8 Super Bowl winners (laugh it up, Tom Brady) and losers (Patrick Mahomes, oof)
With the Philadelphia Eagles' emphatic win in Sunday's Super Bowl (a 40-22 final score is extremely deceiving), another NFL season is officially in the books. Congratulations, everyone. We made it to the end of this long and arduous journey.
Pat yourselves on the back. (If you don't, I will.)
Still, in the meantime, there's a lot to unpack from Super Bowl 59. While a blowout, the game's final result and all its little easter eggs and details won't soon be forgotten. After all, we had another conclusive entry in the football GOAT discussion. We saw the latest (and probably final) chapter of a legendary rap beef. Several figures in the game shut their critics and skeptics up forever. Quite frankly, it's a lot to take in all at once.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2025 Super Bowl.
1. Winner: Jalen Hurts believers
I will freely admit I was a Jalen Hurts skeptic before this Eagles playoff run. Even after he won Super Bowl 59 MVP, I'm still not entirely sure he's an elite quarterback, so much as a player mixed in with a positively elite supporting cast.
But that's the thing: nothing a skeptic like me believes about Hurts matters much anymore. After a forgettable regular season, Hurts was one of the best players on the field in New Orleans. He was in complete command. He took Philadelphia to its second Super Bowl victory in franchise history. No one can take that away from him. Not even shameless haters like me.
2. Loser: Patrick Mahomes' legacy (for now)
Patrick Mahomes could retire right now, and he would still be recognized as one of the handful of greatest quarterbacks of all time. But in the aftermath of the Super Bowl? It's hard to shake the stink of Mahomes' second embarrassing loss in the Big Game. The greater football-watching public was talking about Mahomes chasing Tom Brady as the GOAT before this Super Bowl.
Now, that hallowed chase has been put on hold as we watch him dust himself off after a humiliating beatdown. Them's the breaks.
I'll say this: I do believe Mahomes is a better individual talent than Brady ever was. But Mahomes is a lot more reliant on his athleticism, and that will fade as he gets older if he doesn't adjust his game. Brady never really had this issue until the very end of his career. Mahomes is still technically on pace to match Brady in Lombardi Trophies, but the margin for error just got a lot tighter if he doesn't get right back on track.
That said, I'm not gonna doubt someone who isn't even 30 yet. Mahomes will be back.
3. Winner: Tom Brady's ego
Do I think Brady is petty enough to revel in his closest former peer (Mahomes) falling short of climbing up another rung on the all-time Super Bowl ladder? Yes. Don't be naive. Do I think Brady was having the time of his life watching Mahomes get thrown around like a rag doll by the Eagles' defense? Also yes. Are you kidding? Could you kinda hear Brady's grin from ear to ear as he spent his time eulogizing the 2024 Chiefs at the end of the Super Bowl? OK, I can't confirm this specifically, but it was on my mind. The focus on the Chiefs in the Eagles' moment of glory was a little too convenient if you ask me.
Mahomes is now 0-2 in Super Bowls where Brady was in attendance in some fashion. You'll never be able to convince me Brady wasn't watching Super Bowl 59 unfold like an egomaniacal supervillain.
4. Loser: Harrison Butker's contributions
After putting himself in the spotlight for his archaic, misogynistic opinions about American society last year, here's how Harrison Butker performed in Super Bowl 59:
Zero extra points. Zero field goals. Not even a single attempt.
For once, we didn't hear from America's most infamous placekicker in any capacity.
Oh, no, what a shame.
5. Winner: Saquon Barkley, for escaping the listless New York Giants and earning immediate vindication
Once upon a time, Barkley was an all-worldly tailback for the New York football Giants. In fact, this was still the case in 2023, meaning ... last season! But Barkley's Giants were never all that good when he was in New York. They qualified for the postseason just once and were usually one of the NFC's worst bottom-feeding teams. After the Giants decided they no longer wanted Barkley's services this past offseason, he jumped ship to the rival Eagles and proceeded to rip off a 2,000-yard-plus rushing campaign and won a Super Bowl right away.
Few people in football history have ever experienced faster vindication than Barkley. Oh, well, it's a good thing the Giants moved on from the decision-makers who decided they were too good for a potential Hall of Fame running back in his prime. (Holds hands to earpiece) Oh, right. General manager Joe Schoen is still employed by the Mara family. Never mind. That's awkward.
6. Loser: Drake, for not even getting to watch the Super Bowl in peace
The man already had one of the worst years for an extremely public person we could remember. Kendrick Lamar tap-danced on his reputation over and over last summer. Then Lamar did it again with hundreds of millions of people watching at home during the Super Bowl. He even brought out Serena Williams! Tough scene, dude. Man, I would probably spend half a decade in solitude if I was in Drake's shoes right now.
7. Winner: Nick Sirianni, for proving he's really just a football loudmouth (not a total doofus)
Once again, I don't think the world of Sirianni. There's a reason Eagles fans have wanted him canned at intermittent points over the last two seasons. He sometimes has the appearance of an overwhelmed loudmouth who isn't exactly this brilliant strategist. But the results speak for themselves. In four seasons with the Eagles, Sirianni now has two NFC titles and a Super Bowl win. Whatever you think about his coaching aptitude, he's clearly not a doofus (wholly, anyway). He's doing something right. He's a brash loudmouth. And you can win in this silly game with brash loudmouths.
8. Winner: Haters of the Chiefs
Say what you want about the Chiefs, but there's no denying they turned themselves into American sports' latest evil empire this year. We were told to simply appreciate their "greatness." We had to watch them get away with it time and time again. For something that doesn't really matter, Chiefs fatigue was so high that a Super Bowl three-peat felt inevitable. Then they took one of the more convincing blowouts in Super Bowl history on the chin in stunning fashion. I'd have to imagine that the only people who were genuinely upset with Super Bowl 59's result were those who reside in the Kansas City metropolitan area and fans of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship.
Talk about a sweet end to the NFL season for everyone else. It turns out (sports) evil doesn't (always) win.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 8 Super Bowl winners (laugh it up, Tom Brady) and losers (Patrick Mahomes, oof)
