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Absurd stat shows how Eagles held Chiefs to worst first half of offense in the Patrick Mahomes era during Super Bowl LIX

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Charles Goldman | Last updated Feb 9, 2025 11:15 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are having a rotten, no-good time against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

The Eagles are up 24-0 at halftime, but it isn't because of some grand collapse of the defense. Instead, the offense has struggled to impact the game meaningfully, forcing the defense into an impossible situation.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has been held to what is easily the worst half of football in his professional career. He's just 6-of-14 passing for 33 yards and two interceptions, including a pick-six. His passer rating? A measly 10.7. Those stats are substantially worse than the Super Bowl LV loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It's not all on Mahomes, either. The offensive line has struggled mightily to protect him. When he dropped back to pass, he was sacked three times and hit seven times, and nearly 50% of his dropbacks were pressured. The kicker with all the pressure? According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Eagles haven't sent a single blitz; they've been rushing four and getting home.

Per @NextGenStats, the Eagles had a 47 percent pressure rate in the first half without blitzing once.

That'll do it.
— Robert Mays (@robertmays) February 10, 2025

All that pressure without blitzing puts even more pressure on the Chiefs' pass catchers to get free in coverage, and the Eagles have been particularly sticky in the secondary. That puts even more pressure on Mahomes to force something into coverage, which is why he ended the half with those ugly-looking interceptions.

Unfortunately for Kansas City, the Eagles' defensive line has been as dominant as advertised. Philadelphia seems to have the Chiefs' number regarding their pass-rush plan and containing Mahomes. The Chiefs might need to make some changes on the offensive line to get him more comfortable if they have any chance at an improbable comeback in this game.

Keep in mind that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came back down 28-3 against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI and they only needed a quarter to do it. We'll see how much of Brady is truly within Mahomes in the second half.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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