Winners, Losers from Super Bowl LIX: From Patrick Mahomes to Cooper DeJean, Howie Roseman

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman deserves the most credit for this team’s turnaround. Last offseason, he added linebackers Zack Baun and Oren Burks along with running back Saquon Barkley in free agency. He also got immediate returns from his top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft (Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean), along with 2023 first-round picks Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. He’s also the architect of both the best defense in the NFL and the best offensive line.

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All of that talent was on full display in Super Bowl LIX. While it’s the players who get the spotlight, Roseman’s fingerprints are all over this Eagles roster. Plus, he had a hand in picking offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Roseman is the best GM in the NFL.

It was Super Bowl LV all over again for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The first mistake came this offseason when general manager Brett Veach opted to use the 63rd overall pick on Kingsley Suamataia. The tackle everyone around the NFL viewed as a multi-year project was benched after 2 starts and when Wanya Morris was even worse at left tackle, Kansas City moved All-Pro guard Joe Thuney outside to tackle.

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The decisions all came undone in Super Bowl LIX. Thuney was as awful at left tackle with his replacement at left guard, Mike Caliendo, even worse. On the other side, right tackle Jawaan Taylor had no answer for Nolan Smith Jr. just another game where Taylor ($20 million salary) couldn’t handle speed. The ‘battle’ in the trenches was as one-sided of a matchup as we can remember in recent Super Bowl history.

It’s hard to fathom a more perfect birthday for Cooper DeJean. Taking the field in Super Bowl LIX, he had the composure of a 10-year veteran. Not only did he fly to the football on throws underneath, wrapping up the ball carrier to prevent yards after the catch, but he also made a game-defining play. DeJean’s 38-yard pick-six off Patrick Mahomes felt like a decisive moment on Sunday night the moment he found the end zone. DeJean was easily one of the best rookies for the 2024 NFL Draft class and it might not be long before he becomes one of the best defensive backs in the NFC.

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Entering Super Bowl LIX, Patrick Mahomes was statistically the best quarterback in the history of the NFL playoffs. On Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, the three-time Super Bowl MVP had one of the worst performances ever on the biggest stage. It was the first time in his career he threw 2 interceptions in the first half of a playoff game.

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The turnstile that was the Chiefs’ offensive line can’t receive all the blame. After all, Mahomes was in a similar situation in Super Bowl LV against the Buccaneers and he looked better than this. It was just an abysmal performance for Mahomes, with his interceptions ensuring the Chiefs never had a shot at a Super Bowl comeback.

The entire Philadelphia Eagles defensive line, but edge rusher Josh Sweat was the biggest standout. In the first half of Super Bowl LIX, Sweat racked up 2 QB hits and 1.5 sacks with a tackle for loss. He also generated the pressure off the edge that forced Patrick Mahomes’ second interception, setting up an Eagles’ touchdown just a few plays later. Sweat was the best player on the field Sunday night, delivering a performance that deserved the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP. If all of that isn’t enough to make Sweat a ‘winner’ on Sunday, he also immediately gets to cash in on this performance as one of the best pass rushers available in NFL free agency. That is, assuming the Eagles don’t use the franchise tag on him.

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Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach certainly deserves credit as a three-time Super Bowl champion who drafted the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Trent McDuffie, Leo Chenal and Creed Humphrey. However, he also bares a ton of responsibility for the Chiefs

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While at the time many thought the Chiefs committed highway robbery with the DeAndre Hopkins trade, the reality is Kansas City acquired a 32-year-old receiver who simply can’t make plays. Hopkins can’t get separation and at 32 years old, he’s had more poorly-timed drops than crunch-time catches. Veach is also responsible for the state of the Chiefs offensive line, which prevented the offense from ever getting anything going. Kansas City went all-in on the three-peat and Veach didn’t build nearly good enough of a roster to pull it off.

The Philadelphia Eagles have their Steve Spagnuolo. Vic Fangio made it clear he doesn’t want to be a head coach again and who can blame him given the situation in Philadelphia? In terms of the personnel, this is likely the best secondary Fangio has ever had to implement his system and there are young cornerstones (Zack Baun, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell) at every level. As for Super Bowl LIX itself, Fangio dialed up the perfect game plan to take away the deep ball and he just let his defensive line wreak havoc. The 66-year-old defensive coordinator can spend the rest of his coaching career in Philadelphia and the Eagles defense will keep benefiting from it.

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While winners and losers from the Super Bowl typically occur when the game clock is running, Drake’s miserable year continued. With 100-plus million people watching, Kendrick Lamar wrapped up his halftime performance with ‘Not Like Us’. The only thing worse than having 120 million people watch you dissed on national television is having another 70,000-plus inside the Casesars Superdome screaming out “a minor”. If all of this wasn’t bad enough for Drake, ‘Not Like Us’ will probably be near the top of the streaming charts on Monday.

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Jalen Hurts has not outplayed Patrick Mahomes twice in the Super Bowl. Back in February 2023, Hurts had more passing yards (304-182) and total touchdowns (4-3) than Mahomes. The disparity was even bigger on Sunday. This Super Bowl victory is also significant because Hurts was viewed as the only real ‘weakness’ on the Eagles roster, seemingly a player a team couldn’t win a championship because of. Now, the 26-year-old has a Lombardi Trophy on his resume and a Super Bowl ring to put on display in a few months.

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Is this how Travis Kelce wants his legendary career to end? Reports surfaced on Sunday that the 25-year-old tight end is contemplating retirement. If that proves to be the case, he walks off the field with arguably the worst performance of his storied career. It would be a shame if this is how it ends for one of the best NFL players of this generation, but Kelce can make more money next year in retirement than he can playing tight end.

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