The Chiefs were playing in their fifth Super Bowl in six years and much of the pre-game hype focused on a potential three-peat.

But the Eagles utterly dominated in New Orleans, in particular their defence, which showed why it has been the NFL’s best this season.

Kansas City’s star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and threw two interceptions as the Chiefs’ bid for NFL immortality was ruthlessly quashed in the Superdome.

It is the Eagles’ second Super Bowl win having claimed their first in 2018, despite the Chiefs managing to keep their star running back Saquon Barkley relatively quiet.

Instead, quarterback Jalen Hurts stepped up to silence those who continue to question his passing game, throwing a superb 46-yard touchdown pass to seal a humbling defeat for the Chiefs.

Victory was revenge for the Eagles’ 38-35 Super Bowl defeat by the Chiefs two years ago, when Hurts put in a superb performance but ended up on the losing side.

This time he helped Philly put the game beyond the Chiefs and was later named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“I’ve been able to use every experience and learn from it, the good and the bad, using it as fuel,” he said.

“There’s always going to be doubts and questioning, but this is the purpose and my calling in life.

“Things come right on time and you know, the last Super Bowl wasn’t our time yet. Sometimes we have to accept that you have to wait your turn.

“I couldn’t do any of this without the guys around me,” Hurts added. “Defence wins championships. We saw the difference they made in the game today.

“Winning a national championship is just an unprecedented feeling. That kid in me always kept working at this, and I stayed true to his vision.”​​​​​​​

Lacklustre start costs Chiefs historic feat

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Eagles players celebrate at full-time

Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to attend America’s biggest game, while Taylor Swift was among the many celebrities at the Superdome, cheering on her boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Kansas City tight end.

Yet he and the Chiefs were never in the game. They earned just one first down in the first half and that was on their very first play.

Philadelphia opened the scoring on their second possession with Hurts scoring on the ‘tush push’ play which they have mastered and no team has found an answer to.

Jake Elliott kicked a field goal on the Eagles’ next possession before their defence took charge, sacking Mahomes on successive plays and on the next, Cooper DeJean returned an interception for a 38-yard touchdown.

Mahomes had gone 298 pass attempts without throwing an interception, and he threw another just five plays later. It was right in front of his own end zone and resulted in a touchdown for AJ Brown.

The Eagles added another field goal after half-time, before Hurts launched the ball down the middle for DeVonta Smith to claim a score fitting for the Super Bowl stage.

Philly fans began mocking the Chiefs by copying their Tomahawk Chop chant, as they faced becoming the first team to be shutout in a Super Bowl.

Kansas City avoided that ignominy with Mahomes throwing a touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy before Elliott added two more field goals in the fourth quarter.

Mahomes found both DeAndre Hopkins and Worthy to score in the final three minutes, but this proved one game too far for the Chiefs, who have at least gone further than any previous back-to-back champion in pursuit of a Super Bowl three-peat.

“Credit to the Eagles, they played better than us from start to finish,” said Mahomes.

“Obviously the turnovers hurt – I’ve just got to take all the blame for that. Those early turnovers swing the momentum of the game and they capitalised on them.

“It was kind of 14 points that I gave them and it’s hard to come back from that at the Super Bowl.

“I just didn’t play to my standard and I have to be better next time.”​​​​​​​

Image source: Reuters

Image caption: The Eagles scored a defensive touchdown through Cooper DeJean, who celebrated his 22nd birthday in style

This year, viewers across the continent will be able to tune in live on both ESPN and ESPN2 (DStv Channel 219) on Sunday, 10 February from 11:00pm.

The much-anticipated showdown will see the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in the 59th Super Bowl, #ESPNAfricaSuperBowlLVIII.

Fans can expect a game filled with grid-iron action, strategy, and unforgettable moments as the two conference champions battle for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.

This year’s Super Bowl will take place in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints, with a capacity of 83,000 spectators.

This marks the 11th time New Orleans has hosted the event.

Can the Kansas City Chiefs make history?

This epic match showcases two titanic teams who’ve both made very recent trips to the championship. In Super Bowl 59, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Philadelphia Eagles, their Super Bowl opponent from two years ago, in a rematch for the books.

This showdown also features some of the most celebrated stars in the league – like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the Chiefs, and Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley for the Eagles – facing off on the biggest stage in the NFL.

