The Philadelphia Eagles destroyed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, with the final score settling in at 40-22. While the entire team played well, former superstar defensive end J.J. Watt shouted out one unit in particular that may have swayed the momentum in the Eagles favor.
Everyone will initially look at the score of this game and assume Philadelphia's offense carried them to victory, but it was actually their defense. It was such an outstanding performance that after the game, Watt declared that the entire unit should win the MVP award for the game.
"Give the entire Eagles defense MVP," Watt said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, immediately after the game ended.
Cooper DeJean had a pick-six of Patrick Mahomes and Zack Baun recorded an interception that set up A.J. Brown's touchdown a few moments later. In Watt's eyes, though, it was the Eagles defensive line that won them this game due to their ability to constantly pressure Mahomes, despite the fact they did not blitz once all game long.
"Eagles didn’t blitz Chiefs one time last night. Similar to Bucs vs. KC in the 2021 Super Bowl. But it’s not as simple as “blitz vs. no-blitz”. To win with just a 4-man rush, you have to have monsters on the edge and beasts in the middle. Great edge rushers can be neutralized with no middle push. Dominant interior rushers can be thwarted with no edge threat," Watt said in a post on X.
"The combination of both is what takes away escape lanes, suffocates the pocket and ultimately dominates games. Add in some lockdown guys on the backend, linebackers who can cover and you’re living the defensive dream."
The Chiefs had no answers for the Eagles defense, with their 22 points coming on garbage-time scores when the game was already decided. It was a stunning defensive performance, and it's telling that Watt, who enjoyed one of the greatest careers for a defensive end in NFL history, was wowed by what he saw.
