The Philadelphia Eagles waited two years to avenge their 38-35 nail-biter loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on football’s biggest stage and handed them a humiliating 40-22 loss in Super Bowl 59 on Sunday. But what changed for the Eagles in these two years?
Philly’s star receiver, A.J. Brown, spoke after the game about his team’s mindset and the changes that made Kansas City beatable in the Super Bowl rematch.
A.J. Brown Credits Eagles’ Super Bowl 59 Win to ‘Lot of Sacrifices’
The Eagles were exceptionally good on offense and defense, and while the latter denied the Chiefs the end zone in the first half, quarterback Jalen Hurts led the offense and arguably had the best game of his career to win his maiden Super Bowl.
Hurts got the Eagles on the scoreboard first, falling into the end zone and scoring using his infamous “tush push.” He also threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown with 1:35 remaining in the second quarter and ended the night with a Super Bowl MVP award, finishing off a campaign that ranked fourth by PFSN’s QB+ metric.
Meanwhile, Brown made a total of three receptions for 43 yards to help the Eagles win their second Lombardi Trophy. Speaking in an interview with PFSN and other reporters after the game, he admitted to being motivated by the Super Bowl 57 loss to the Chiefs.
“For sure. We knew what to do,” Brown said. “We’ve been here before, and we had that sour taste in our mouth.
“But, you learn what’s important during this week. This is cool, all the media, the family, all that stuff is cool, but we’re here to play a game. We’re here to play the game and make sure that green confetti is falling at the end. So, whatever you have to do to prepare, make sure you lock in. This wasn’t a vacation. We were serious, and it showed.”
Brown added that they knew changing the result of Super Bowl 57 wasn’t possible, so they focused on making the record even and it worked.
“The message [entering the game] was, ‘We can’t rewrite history or do anything about the past, but we can make it even.’ The guys came with that mindset, and they didn’t let up.”
Reflecting on how they managed to even their record against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, Brown said it required a lot of sacrifices and hard work.
“A lot of long nights, a lot of early mornings, a lot of sacrifices, and a lot of hard work. Hard work and faith and belief and pushing past injuries, just for this moment.
“It sounds amazing to put ‘Super Bowl champion’ before my name.”