No team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. Many teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls, but the Chiefs now have a chance to become the first to achieve historic three-peat success.

Who is performing at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show?

The Super Bowl halftime show, a 12- to 15-minute musical extravaganza and one of the most coveted slots on the American music calendar, will feature multiple Grammy-winning hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar.

The 37-year-old Lamar, from Compton, the heart of the Los Angeles rap scene, has 22 Grammy wins and previously performed during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige.

Past Super Bowl halftime performers include The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Rihanna and Beyoncé. Last season’s performance featured Grammy-winning artist Usher.

More opportunities to watch

For those who can’t catch the action live or those who would simply like to enjoy it more than once, full game repeats will air on ESPN (DStv Channel 218 / GOtv Channel 167) on Monday, 10 February and Tuesday, 11 February at midday, and on ESPN2 (DStv Channel 219) on Monday, 10 February at 6am and 3pm and catch all the action wherever you are on DStv Stream or GOtv Stream.

In addition to the full match replays, a special 55-minute highlight version will also be available, giving fans another opportunity to relive the best moments of the game.

The NFL Super Bowl is more than just a championship game. It’s a cultural phenomenon that brings together sports, music, and entertainment on an unmatched scale.

For updates on the NFL Super Bowl and from the world of American sports, fans can connect to @ESPNAfrica on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit Africa.espn.com. Fans are encouraged to use #ESPNAfricaSuperBowlLVIII for this special event.

DStv is your home of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. DStv Stream allows viewers to watch their favourite sport live anywhere, any time.

The 2024 edition, known as Super Bowl LVIII (58), will be played at the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise (adjacent to Las Vegas), Nevada and will be the culmination of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) season.

The Kansas City Chiefs (who won last year’s Super Bowl) will be looking to be the first repeat champions since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005. They had an 11-6 record in the AFC West Division, before defeating the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens in the post-season to earn a spot at the Super Bowl.

“Coach [Andy] Reid just challenging every single person in this building to up the ante just one more step and just keep taking it up a notch every week from here on out,” star tight end Travis Kelce said.

“That’s why we love the big guy. You never fall astray from that kind of mentality no matter how many losses you have, no matter how close the games are and you’re just not finishing them. Coach Reid does a great job of re-channeling that mindset every single week and presenting a challenge against the defense or the offense or just the team we’re going against in the near future.”

The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, went 12-5 in the NFC West Division, before overcoming the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in the playoffs to advance into the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019.

“There’s been a lot of good things, but the ultimate goal, we always say it, there’s only one team happy at the end of the year,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

“We’re real proud of a lot of things that we’ve accomplished here in the last five years or so. We still want to be that one team that’s happy. No matter what you accomplish, if you don’t win that Super Bowl, it’s always disappointing.”

Super Bowl LVIII in numbers

1 – This will be the first Super Bowl held in the state of Nevada.

2 – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (aged 24 years, 1 month and 15 days) will look to become the second youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl, behind Ben Roethlisberger (23 years, 11 months, 3 days) of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.

3 – The number of Super Bowl titles won by the Kansas City Chiefs (1969, 2019, 2022).

5 – The number of Super Bowl titles won by the San Francisco 49ers (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989 & 1994).

65,000 – The seating capacity of the Allegiant Stadium.

15 – The jersey number of Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

16 – The record number of post-season touchdowns for the passer-receiver combination of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (who is also famous for dating Taylor Swift).

45 – The biggest winning margin in Super Bowl history was by 45 points, when the San Francisco 49ers crushed the Denver Broncos 55-10 in 1989.

9000 – The average price in US Dollars for a ticket to the 2024 Super Bowl.

7 million – The reported price in US Dollars that CBS – the American national broadcaster which carries the rights to the Super Bowl – will charge per advertisement during the game.

200 million – The approximate number of television viewers in the United States alone for the last Super Bowl in 2023, according to an NFL survey in collaboration with Nielsen, a leading media measurement and analytics company.

Visit www.dstv.com to subscribe or upgrade, and join in on the excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can watch live action on DStv Stream.

Super Bowl broadcast highlights

All times CAT

Monday 12 February

01:00: Kansas City Chiefs v San Francisco 49ers – LIVE on ESPN and ESPN 2