected points added per dropback at minus-1.36, the 10th-worst mark in the first half of any game by any quarterback since 2018. In other words, the Eagles turned Mahomes – a surefire first-ballot future Hall of Famer – into something less than an NFL quarterback.

The Chiefs managed just one first down in the first half, tied for the fewest by any team in Super Bowl history. The Patriots had just one first down against the Bears in Super Bowl XX, also in the Superdome.

The Chiefs went 0 for 6 on third down in the first half as Mahomes was held to just 33 passing yards. Total net yards were 179-23 in favor of Philadelphia. It was an utter annihilation.

“I've never seen this team this ready for a game,� Eagles All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun said. “We were so well prepared that it was easy for us to feel confident and just go out and execute.�

The domination continued after halftime as Mahomes was sacked twice more on Kansas City’s opening drive of the third quarter. At that point, Mahomes had been sacked five times on 21 dropbacks.

That’s where the blueprint comes in for the Bills.

In their AFC championship game loss at Kansas City, the Bills failed to generate a fraction of the pressure Philadelphia did Sunday night.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane has to spend the offseason searching high and low for the type of pass rushers who can make Mahomes’ life miserable the way the Eagles did.

Sweat led the Eagles’ pass rush in the win. An unrestricted free agent, he made himself a lot of money against the Chiefs. It wasn’t just a one-man show, though, as every member of the Eagles’ defense took turns in making a big play.

The ability to get sufficient pressure on Mahomes with just four rushers opened up a world of possibilities for Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and he took advantage.

One of the last hits Mahomes took might have been the biggest. Midway through the fourth quarter, Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams got into the backfield and hit Mahomes’ throwing arm, forcing a fumble. On the play, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter drilled Mahomes, with his hands slamming right into the quarterback’s helmet (officials could've called a penalty but didn't).

At that point, it wasn’t out of the question the Chiefs should have taken Mahomes out of the game – out of the Super Bowl! – to avoid injury.

If you’re a Bills fan who hate-watched the game because of Chiefs fatigue … you were surely delighted.

The result also crystallized what Beane’s No. 1 objective should be this offseason.

Other observations from a wipeout:

2. Jalen Hurts was named MVP. The Eagles’ quarterback finished with 72 rushing yards, breaking his record of 70 set two years ago against the Chiefs. Mahomes is third on that list, having rushed for 66 yards in last year’s win over the 49ers.

Hurts finished 17 of 22 passing for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed 11 times for those 72 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles went undefeated this season when Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown started and finished the game. Brown had three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Hurts became the fifth quarterback ever with multiple touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a Super Bowl, joining Ken Anderson (Super Bowl XVI), Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre (Super Bowl XXXI) and Joe Montana (Super Bowl XIX) and Mahomes (Super Bowl LIV).

Hurts was replaced by Kenny Pickett with 2:52 remaining as the Eagles ran out the clock – allowing him to soak up the win with his teammates on the sideline.

“He did what he supposed to – took care of the ball, ran when he felt like it was needed,� Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu said. “He played a solid game, and they made the plays when they were supposed to.�

3. Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith drove home the dagger. Smith, a native of nearby Amite, La., landed the death blow with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter when he got behind Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson for a 46-yard touchdown reception. Smith had four catches for a team-leading 69 yards in the win. Making such a big play in front of family and friends so close to his hometown made for quite a moment for Smith.

4. Saquon Barkley didn’t need to be Superman. Barkley, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, finished with 57 rushing yards, but he needed 25 carries to get them, amounting to just 2.3 yards per rush. Barkley did add 40 receiving yards on a team-leading six catches, but he was otherwise held in check by the Chiefs – not that it mattered much.

5. Xavier Worthy had a big series. The Chiefs’ rookie receiver, drafted with the No. 28 overall selection Buffalo had traded to Kansas City, scored on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes with 34 seconds left in the third quarter to break up the Chiefs’ shutout.

On the first play of the drive, Worthy caught a pass from Mahomes for a 50-yard gain that nearly matched Kansas City’s yardage output to that point. The Chiefs’ first 30 offensive plays gained just 65 total yards until Worthy finally gave them a bit of life. It also ensured the Chiefs wouldn’t set a new Super Bowl record for fewest yards gained, which remains 119 by Minnesota in a 16-6 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl IX, also in New Orleans.

6. An early call went to the Chiefs. A major topic of conversation coming into the game was the perceived bias that officials have shown toward Kansas City. Naturally, the NFL denied that, but the mere fact it was such a talking point is problematic for the league. The first fourth down of the game didn’t do anything to help the league convince people that the Chiefs aren’t favored. Brown was called for offensive pass interference, negating a 32-yard completion on a fourth-and-2 play. Brown briefly made contact with Chiefs cornerback Kelee Ringo’s helmet but did not appear to interfere with him.

The Chiefs ended up taking seven penalties for 75 lost yards, while the Eagles were penalized eight times for 59 lost yards.

“It’s my first year being with the Chiefs and I saw a lot of things in the media about the refs, but what are you all going to say now about the refs and us?� Chiefs receiver DeAndre Hopkins said. “There was a lot of touchy calls. Are you going to report that? Are you going to talk about the refs now?�

7. The Eagles ran the tush push successfully. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jalen Hurts. The play came after Hurts completed a 27-yard pass down the right sideline to wide receiver Jahan Dotson. The play was initially ruled a touchdown before being reversed after video review.

One play later, Hurts was in the end zone on a play the Eagles have mastered.

“It’s always a topic for conversation: Should this play be banned? But the success we have is not replicated always throughout the entire league,� Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said during the week. “We saw it last week with the game we’re studying, Kansas City against Buffalo, stopped them in a critical situation. I guess I’m lobbying to never change that rule because we’re successful at it, but we’re successful at it because of the guys we have up front. We’re successful at it because those guys know how to do it and make it work.�

It’s worth noting that the Bills had success running the play all year, but never adjusted when it was clear Kansas City had a beat on it in the AFC championship game. Had the Bills done so, they might have been playing Sunday.

Hurts' rushing touchdown to start the scoring was his fourth career rushing touchdown in the Super Bowl. He joins Emmitt Smith, Thurman Thomas, Franco Harris and John Elway as the only players in Super Bowl history with at least four rushing touchdowns. Smith had five in three Super Bowls.

8. Brandon Graham returned for Philadelphia. Graham, 36, was active for the game after coming off injured reserve Saturday. Graham has been out since tearing his triceps in Week 12 against the Rams. The veteran defensive end had 20 tackles and 3½ sacks before getting hurt. With Graham back, the Eagles made edge rusher Bryce Huff inactive. Huff signed a three-year contract worth up to $51 million in the offseason. Huff played just 13 snaps in the Eagles’ first two playoff games, and 12 of them came in the blowout win over the Commanders in the NFC championship game.

The Eagles’ other inactives are quarterback Tanner McKee (emergency third quarterback), offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, wide receiver Ainias Smith, cornerback Eli Ricks and one other player.

9. Lewis Cine was inactive for the Eagles. The former Bills safety, who was signed off Buffalo’s practice squad to the Philadelphia active roster last month, was inactive for the game.

While Cine was inactive, former Bills linebacker Nicholas Morrow was in the gameday lineup for the Eagles. Morrow was promoted from Philadelphia’s practice squad Saturday.

10. Chris Jones left with a knee injury. The veteran defensive tackle, who is the heart and soul of the Chiefs’ defense, was hurt in the fourth quarter. Jones was announced as doubtful to return, and he never did with the game out of reach.