The Philadelphia Eagles were tired of hearing about the Kansas City Chiefs going for a historic three-peat, fueling their dominant defensive performance in Super Bowl LIX.
Kansas City was one victory away from becoming the first team to win three consecutive Lombardi Trophies before falling to Philadelphia 40-22 Sunday.
"That was motivation because it was kind of a slap to us," Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. "It was like, they ain't seen us yet. So, we heard that all week. And when the game came, execution was on point and together."
Patrick Mahomes was under duress throughout the game. He was pressured on 38% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. Philadelphia sacked the three-time Super Bowl MVP a career-worst six times and intercepted him twice, including rookie Cooper DeJean's second-quarter pick-6 that turned the matchup into a rout.
Kansas City had a deal in place with former NBA coach and current Miami Heat president Pat Riley to use the term "three-peat" on merchandise if the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIX. Riley had trademarked the term after coaching the Los Angeles Lakers to two consecutive championships in the 1980s.
"They were talking about getting the copyright and all that B.S. Throw that shit in the trash," said defensive tackle Milton Williams, who had two sacks in the game.
Graham lauded defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's plan, which helped Philadelphia shut out the Chiefs in the first half and held star tight end Travis Kelce to four catches for 39 yards.
"Vic is a wizard. He came through in a big way tonight," Graham said, per NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha.
