The Kansas City Chiefs season came to a disappointing end on Sunday. Super Bowl 59, which could have catapulted the Chiefs into a tier of their own in NFL history as the only team to win three straight titles, was a disaster from start to finish.
In the first half, it was a familiar sight for Chiefs fans. The offense struggled to get going, similar to the previous Super Bowl appearances.
After only 23 total yards in the first half, followed by two costly Patrick Mahomes interceptions, the Chiefs entered the locker room 24-0 behind. The second half wasn’t any different.
In one of the most lopsided losses in recent Super Bowl history, there will obviously be plenty of blame to go around. Let’s take a look.
1. Andy Reid
This was pretty much the repeat of the loss to the Bucs in Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs offensive line struggled immensely and the offense was never able to get it going. Patrick Mahomes faced a ton of pressure and as the offensive playcaller, Andy Reid failed to come up with an answer.
The Chiefs offensive line has been a point of concern throughout the season. After Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris failed to establish themselves as starting left tackle, the Chiefs eventually landed on moving Joe Thuney there and slotting Mike Caliendo at left guard. Against the Eagles’ absurd pressure rate of 47 percent in the first half, the Chiefs offense couldn’t adjust.
The inability to establish a running game was a problem. The Chiefs had 17 offensive plays in the first half, and only three of them were runs. The Chiefs finished the half with one first down, and things didn’t look any better in the second half.
The first drive out of the halftime was more of the same, sealing the Chiefs’ fate immediately. If the Chiefs want to get back to the Super Bowl next season, significant changes to the offensive line and playcalling need to be made.
2. Patrick Mahomes
It’s hard not to blame the quarterback when the Chiefs’ offense had the worst game of the season on the biggest stage.
Yes, the offensive line was a problem and playcalling was suboptimal but Mahomes also likely had the worst game of his career.
a ton of pressure on Mahomes and had excellent coverage downfield throughout the game. The Chiefs receivers struggled to get open and make the catch when they did.
At the same time, Mahomes wasn’t his usual accurate self. In the few times, Travis Kelce was able to get open, Mahomes missed him. In the throw intended for DeAndre Hopkins in the second quarter, Mahomes didn’t see Cooper DeJean, who had an easy interception for a touchdown.
Later in the quarter, Mahomes made another bad throw, intended for Hollywood Brown. Mahomes had Joe Thuney at his hip while making the throw, and Zack Baun made an excellent play, but this was not the Mahomes we have grown accustomed to.
The Chiefs needed their star quarterback to step up while the rest of the team was in shambles. He has done that plenty of times during this dynasty run, but Super Bowl 59 wasn’t one of those times.
3. Jawaan Taylor
Whenever the Chiefs started to build momentum on either side of the field, they were hit with costly penalties. The Chiefs’ drive that essentially sealed the game came in the third quarter.
After Patrick Mahomes got the first down with an impressive scramble, Taylor was penalized for a hold and facemask on Brandon Graham. This nullified the first down, and the Chiefs failed to get the first down on the next possession.
For Chiefs fans, this is a familiar sight. Taylor is notable for being one of the most penalized players in the NFL and for his false starts.
In the first three quarters, Taylor allowed four pressures and a sack and received a 37.2 pass-blocking grade on PFF on true pass sets. His run-blocking wasn’t particularly better, with a 55.7 grade through the somewhat competitive portion of the game.
The offensive line was a mess all game, so Taylor is obviously not the only Chief to blame. However, considering his status as one of the highest-paid players on the team and a free agent, GM Brett Veach targeted him in the 2023 offseason and broke the bank. Therefore, his struggles are more disappointing than others.
Taylor’s 59.9 PFF grade throughout the season ranked 62nd among 81 eligible offensive tackles in the league. For a player on a four-year, $80 million deal, that is simply not good enough.
4. Nick Bolton
Another momentum-killing penalty came from Nick Bolton in the first half. After a solid defensive possession that got the Eagles in a bad field position in the second quarter, Nick Bolton had a late hit on Saquon Barkley. He was called for unnecessary roughness, and instead of a third-and-26, the Eagles got the first down.
Nick Bolton with the late hit to turn what would have been 3rd-and-26 into an Eagles first down pic.twitter.com/E6ME5XXHcB
— Christian D’Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 10, 2025
The Chiefs didn’t lose this game on the defensive end. Steve Spagnuolo and the defensive unit played fine overall. There were some poor individual performers like Jaylen Watson and Charles Omenihu, but Nick Bolton was arguably the biggest question mark defensively.
Bolton started the game well. In the first Eagles drive of the game, he had a nice tackle on Saquon Barkley for a loss, but things went south quickly for the fourth-year player for the rest of the game.
Bolton gave up five receptions and allowed a touchdown in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. He had a missed tackle to go with lapses in coverage, as he received a 56.0 defensive grade on PFF through the first three quarters of the game.
The talented linebacker carries his up-and-down performance throughout the season and the Super Bowl into the offseason. Bolton’s free agency will be one of the toughest decisions for GM Brett Veach.
5. Travis Kelce
The star tight end didn’t make his first catch of the game until the third quarter. He was targeted four times during the competitive portion of the game and had two drops.
He struggled to make his presence felt or get open for most of the game. This was the second straight game in which Kelce had a big dropped pass in the first half and was a no-show for the large portions.
In the AFC championship game, Kelce finished with two catches for 19 yards. It was more of the same against the Eagles.
For many years, we have grown accustomed to Kelce turning it on in the playoffs. Chiefs fans were correct in not overreacting to Kelce’s down season in terms of production. In the divisional round against the Texans, he gave us a glimpse of vintage Kelce but went back down to earth against Buffalo and Philadelphia.
There were obviously bigger, schematic problems with the Chiefs on Sunday. Blaming individual players can sometimes be too easy. At the same time, when things aren’t working, teams turn to their stars to make things happen. Against the Eagles, Kelce was more of the problem than the solution.
Per Pro Football Focus, Mahomes and Kelce received the two lowest grades on offense. Kelce’s 47.7 PFF grade was the worst of his season. When your worst performance comes in the Super Bowl, it’s only fair to be somewhat blamed for the disappointing result.
