Super Bowl 59 did not go anything like the Kansas City Chiefs had envisioned prior to kickoff. It did not take long for this game to get out of hand for the Chiefs, and strangely enough, fans saw one particular storyline develop which no one saw coming.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had an oddly poor game, all things considered. It would have been premature to put Mahomes and the Chiefs to bed after only one half, but judging by Kansas City's first half performance, this game looked as good as over.
It was an abysmal first half, and Mahomes' struggles continued as the third quarter as the Chiefs offense began with a punt and a turnover on downs with their initial possessions after the half.
Taking six sacks and throwing a pair of interceptions, Mahomes looked uncharacteristically off, and on a stage we're used to seeing the opposite. Typically, the bigger the stage, the better Mahomes has played in the last couple of seasons.
Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown also noticed Mahomes looked average. But, he still gave the Chiefs quarterback his props.
AJ Brown still puts Patrick Mahomes over Jalen Hurts after Super Bowl 59
After the game, The Athletic's Dianna Russini caught up with Brown and asked him about his defense.
"They played unbelievable. They played lights out," Brown said of his defense.
"That's a good team. That's a good quarterback, probably the best quarterback in the game," Brown went on. "And we just made him look average. And we know he's not average," Brown said laughing.
Brown did go on to point out Hurts played a phenomenal game, but that doesn't discount the fact he just put Mahomes no. 1 in the league above his own quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
The criticism of Hurts has been well-documented all year long, and at times, it seemed to be a stressor on he and Brown's relationship. Yet, Hurts played well enough to win the Super Bowl over Mahomes and even came away with the game's MVP. You have to give credit where it is due.
Despite the loss, knowing even Eagles players still put Mahomes above their own quarterback is somewhat of a consolation. Brown has to know Mahomes is going to be back. After all, this was his fifth Super Bowl appearance and he's only 29 years old.
We will have to see if Brown gets asked about his putting Mahomes over Hurts in the near future, or if Eagles players get wind of the exchange between he and Russini. It could make for some intriguing offseason fodder.