NEW ORLEANS – Cooper DeJean took one to the home, Zack Baun made a decide in his previous skilled dwelling and the Eagles protection so completely thrashed Patrick Mahomes that by the point Kendrick Lamar had “Sport Over” brightened within the Superdome stands to finish his halftime set, it was simply as clear, so too, was the Tremendous Bowl.
From Broad Road to Bourbon Road, the Eagles’ protection this season by no means failed 66-year-old defensive mastermind Vic Fangio.
And the protection was by no means as nice because it was within the Tremendous Bowl.
The Eagles performed at their ball-hawking, shut-down, sack-happy finest in opposition to an overwhelmed Mahomes and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in a 40-22 romp Sunday to win the franchise’s second Tremendous Bowl.
DeJean, Baun, Josh Sweat and Milton Williams anchored a championship protection that smothered a dynasty and sacked Mahomes a whopping six occasions, essentially the most by any protection in opposition to the two-time NFL MVP.
The Chiefs needed to really feel as in the event that they have been caught in a fever dream in a primary half throughout which they totaled — totaled! — 23 yards and had only one first down. Mahomes was solely 6 of 14 for 33 yards with no landing passes and two interceptions — certainly one of them a pick-6 by DeJean — and one other by Baun that led to an Eagles landing on the following drive.
Mahomes, a three-time Tremendous Bowl MVP, was sacked thrice and shut out within the first half for simply the third time in his NFL profession because the Eagles cruised to a 24-0 lead.
It actually did not matter to the Eagles that 2,005-yard rusher Saquon Barkley solely ran for 31 yards within the first half — not when DeJean obtained 38 on his personal on the interception return for a 17-0 lead. Nor did it matter the Eagles did not blitz as soon as within the half.
Sweat, a fourth-round decide within the 2018 draft, had eight sacks within the common season and the linebacker absolutely parlayed 2 1/2 extra sacks within the Tremendous Bowl into a large payday as he heads into free company. Williams, one other impending free agent, added two sacks. Baun is ready without spending a dime company once more on the finish of his $3.5 million deal.
The credit score for the protection largely fell to Fangio, who had an ugly 0-8 file in opposition to Mahomes as a head coach in Denver and play-caller in Miami, although he by no means had a protection as proficient as this one when he confronted him. Fangio integrated eight new starters right into a protection that ranked close to the underside of the NFL in 2023 and turned it into one of many league’s finest.
He helped incorporate two rookie starters within the secondary in Quinyon Mitchell and the 22-year-old DeJean out of Iowa, which performed a giant half within the turnaround. Fangio noticed sufficient in Baun to show the cut price free-agent pickup from a particular groups participant who obtained restricted time on protection as an outdoor rusher in New Orleans into an All-Professional inside linebacker and finalist for AP Defensive Participant of the 12 months.
The 28-year-old Baun’s signing was barely a blip on the offseason transactions wire in comparison with extra ballyhooed offers with Barkley — a Tremendous Bowl champion for the primary time — and linebacker Bryce Huff — a $51 million bust, who was inactive Sunday.
Choose a defensive participant: Sweat, DeJean, Williams, heck the entire unit may have claimed Tremendous Bowl MVP honors.
They’re going to be nice hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on a Philly parade this week down Broad Road.
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