Spagnuolo's Super Bowl wizardry wilts as Chiefs' defence gets sliced up by Eagles

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had the worst season of his mostly distinguished coaching career when he spent Sundays on the New Orleans Saints' sideline in the Superdome.

It was a house of horrors for him again in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. They racked up 345 yards in a 40-22 rout to deny the two-time defending champion Chiefs a third consecutive Lombardi Trophy.

“Their pass game was rolling, you know. And at the end of the day, they just came out and played harder than us,” Chiefs star cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “Gotta take it on the chin and learn from it."

Spags, as he is often called, entered this Super Bowl as one of the more talked about — and celebrated — figures in the game. He’d interviewed recently for head coaching jobs with the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders.

With victories as a coordinator in four previous Super Bowls, Spagnuolo was seen as a master at using exotic blitzes to neutralize what opposing offenses do best. It worked against Houston quarterback CJ Stroud in the divisional round and Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the AFC championship game, and it helped the Chiefs beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl two years ago.

But while the Chiefs largely contained Eagles record-setting running back Saquon Barkley, holding him to 57 yards on Sunday night, Philadelphia found plenty of other ways to move the ball and score.

“They had a heck of a game plan. They executed. They outplayed us to a man,” Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis said. “It’s the reality of the game we play. It sucks. They played a phenomenal game. They had a great game plan. We needed to do more.”

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was a non-factor before leaving the game with a knee injury in the second half, as was the entire Kansas City pass rush.

They failed to get to Jalen Hurts, whose 221 yards and two TDs passing included a 46-yard scoring strike deep down the middle to DeVonta Smith that helped to put the game away.

“Spags did a few different things; he had a couple blitzes in there," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I thought the backs did a nice job — both of them — of picking the blitz up. And when we got through, (Hurts) moved, and they got some big plays.”

Hurts also rushed for 72 yards, and Kansas City's defensive front was no match for Philadelphia's tush push from the 1-yard line that gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead — one that they would never relinquish.

Hurts "played really well, and he was poised the whole game,” Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “You know, he’s in control. And he made checks and he threw dimes and he just gave us opportunities. And when we were covered a little bit, he ran, used his legs.”

In the end, the Super Bowl was reminiscent of Spagnuolo's lone season with New Orleans in 2012, when the 7,042 yards allowed by the Saints set an enduring NFL record for most yards allowed in a season.

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