In the days leading up to Super Bowl LIX, talk of NFL history and a potential Kansas City Chiefs three-peat dominated the headlines as the AFC champions geared up to face the Philadelphia Eagles.
In an attempt to dot the i's and cross the t's, the NFL even agreed to a deal with former Los Angeles Lakers coach and current Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who coined and trademarked the phrase 'Three-peat,’ to utilize the phrase on merchandise had the Chiefs won the big game.
And the Eagles noticed.
After a dominant, 40-22 win over the Chiefs at Caesars Superdome on Sunday in New Orleans, La., Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams told ESPN's Tim McManus that the talk about a three-peat and the copyright deal fueled the Eagles.
"Definitely," Williams said. "They were talking about getting the copyright and all that B.S. Throw that s--- in the trash."
Philadephia's defense certainly looked like it was playing with an edge. The Eagles defensive line terrorized Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes all night long, generating 16 pressures and 11 quarterback hits while racking up six sacks on 42 dropbacks.
Philadelphia held Kansas City scoreless in the first half and yielded just 23 total yards of offense while forcing two turnovers, one of which was returned into the end zone for a pick-six by rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean. The most shocking part of it all: Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio didn't dial up a single blitz call all night.
The Eagles, as veteran defensive end Brandon Graham told McManus, grew tired of hearing about the three-peat chatter.
"That was motivation because it was kind of a slap to us," Graham said. "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."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eagles Defender Says Chiefs 'B.S.' Three-Peat Talk Fueled Super Bowl Win.
