In the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver DeVonta Smith connected on “The Dagger” to put away a victory on Feb. 9.
Hurts hit Smith as he crossed the goal line for a 46-yard touchdown as the Eagles took a 34-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter of the 2024 NFL championship game.
On Sunday, the former Alabama teammates connected again on a decisive pass against Kansas City, although the 28-yard gain in the fourth quarter looked much different from the elegant touchdown of the Super Bowl.
With Philadelphia leading 13-10 and facing third-and-10 at the Chiefs 31-yard line, the Kansas City defense brought five pass-rushers after Hurts, who lofted a jump ball downfield before the red wave came crashing down in the backfield.
Waiting for the football to come down were Smith and Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. Smith caught the pass for a 28-yard gain.
The official gamebook for Sunday’s contest notes that Smith was injured trying to catch a third-and-8 pass earlier in the second half. Smith landed square on his back after an unsuccessful leap for the football.
“He came down on his back, but he came up in the clutch,” Hurts said.
Hurts cashed in the big play with a 1-yard quarterback sneak for a fourth-down touchdown as the Eagles took a 20-10 lead with 7:48 to play, and Philadelphia held on to beat Kansas City again.
“It’s just that great connection, communication, just that one they have together – the receivers and Jalen – and that was a huge play in that game,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said of the Hurts-to-Smith pass. “And they brought some pressure. Jalen was able to stand in there and make a great play, and DeVonta made a play on the football. No secret: DeVonta Smith’s a heck of a player, Jalen Hurts is a heck of a player and again you get pumped up when you execute in a big-time moment. But that was a big, big play in that game that helped us seal that game.”
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OURNFL PAGE
After Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes threw a 49-yard touchdown pass, the Eagles recovered an onside kick with three minutes to play and ran out the clock to send the Chiefs to 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Philadelphia’s drive to a 10-point lead came on a 10-play, 59-yard drive that followed safety Andrew Mukuba’s 41-yard interception return. Mukuba came up with a football that Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce was juggling at the goal line.
The Eagles’ first touchdown series covered 52 yards in eight plays with running back Saquon Barkley scoring on a 13-yard run for the game’s first points with 46 seconds left in the first quarter. Philadelphia started at its 48-yard line after Kansas City’s Harrison Butker missed a 58-yard field-goal attempt.
Smith was shaken up on Philadelphia’s first possession of the second half, which started at the Kansas City 35-yard line after a fumble recovery. Philadelphia settled for a 51-yard field goal by Jake Elliott for a 13-10 lead with 11:28 left in the third quarter.
Elliott had banged through a 58-yard field goal to tie the score on the final snap of the first half.
“I think that’s the most important thing is finding a way to win,” Hurts said, “and given the competitive nature of the game and how our games have gone when we play this team – it’s a really good team; we got a ton of respect for them, obviously – but you got to come in with a sense of focus, stay patient within yourself, stay patient within the team and your role and let things come to you. And I think as a team, we showed up when we needed to the most, and that’s the most important thing in this league is finding ways to win.”
In two Super Bowls against Kansas City, Hurts had been a statistical giant. Hurts completed 27-of-38 passes for 304 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran for 70 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries in a 38-35 loss in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, and completed 17-of-22 passes for 221 yards with two touchdowns and one interception and ran for 72 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries in winning the MVP Award for Super Bowl LIX.
On Sunday, Hurts completed 15-of-22 passes for 101 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and ran nine times for 15 yards (seven times for 17 yards before two kneel-downs at the end of the game).
Hurts picked up three first downs on third-and-1 snaps and a first down and a touchdown on fourth-and-1 snaps with quarterback sneaks on Sunday.
The 2-0 Eagles play the Los Angeles Rams at noon CDT Sept. 21 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in Week 3 of the NFL’s 2025 season.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.