The Philadelphia Eagles prevented the Kansas City Chiefs from becoming the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in three consecutive years, pulling off a commanding win that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will hardly forget.
It was quite a humiliating game for the Chiefs, who went scoreless to halftime trailing by 24. Mahomes and company’s reaction came too late, with the Eagles comfortably securing the Vince Lombardi trophy thanks to a 40-22 win.
Kansas City’s forgettable night included moments that gave plenty to talk about, and not only during the game. With the Eagles‘ win sealed, Mahomes raised eyebrows while dapping up his teammates.
The SportsCenter social media team caught the moment Mahomes shook hands with his teammates at the end of the game, but fans immediately noticed that the Chiefs quarterback ignored one of his teammates on the sidelines.
Running back Samaje Perine stood up just as Mahomes was approaching, but the quarterback walked past him to hug Kelce, who was sitting next to the Chiefs’ No. 34. The post’s caption claimed that Mahomes greeted all his skill players, but social media users noticed that Perine had actually been left hanging in that moment.
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Perine’s season with Mahomes, Chiefs
Mahomes hasn’t addressed this situation yet, so whether his snub was intentional or not remains unclear. Either way, there’s no reason to believe there’s something wrong between these players, as the Chiefs star praised Perine many times throughout the season.
The 29-year-old moved to Kansas City in August to provide veteran presence in a running back room that only had Isiah Pacheco and Carson Steele by then. Weeks later, Kareem Hunt would give the group an even bigger boost.
Perine even caught many passes from Mahomes in his first year with the Chiefs, racking up 28 receptions for 322 yards and a touchdown during the 2024 NFL regular season.
In fact, the quarterback trusted in him during a critical play in the AFC Championship Game against the Bills, with Perine catching a touchdown pass from Mahomes in the victory. In addition, the former Cincinnati Bengals running back had 20 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Samaje Perine #34 of the Kansas City Chiefs helps Patrick Mahomes #15 up after being sacked during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
Mahomes consoled Kelce after tough night vs. Eagles
Mahomes’ snub of Perine led to all kinds of reactions on social media, but perhaps it had more to do with supporting Kelce, a key partner for him on the field all these years, after an extremely disappointing night.
The veteran tight end, who usually shines when the lights get brighter, only caught four passes for 39 yards in the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles. And many even fear that this could’ve been the final game in Kelce’s career.
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Mahomes praises Chiefs teammates despite Super Bowl loss
Either way, while the situation with Perine took many by surprise, Mahomes showed nothing but love for his teammates after the loss. Speaking to the media in his postgame press conference, the Chiefs star made it clear that he’s proud of the effort made by the team throughout the 2024 NFL season.
“I was proud with how this team fought all season with all the expectations on us, but we came up short. We were confident to the very end. . . All you can do is take it play by play and give it everything you have. . . I’m proud of the fight the guys had.”
