Were Chargers taking notes during Chiefs’ loss on Super Bowl Sunday?

As roughly 126 million people saw last Sunday at the Superdome in New Orleans, physical football still has a place in today’s pro game.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat turned into a three-beat as Andy Reid’ team was dominated in all aspects of the game. The Philadelphia Eagles owned a 24-0 halftime lead in Super Bowl LIX, and in those first two quarters had more points than Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense had total yards (23).

The 40-22 final verdict wasn’t indicative of the lopsided affair. The Eagles’ defense sacked Mahomes six times and forced him into three turnovers. He threw two interceptions in the second quarter, the first returned 38 yards for a touchdown by Philadelphia rookie Cooper DeJean.

It was actually the second straight year that Nick Sirianni’s team got the best of the Chiefs. Meanwhile, included among Kansas City’s 15 regular-season victims during the regular season was Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers. Twice they held Reid’s team to under 20 points and couldn’t manage a victory.

Chiefs at Chargers Week 4 — Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (15) carries the ball on a 37-yard reception against Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6 in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In Week 4 at SoFi Stadium, the Bolts owned a 10-0 first-quarter lead and were blanked the rest of the game in a 17-10 loss. Three months later on a Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium (Week 14), Harbaugh’s team lost at the gun, 19-17.

The Chargers have now dropped seven straight games to the Chiefs dating back to the clubs’ second meeting in 2021. Six of those setbacks have been by seven points or less. Be it San Diego (0-3, Mexico City (0-1), or Los Angeles (0-7), the team has not beaten Reid’s team at home since 2013—the year the former Eagles’ head coach took over in Kansas City. Since 2014, the Chargers are 3-19 vs. Reid and his team, and that dates back to before Patrick Mahomes made his first start vs. the Bolts in 2018.

What can be learned from what the Eagles did on Super Sunday in the Big Easy? Philadelphia’s offensive and defensive lines won their battles in decisive fashion. The Chargers still have some work to do on the former, as Pro Football Focus’ 21st-ranking would indicate. In both meetings in 2024, the Chiefs had more rushing attempts and more yards on the ground.

In Super Bowl LIX, Kansas City ran 11 times for 49 yards, while Philadelphia rushed for 135 yards on 45 attempts. Jalen Hurts (11) and Saquon Barkley (25) had as many or more rushing attempts than Reid’s team. Sirianni’s club owned the ball for 36:58 and ran 70 offensive plays to the Chiefs’ 49.

Harbaugh and the Chargers made big strides in terms of running the ball in 2024. However, the team finished a mediocre 17th in the league in rushing offense. On the other side of the ball, the club sacked Mahomes a combined six times in two games in ’24—as many times as the Eagles got to him on Super Sunday.

If the Chargers are going to make a serious run at unseating the Chiefs in the AFC West and win a division title for the first time since 2009 (not a typo), Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz need to bolster both their offensive and defensive fronts. That’s something the Eagles have made a habit of under GM Howie Roseman.

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