3 Chiefs warning signs we missed that the Eagles exploited in Super Bowl blowout

We can officially put the three-peat narrative to rest. The Kansas City Chiefs pursuit for a third-straight NFL championship came up overwhelmingly short in Super Bowl 59. The Philadelphia Eagles drugged them up and down the field for 60 minutes and halted the Kansas City dynasty short of another championship. 

It was as good of a game as the Eagles could have played. They thwarted Mahomes, forcing two first-half interceptions. The Chiefs offense had less than 50 total yards in the first half — and the Eagles scored 34 points before the Chiefs finally scored. 

This game couldn’t have gone worse for Kansas City. While we talked about the Chiefs as an overarching deity in the NFL, there were signs they were running out of luck. For the most part, it was luck that helped them reach the top of the AFC this season. Of their 15 wins, 11 of them were decided by one possession. If you count the playoffs, they had 12 total on the year.

We ignored the flaws in this Kansas City team because they were winning. We couldn’t ignore them in Super Bowl 59. Here are three signs that should have warned us the Chiefs’ luck was beginning to turn. 

For more Super Bowl 59 updates, Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs news and more, check out FanSided's Super Bowl LIX Hub, your ultimate guide to the Big Game.

3. Patrick Mahomes' mishaps added to their struggles

Patrick Mahomes played perhaps his worst season since he entered the NFL. And yet, the Chiefs were the No. 1 team in the AFC. How did that happen? Well it started with a defense that allowed more than 30 points just twice — both losses — all regular season. 

Mahomes’ defense bailed out his poor play all season and masked the glaring problem the Chiefs had. They struggled to have a productive run offense thanks to injury. Mahomes had a makeshift wide receiver core thanks to injuries as well. 

He then went through a stretch mid-season with at least one interception in his first six games. Mahomes also had just three games with 300 or more passing yards. This season, he finished with a career low 3,928 passing yards and career low 26 passing touchdowns. 

All season, the Chiefs showed us they weren’t going to be the explosive offense they usually are. But we were blind to the facts and relied on Super Bowl experience to be the difference maker. That was never going to be enough. 

Especially when you talk about the Chiefs struggling offense playing against probably the best defense in the NFL in the Eagles. Mahomes didn’t throw an interception all postseason and had two, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and a fumble in the Super Bowl. 

The Chiefs weren’t going to magically figure it out in the Super Bowl after struggling all season. They hobbled their way into the playoffs and to the Super Bowl, it was bound to catch up to them. Philadelphia’s defense was ready. 

2. Containing mobile quarterbacks was their defense's biggest flaw

For as good as Steve Spagnuolo was this season as a defensive coordinator and as good as the Chiefs defense was all year long, we neglected to acknowledge their biggest flaw. The Chiefs struggle to contain mobile quarterbacks. 

While they had some success against Bo Nix and Baker Mayfield, the biggest mobile threats under center were Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. In the season opener, Jackson ran the ball 16 times for 122 yards. 

In the regular season matchup, Josh Allen ran for 55 yards and a touchdown in that game and in the playoffs, he ran for 39 yards. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to see Jalen Hurts torch the Chiefs with his legs. 

The Chiefs came into the game expecting to take Saquon Barkley out the game. And for the most part, they contained him as good as they could have. But that opened up Hurts to utilize his rushing ability. 

He gets criticized for abusing the tush push and stat padding with the virtually invincible, Eagles variation of the quarterback sneak. The Eagles ran the play just once in Super Bowl 59. 

Hurts ran for 72 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown in the game. It was his running ability that opened the game up for the Eagles. He extended plays, he made plays, and more importantly, was schemed to have a big game with Barkley’s threat. 

The Chiefs had a top 10 run defense. But hiding behind the numbers was their biggest flaw in containing quarterbacks with a lethal dual-threat ability.

1. The Chiefs' offensive line was the crux of their offensive struggles

While Mahomes didn’t look great this season, there’s a bigger reason the offense struggled. The offensive line played the worst it has been in Mahomes’ career. This year, Mahomes was sacked 36 times in the regular season. 

This year was the only season Mahomes was sacked more than 30 times. On top of that, he was sacked 11 times in three playoff games, including six times in the Super Bowl. That’s probably why Mahomes struggled to be an efficient passer this year like he usually had. 

As much as they struggled, the last thing this offensive line needed to face was the Eagles defensive line. It couldn’t have been a more dominant game for the Eagles defense and it started with the pressure. 

We scraped the Chiefs offensive line struggles under the rug because in the biggest game of the year, we figured that wouldn’t matter with a player like Mahomes. It ended up being the reason why the Chiefs were shut out for three quarters and won’t get a chance to be the first three-peat team in the Super Bowl era.