By Brendan Lunga
Medill Reports
NEW ORLEANS – Patrick Mahomes tossed his helmet to the side. A nearby member of the Kansas City Chiefs staff caught it.
He made the short walk over to the bench. His head slumped down. Two members of the Chiefs staff and backup quarterback Carson Wentz gathered around him.
Mahomes had just fumbled the ball back to the Philadelphia Eagles deep in Chiefs territory. The score was already 37-6. Just 9:42 remained in Super Bowl LIX.
It was a scene of defeat and dejection — a far cry from the pictures of last year’s Super Bowl.
After throwing the game-winning pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. in overtime to win Super Bowl LVIII, Mahomes tossed his helmet on the sideline — this time in jubilation. He put his hands on his head and rolled across the turf.
But this year was different.
With a 40-22 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, the Chiefs were not able to complete a historic three-peat. Mahomes could not create the magical moments that have come to define his career and earn him three Super Bowl rings. Poor first-half play from Mahomes, and three total turnovers, helped the Eagles build a lead the Chiefs could not dig themselves out of.
“We didn’t play great football, starting with myself,” Mahomes said. “I will take full ownership of that.”
Mahomes appeared out of sorts from the first drive. He couldn’t connect with his trusty tight end Travis Kelce on a second-down pass up the middle — an uncharacteristic sight for one of the greatest duos in NFL history.
Mahomes completed less than 50% of his passes in the first half. He threw for just 33 yards. He was intercepted twice.
The Chiefs were shut out heading into the break, a 24-point deficit in front of them.
“I take all the blame for that,” Mahomes said. “Those early turnovers slow the momentum of the game. And then they capitalized on it.”
Prior to the game, Mahomes on Tuesday said Super Bowl LV was the game that keeps him up at night. The Chiefs fell 31-9 to the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers. When looking back on that game, Mahomes said he felt he tried to do too much. Rather than going for the big play to get it all back, he learned to take the checkdown and go one play at the time.
But Sunday, the Chiefs fell into the same patterns. Mahomes was sacked six times without the Eagles needing to blitz. The more Mahomes tried to dig the Chiefs out of a hole, the deeper the hole got.
It was another Super Bowl loss for Mahomes — and another blowout at that.
“(Mahomes is) a human being,” Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said, “and I guess the world got to see that.”
The final statline for Mahomes will be deceiving. Yes, he threw for three touchdowns. Yes, he put up 257 yards through the air. And yes, the Chiefs put up 22 points.
But as Mahomes described it, by the time the offense started to click, it was too late. The Eagles were already thinking about hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Mahomes was staring down his first postseason loss in three years.
The emotions began to hit him as he stood on the sideline while the Eagles ran out the clock. He hugged his teammates. His eyes watered.
And as he sat taking questions from the media postgame, the grief was still evident. Tears continued to well up in his eyes.
It’s been awhile since he’s felt these emotions. And he said he hopes to never feel them again.
“Any time you lose a Super Bowl, it’s the worst feeling in the world,” Mahomes said. “It’ll stick with you the rest of your career.”
Brendan Lunga is a graduate student at Medill, specializing in sports media. You can follow him on Twitter/X at @brendan_lunga18.
