Super Bowl shakes up NFL landscape, future

The Super Bowl that no one wanted provided a result that excited the masses.
Most viewers, myself included, rolled their eyes two weeks prior when the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles won their conferences to set the stage for Sunday. The Chiefs were ready to go for their third straight title while the Eagles would be making their third Super Bowl appearance in seven years. The two teams battled just two years ago and the consensus was these teams were overplayed and no longer interesting.
Sure, the Chiefs going for what would be the NFL’s first ever three-peat provided some discussion, and yes, the Eagles were a fun, smash mouth team that never really earned the respect of the fans outside of their home city. However, it was really hard to be geeked up over the same old teams.
Well, the Eagles stayed true to themselves, punched Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes in the mouth, and ran away with a total blowout victory for their second Super Bowl win ever. Although the game was essentially over by the halftime break, it turned out to be pretty exciting thanks to plays like Cooper DeJean’s pick-6 and Jalen Hurts’ monster touchdown pass to Devonta Smith. It was entertaining despite it being uncompetitive.
The Chiefs felt inevitable. I picked them to win this game with little doubt they’d get it done. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league and has enjoyed an early career that is shockingly similar to Tom Brady’s. Andy Reid’s system appeared to be flawless, the Chiefs’ defense was underrated all season long. Something about this team and the run it had been on the past few seasons gave little reason to doubt that it’d get the job one more time.
The Eagles ended the NFL’s latest dynasty in spectacular fashion, leaving fans wondering what’s next.
Now, those rejoicing and saying Mahomes’ best is officially in the past are overreacting. His resume took a hit with the loss, but he will only be 30 years old next season. Brady was also 3-2 in Super Bowls at that age, keep in mind.
Mahomes is not Brady and will likely never be, but it’s too soon to count him out. Quarterbacks these days remain elite well into their 30s and Mahomes is still the best in the league, like it or not.
However, where does Kansas City go from here? It’s clear that its offensive line was deficient, and as great as Mahomes is, it was evident that he could have used better playmakers around him. Travis Kelce looked old and slow, as did DeAndre Hopkins. Xavier Worthy is someone they can build around as a youngster, but there is more work to do that meets the eye.
The Mahomes versus Brady debate is now on the shelf, at least for another year.
As for the Eagles, they proved that you can win a Super Bowl in the modern game by taking an outdated approach.
All season, the Eagles were overlooked because they didn’t have a high-flying offense. They relied on the offensive line to bully teams up from and allowed Saquon Barkley to handle the rest by rushing the ball. Hurts was really only called on when needed, he rarely faced the pressure to put the team on his back.
Then on defense, everyone mocked the Eagles over the past few seasons for drafting defensive lineman after defensive lineman. Sure, it’s important to have a sturdy defensive front, but how far could a group of defensive tackles carry a team?
We saw the answer on Sunday. Philly used a four-man rush, blitzed a remarkable zero times, and still managed to give the Kansas City offense fits. The only momentum the Chiefs gained was in the second half when the game was out of reach.
All of a sudden, these teams without top-5 quarterbacks have hope. There now is a way to win a title without needing to find “the guy” and boast a juggernaut offense. You really can win by simply dominating the trenches and not making mistakes, playing clean and conservative.
You can already see the effects this game has had on the way analysts, fans and journalists view the sport. Last week, every mock draft had the Titans and Giants taking quarterbacks in the first round. Now? It’s defensive linemen like Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Michigan’s Mason Graham. It’s offensive lineman like Will Campbell and Kelvin Banks.
This Super Bowl may have not been the one we wanted to see, but it feels like the one that the NFL needed. In many ways it felt like a reset. The Chiefs are beatable, there’s more to building a team than just the quarterback and defenses can win championships. It feels like the clock was just set back 20 years and I say that in a good way. This pass-heavy culture needed to be dialed back.
We will remember Sunday for a long time.