What happened to Eagles’ pass rush in Super Bowl loss to Chiefs?

GLENDALE, Ariz. – With the score tied, Patrick Mahomes stood in the pocket on an injured ankle with 2:55 remaining in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII as the Kansas City Chiefs, with a first down at the Eagles’ 43-yard line, threatened to win the game. Linebacker Haason Reddick and defensive end Josh Sweat were bearing down from the edges, with Javon Hargrave, Ndamukong Suh, and Jordan Davis rushing on the inside.

The Eagles desperately needed a sack from their defense, which had a near-record 70 of them during the season — with these five player combining for 39. But they never reached Mahomes, who found a seam in the pass rush and ran 26 yards to set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning 27-yard field goal.

The Chiefs won their second NFL title in four years and Mahomes, a two-time NFL MVP, earned his second Super Bowl MVP award. Even hobbled, he basically went untouched, because the pass rush that propelled the Eagles into Super Bowl LVII disappeared in Sunday’s 38-35 loss on Sunday: The Eagles didn’t have a single sack and only five quarterback hits.

The Chiefs’ offensive line, expected to wilt under the relentless assault, pitched a shutout, thanks to running backs and tight ends who also took a shot at the rushing linemen on their pass routes.

“They did a great job of chipping us consistently, and he did a great job of getting the ball out quickly,” Sweat said. “He had a couple of scrambles. I have to give it to them. They did a good job. We played guys like the way Mahomes plays, but he’s one of the best and he did a good job. We figured we would run around and try to get him the best way we could, but he was extending the plays, and it was detrimental when he got those first downs.”

As expected, Mahomes got rid of the ball quickly. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns for a 131.8 passer rating. One well-timed sack could have changed the outcome.

Mahomes, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the divisional round, hurt it again on a 3-yard scramble late in the second quarter. He limped off the field but showed no ill effects in the second half.

“I knew it was pretty bad when he got up limping but I knew it wasn’t gonna be bad enough to where he was gonna pull himself off the field,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “If we would’ve pulled him off, I would’ve had to fight him. He would’ve probably fought me. And so it wasn’t worth entertaining.”

Mahomes and Jalen Hurts excelled in the first Super Bowl matchup featuring two Black starting QBs. But Mahomes turned it up in the second half.

“We were close to getting him,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “It was just Mahomes making plays. That last holding [on cornerback James Bradberry] hurt us when we were about to get off [the field] on third down.

“Third downs were not good for us. We know what we did wrong. We’re just going to own it. We’re going to sit in this for a minute and try to figure out how we will make sure to get better next year.”

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With the Eagles unable to generate a pass rush with four down linemen and the Chiefs at the 4-yard line with 9:22 remaining, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon called a seven-man blitz, but Mahomes found wide-open wide receiver Skyy Moore for a touchdown and the Chiefs led, 35-27.

“They had a good game plan and did a lot of chipping and things like that,” Reddick said. “For the most part, Mahomes was getting the ball off fast. The game plan worked. That’s a credit to them.”

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Reddick also pointed to the field conditions, insisting he slipped a couple of times while trying to chase down Mahomes.

“I felt like I had a good pass rush,” Reddick said. “I beat my man and tried to turn the corner, but I couldn’t. I’m not making excuses, but you can see when I slipped when you watch the film. At the end of the day, they still won.”

Sweat and Reddick will return next season, but Graham and defensive tackles Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave will be free agents and might not be back. General manager Howie Roseman will have to rebuild the defense, starting up front.

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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.