The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense had a dominant performance in the team’s Super Bowl 59 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and edge rusher Josh Sweat was one of the unit’s biggest stars.
Sweat generated consistent pressure for an Eagles pass rush that sacked Patrick Mahomes six times during the Super Bowl. He was able to beat two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney – who was playing out of position at left tackle – on a couple of occasions. That allowed him to rack up six tackles and a career-high 2.5 sacks while helping hold the Chiefs scoreless until deep into the third quarter of Philadelphia’s 40-22 win.
Naturally, Sweat was pleased with his performance against the Chiefs. In fact, he opined it was good enough for him to win Super Bowl MVP.
‘I should’ve had it,’ Sweat said of the MVP, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. ‘I could’ve had it. It’s all good, though.’
Sweat has a point. His numbers were nearly identical to Von Miller’s, the last defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP with the Denver Broncos in 2016. He totaled six tackles, 2.5 sacks and one pass defense in Denver’s 24-10 Super Bowl 50 win over the Carolina Panthers.
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Sweat lost out in the MVP voting to Jalen Hurts, who became the seventh quarterback to win the award over the last decade. The Eagles star was a deserving candidate, as he completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while also leading the team in rushing yards (72) and scoring on the ground.
While Sweat didn’t win Super Bowl 59 MVP, his career-best performance couldn’t have come at a better time. The 27-year-old is set to hit free agency during the 2025 NFL offseason and could be among the most coveted pass rushers on the open market.
That said, Sweat isn’t automatically going to sign the largest contract offered to him as he seeks out a second NFL deal.
‘Money’s important, sure, but I want to be in the right situation,’ Sweat said. ‘I don’t know what it looks like for me now, but I’m happy.’
