How did Chiefs lose Super Bowl LIX to Eagles? Inside Patrick Mahomes and Co.'s crushing 40-22 defeat

The Kansas City Chiefs were the slight favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 on Sunday. The game was expected to be a hard-fought battle before the two-time defending champions would win, but it didn't pan out as predicted.

The Eagles dominated the Chiefs in every facet, winning 40-22, avenging their loss from 2023 and winning the Super Bowl for the second time. The scoreline suggests the game was a blowout, but it flatters Kansas City.

They trailed 34-0 until the final minute of the third quarter before scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the game to make the score look slightly more respectable.

The Chiefs looked flat right from kickoff and never got going. It was their worst playoff performance since their Super Bowl 55 loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, costing them the chance to become the first team to three-peat as champions.

The Chiefs' list of errors in this game is nearly endless, but here are the top three reasons why they lost to the Eagles in Super Bowl 59:

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Why did the Chiefs lose Super Bowl LIX vs. the Eagles?

1) Patrick Mahomes' dreadful performance

Patrick Mahomes' performance on Sunday against the Eagles will forever be a blemish on his incredible playoff resume.

The quarterback threw six passes to his teammates and two to Philadelphia's defensive stars, including a pick-6 to cornerback Cooper DeJean, in the first half, as he went into the halftime break with a dismal stat line of 6-of-14 for 33 passing yards with two interceptions.

Mahomes finished the game with 257 passing yards and three touchdown passes, but the first came when there were 34 seconds left in the third quarter and his team trailing 34-0.

Apart from two interceptions, he was also strip-sacked in the fourth quarter, making it three turnovers on the night.

The Chiefs superstar had the chance to join Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw on the list of quarterbacks with four Super Bowl wins. However, he had a horrendous outing, and the result was a humiliating defeat.

2) Chiefs defense had an off-night

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's unit had been excellent the entire season but had an underwhelming night against the Eagles in the Super Bowl. They did a good job bottling up Saquon Barkley, who finished the night with a season-low 57 rushing yards on 25 carries, but quarterback Jalen Hurts had a field day.

He completed 17 of 22 pass attempts for 221 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a Super Bowl-record 72 yards and one touchdown. The Chiefs sacked him only twice, with one coming in the fourth quarter when they trailed by 26 points.

While the pass rush struggled to pressure Hurts, the secondary didn't fare much better. They gave up two big plays, first to Jahan Dotson, which set up the opening touchdown, and another to DeVonta Smith in the third quarter, effectively ending the Chiefs' hopes of a comeback.

It was a disastrous night for a fine unit that was gassed due to the Chiefs' offense's inability to embark on long drives and stay on the field.

3) Travis Kelce's underwhelming performance

Patrick Mahomes wasn't the only Chiefs superstar who was missing in action. Tight end Travis Kelce had the worst Super Bowl outing of his career. He dropped the first pass he was thrown and was underwhelming for the rest of the game.

Kelce finished the game with an underwhelming four catches, all in the second half, on six targets for 39 receiving yards.

The tight end's third catch of the game saw him surpass Jerry Rice's Super Bowl receptions record of 33. However, becoming the new record-holder would do little to soothe the pain of suffering a blowout loss in what could potentially be the last game of his Hall of Fame career.