NEW ORLEANS — Vic Fangio had gone up in opposition to Patrick Mahomes eight instances, and eight instances, he’d misplaced.
On the largest stage of all, the Eagles’ 66-year-old defensive coordinator solved the puzzle Sunday evening, because the Philadelphia Eagles dominated Mahomes, sacking him six instances and taking a shutout into the third quarter of a surprisingly easy 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
In its easiest kind, the Eagles’ recreation plan was to attempt to get to Mahomes by speeding simply 4 defensive linemen and never blitzing, dropping sufficient defenders in protection to not give him straightforward openings downfield.
“That was my hope going into the sport, and our guys even exceeded my hope,” mentioned Fangio, whose protection staked the Eagles to a 24-0 halftime lead, holding Kansas City to a single first down and 38 total yards in the first half. “Mahomes isn’t a man you wish to stress quite a bit, as a result of he sees it and he is aware of the place to go together with the ball, and he is made a whole lot of huge performs in opposition to it.”
Philadelphia acquired the Chiefs to overlook on their first eight third downs, stifling an offense that had opened the 12 months 15-1, clinching the highest seed within the AFC with uncanny success in one-score video games. The Eagles’ offense had combined success early, with quarterback Jalen Hurts throwing an interception on the 2-yard line, so it was nonetheless only a 10-0 recreation halfway by way of the second quarter.
Mahomes had been down 10 factors in 4 different Tremendous Bowls and had rallied again to win three of them, together with in opposition to the Eagles two years in the past.
Then got here a game-changing sequence. Josh Sweat and rookie Jalyx Hunt sacked Mahomes on back-to-back performs, and on third-and-16, Mahomes threw a move that rookie nook Cooper DeJean picked off and returned 38 yards for a landing. Then, simply earlier than halftime, Eagles linebacker Zack Baun made a diving interception of Mahomes on the Kansas Metropolis 12. That arrange a straightforward landing and a 24-0 lead simply earlier than halftime.
“It modified the sport,” Fangio mentioned. “Ten-nothing is nothing. Now 24-nothing is one thing. They have been two enormous performs that most likely have been the turning level within the recreation.”
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Sweat completed with 2.5 sacks, and the inside rotations of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams had constant stress up the center, with Williams getting two sacks and a compelled fumble. They did it with out assist from the again finish, which meant Mahomes had no straightforward solutions as soon as he was pressured.
“It permits the blokes to cowl on the again finish,” Sweat mentioned. “We do not have so as to add an additional man to do this. It is simply huge ups to the blokes, and that is what we work for. When he should ship additional guys, that is our pleasure, to get it with a four-man rush and get it accomplished.”
Baun, who capped a breakout season that noticed him earn Professional Bowl and first-team All-Professional honors, had a vital play to select off Mahomes close to the objective line. He mentioned Fangio’s recreation plan was so thorough that gamers had confidence earlier than the sport, even going up in opposition to a quarterback with three Tremendous Bowl wins within the earlier 5 years.
“I advised (linebacker) Oren Burks within the locker room earlier than the sport: I’ve by no means seen this crew this prepared for a recreation,” Baun mentioned. “We have been so well-prepared that it was straightforward for us to really feel assured, to only exit and execute.”
Philadelphia’s protection was a significant downside on the finish of final season, after they went from 10-1 to 11-6 and a first-round loss within the playoffs. This was a special protection beneath Fangio, whose defensive fingerprints have been throughout Sunday’s surprisingly lopsided win.
“He is superior,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni mentioned. “These guys love him as a result of he helps them attain their targets, helps put them in place to succeed. Once you see a coach and a participant develop particular relationships … that is the place Vic’s particular and you may see how the blokes get pleasure from him, as a result of he helps them attain their targets and goals.”
Fangio had gone 0-6 in opposition to Mahomes when he was Denver’s head coach, with two extra losses as Miami’s defensive coordinator, together with a 26-7 loss in final 12 months’s playoffs. Sunday’s recreation got here in New Orleans, the place he spent 9 years as linebackers coach from 1986-94, going 0-4 within the playoffs in his first NFL job. With him on the helm this 12 months, the Eagles have been one of many league’s most improved defenses this 12 months, ending first in yards allowed and second in factors allowed, and so they peaked Sunday evening.
“Our guys simply performed nice,” Fangio mentioned. “They have been capable of get stress with a four-man rush, and our protection disguises have been in good condition for probably the most half. We modified up the coverages generally, and that is what the hope was. The hope does not all the time come true, but it surely did tonight.”
Fangio has been a professional coach for 4 a long time, ready a very long time for a second like Sunday, and the lopsided rating allowed him to savor the second half and revel in that first elusive championship after ready so lengthy.
“It is a terrific feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment,” he mentioned.
Greg Auman is FOX Sports activities’ NFC South reporter, masking the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He’s in his tenth season masking the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having hung out on the Tampa Bay Instances and The Athletic. You may comply with him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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