Chiefs fall to the Eagles in Super Bowl 2025
Community, Entertainment, Uncategorized February 18, 2025, Comments OffOn Feb. 9, 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles competed for the championship title in Super Bowl 2025. Celebrating its 59th anniversary, this year’s Super Bowl was held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Chiefs have a franchise history of seven Super Bowl appearances and four wins, three of which they won under head coach Andy Reid. The Eagles have appeared five times in franchise history, one of which they won prior to Super Bowl 2025.
As defending champions with a 15-2 regular season record, the Chiefs were favored to win in what was predicted to be a high-scoring matchup. In a press conference before the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared his confidence in his and the team’s growth from their first Super Bowl appearance in 2019 to the present, stating that experience had made them feel less worried and more prepared for game day.
Despite winning the coin toss, the Chiefs struggled under the Eagles’ defense, which led to kicking the ball away five minutes into the first quarter. Feeling his team’s early determination, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts wasted no time getting the ball down the field. After a successful deep pass that came up too short, Hurts ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play.
The Chiefs continued struggling to gain yards as the first quarter came to a close. However, things took a hopeful turn for the Chiefs when safety Bryan Cook intercepted a pass near the Eagles’ goal line. The Chiefs were ultimately unable to produce anything off this possession, including a missed catch by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The rest of the second quarter didn’t fare well for Mahomes, getting sacked multiple times by the Eagles defense and throwing multiple incomplete passes and interceptions. One interception was caught by rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who carried out a successful pick-six. By the end of the second quarter, the Eagles had earned 24 points over the scoreless Chiefs thanks to a touchdown by wide receiver A.J. Brown and a 48-yard field goal by kicker Jake Elliott.
After halftime, the Chiefs returned with little luck gained. Near the start of the third quarter, Mahomes was sacked again on a third down, giving the ball back to the Eagles. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones suffered an injury mid-third quarter, causing him to miss the rest of the game. Jones is a key defensive piece for the Chiefs, currently ranking high on the franchise list of career sacks.
By the end of the third quarter, the Eagles rose to 34 points with another field goal from Elliot and a touchdown by wide receiver DeVonta Smith before Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy earned the team’s first points with a touchdown. The Chiefs failed a two-point conversion, leaving the score 6-34.
By the time the Chiefs finally gained momentum in the fourth quarter, the Eagles had risen to 40 points with two successful field goals from Elliot, one 48 yards and the other 50 yards. Towards the end of the quarter, Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins scored a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion. Worthy later earned another touchdown on a deep pass from Mahomes. Another successful two-point conversion completed the game score of 22-40, naming the Eagles this year’s Super Bowl champions.
Although the Super Bowl marks the celebratory end of the NFL season, it has also woven itself into American culture as a tradition for sports and non-sports fans alike. This year’s game held a record 127.7 million viewers across the nation, reaching 137.7 million at its peak.
This year’s game also boasted a variety of musical performances from award-winning artists and musicians, many of whom were born in Louisiana. Prior to the game, a tribute was held for the victims and first responders of the New Orleans terror attack on Jan. 1, 2025. Lady Gaga performed “Hold My Hand,” honoring also the victims and first responders involved in the Los Angeles wildfires.
The game opened with a pregame show centered around New Orleans music and culture, featuring performances from the Southern University Marching Band, Harry Connick Jr., the Original Pinettes Brass Band, and more.
American singer-songwriter and producer Ledisi joined 125 New Orleans-area high school students to perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Musician Trombone Shorty and singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle followed with a duet rendition of “America the Beautiful.” The opening performances were rounded out by singer-songwriter Jon Batiste who performed the national anthem.
Kendrick Lamar headlined the always-anticipated halftime show, exceeding expectations with surprise guest appearances and high-energy visuals, all backed by Lamar’s award-winning hits. Lamar performed “luther” and “All the Stars” with SZA, the latter released in 2018 on the Black Panther soundtrack. Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams were also featured in the show.
Lamar gave more than just a musical performance, representing political and social issues throughout the show. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, played an antagonistic role in the show, commenting on Lamar’s song choices as he introduced each segment. Jackson’s character represents the limits placed on artists who take social and political stances.
Lamar didn’t shy away from confrontation, calling to America: “The revolution’s about to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.”
The show ended with Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” a diss track towards Canadian rapper Drake. Lamar teased the song throughout his performance, even stating, “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” Lamar called out Drake by name during his performance, smiling into the camera as he did.
Super Bowl 2025 represented hard work, determination, and the power of community. At the start of the game, NFL analyst and former player Michael Strahan said, “Tonight, we come together, because that’s who we are and that’s what we do.”
After the game, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni spoke to his team’s chemistry as the key to its success, stating, “This is the ultimate team game. You can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
Hurts echoed Sirianni, explaining that his success comes from being surrounded by his teammates. Earning his first Super Bowl win and MVP award, Hurts emphasized teamwork over everything else: “It’s never been about what anyone else does. It’s about what we do.”
Photo by Associated Press, Godofredo A. Vasquez
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