The 59th Super Bowl, played on February 9, 2025, in New Orleans, was a showdown between the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the challengers, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs, led by superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, had dominated all season, finishing with a 15-2 record and aiming for an unprecedented third straight championship. Their games thus far had been characterized by aggressive and strategic offensive gameplay, positioning them as the favored pick to secure the champion title.
The Eagles, who finished 14-3, had quietly built a powerhouse team with strong defense and a dynamic offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts. Despite their success, many believed the Chiefs’ experience would give them the edge. Seemingly perceived as the underdogs against the seasoned Chiefs, they would soon brandish their unwavering top-ranked defense and prove they were worthy of the title.
From the opening whistle, the Eagles made it clear they came to win. On their first drive, Hurts methodically moved his team down the field. With only 6:30 minutes left in the first quarter, they had seemingly scored a touchdown with a long pass from 35 yards. However, upon further inspection, the player’s knee had hit the ground just one yard from the endzone, so the game was still on. Nevertheless, this did not stop the Eagles momentum, capping it off with a short touchdown run, using a play known as the “Tush Push,” where the offensive line helps shove the quarterback forward. The Chiefs struggled early, failing to score on their first possession, allowing the Eagles to extend their lead with a field goal.
Defensive prowess was on full display when Eagles rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean intercepted Patrick Mahomes’ pass, returning it 38 yards for a touchdown, amplifying the lead to 17-0. Kansas City’s offense, usually unstoppable, seemed completely out of sync, and another interception led to an easy Eagles touchdown pass from Hurts to star receiver A.J. Brown. By halftime, the score was a shocking 24-0.
Moving on to what some say was the main spectacle of this event, is the famous halftime show performed by a trending artist every Super Bowl. This year, artist, rapper, Pulitzer-Prize and Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar took the stage for a rather interesting performance.
Celebrity actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, addressed the audience proclaiming, “Salutations! It’s your uncle, Sam. And this is the great American game!” Kendrick Lamar opened with his new hit song “Squabble up,” which was released in late 2024 with his GNX album. Countless background dancers wearing either red, white, or blue emerged, performing in amazingly synchronized choreography as Kendrick sang. This show had a clear theme of the American spirit, with the dancers even forming the American flag at one point.
The stadium had a dark atmosphere, with dim luminescence and glowing plain white lights outlining the stage. This is a clear contrast to previous Super Bowl Halftime shows, which have a trend of being very extravagant and showy. Kendrick, living up to his unorthodox reputation, proved to have other plans.
After his initial appearance, he followed up his first song with hits; “Humble,” “DNA,” and “Euphoria.” Interestingly, the song “Euphoria” had been released along a line of diss tracks amidst the beef and ongoing drama between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, leaving the audience guessing if Kendrick dared to step into that side of his music while live to the whole country. They would soon find out, when he teased the melody of diss track “Not Like Us,” the last song to be released against Drake, in which he attacks his character, actions, and reputation in masterful lyricism. This song was such a hit in fact, that it had just won five Grammys at the Grammy Award Ceremony, a week prior to the Super Bowl.
He then performed hit song “Luther,” also from the GNX album featuring beloved singer SZA, and she took the stage with Kendrick in a bright red outfit as the crowd erupted with applause. She captured the audience with her beautiful voice and range, and many say this was the best part of the show. Kendrick and SZA then performed fan favorite “All the Stars” which was released in 2018 for the first Black Panther movie.
Moving towards the moment the audience had all been waiting for, the iconic melody of “Not Like Us” began to play as Kendrick started speaking to his backup singers. The audience was on the edge of their seats, all of them with the same question; would Kendrick really sing it? Echoing their thoughts, backup dancers asked Kendrick “You really bout to do it?”, which was met with Kendrick saying, “40 acres and a mule this is bigger than the music.” The backup dancers then asked him one more time, taunting the audience as the melody of the song cut in and out. “Ya they tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence,” Kendrick declared before finally beginning the song as the crowd erupted once more. The stadium was shaking with noise as they sang along the iconic line “A MINORRRRR.”
Kendrick was clearly not afraid to diss Drake on live television, with “Not Like Us” demonizing Drake as a terrible person while the crowd cheered along.
Kendrick ended his halftime show with one last song, “tv off,” from the GNX album, ending his show with the lights on the stage abruptly shutting off as he finished the chorus of “turn this tv off.” The end of the show was met with immense applause, cheer, and many mixed reactions.
However, his show left the majority of viewers rather unimpressed. Many concluded that this halftime show had been the worst one so far, being vastly different from its predecessors. Fans of Kendrick Lamar claim that this show was more of a message, than a performance, and that to truly appreciate it you’d really have to be invested in his kind of music. Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics and songwriting are top-tier, with his lyrics being officially recognized as poetry, and even studied in literature classes. His music has won a Pulitzer Prize, which are awarded to pieces of journalism, arts, and letters. He is the only artist to do so, which is truly impressive and clearly depicts what kind of media he really produces.
But alas, it just isn’t for everyone; he simply does not have that wide of a target audience for people of all spaces to truly value his music.
Moving back to the game, the Chiefs finally found some life in the third quarter when Mahomes connected with rookie receiver Xavier Worthy for a touchdown. However, they failed to complete a two-point conversion, leaving them trailing 27-6. Philadelphia wasted no time responding—Hurts launched a deep pass to DeVonta Smith for another touchdown, dashing any hopes of a Chiefs comeback.
The Eagles’ defense continued to dominate, sacking Mahomes six times and forcing multiple turnovers. A late-game fumble recovery set up another field goal, stretching the lead to 37-6. Although Kansas City managed to score two more touchdowns, including another from Worthy and one from veteran DeAndre Hopkins, it was far too late to change the outcome.
Jalen Hurts finished with 221 passing yards, two touchdown throws, and one rushing score, earning him the MVP award. DeJean’s game-changing interception return and the Eagles’ relentless defense sealed their victory, preventing the Chiefs from making history.
With this dominant performance, the Eagles secured their second-ever Super Bowl win, proving that even against the reigning champions, a well-balanced team and a determined mindset can lead to greatness.