The Chiefs’ dream to run it back woke up to a harsh reality in Super Bowl LV.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady dissected the Chiefs’ defense with three touchdown passes en route to a convincing 31-9 win Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The Chiefs were down 21-6 at halftime, and then were in catch-up mode the rest of the contest.
Tampa Bay’s defense more than handled the Chiefs offense, which finished the regular season No. 1 in the league, averaging 415.8 yards per game. The Chiefs finished the game with 350 yards and couldn’t connect down the field, as the Buccaneers played their safeties deep to take away the deep ball.
Additionally, the Chiefs’ offense found no semblance of rhythm, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes was flushed out of the pocket numerous times behind a shuffled offensive line, which fell under siege for most of the game.
The Chiefs converted a paltry 3-of-13 attempts on third down (23%) and Mahomes was sacked three times, hit eight times and picked off twice.
Add it all together and the result was a Chiefs’ loss in what turned into a one-sided game.
Here’s what we learned from Super Bowl LV:
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SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS
While the Chiefs were let down on numerous fronts, nothing stood out more than the yellow flags littering the ground.
Penalties became the theme for the Chiefs in the first half: eight for 98 yards, the most in Super Bowl history.
Were some calls questionable? Perhaps, and the pass-interference call on safety Tyrann Mathieu in the end zone comes to immediate mind. The Buccaneers capitalized on the next play from the Chiefs’ 1-yard line when Brady threw a laser to wide receiver Antonio Brown for a touchdown and a 21-6 halftime lead.
The Chiefs, however, hurt themselves repeatedly in the first half, none more egregious than on Tampa Bay’s fifth possession.
Brady’s interception was wiped out by a defensive holding call on Charvarius Ward. The Chiefs defense held to force a 40-yard field goal attempt, which kicker Ryan Succop nailed. A neutral-zone penalty on wide receiver Mecole Hardman, though, gave the Buccaneers a first down.
Brady made the Chiefs pay with a bullet to a streaking tight end Rob Gronkowski down the right sideline for a 17-yard touchdown. Gronkowski finished the contest with six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns.
The Chiefs’ undisciplined play, which was highly uncharacteristic, greatly contributed to their downfall.
The Chiefs finished the game with 11 penalties for 120 yards.
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MAHOMES IS HUMAN
Sunday presented the first Super Bowl matchup between the starting quarterbacks who won each of the two most recent Super Bowls. Mahomes did it in Super Bowl LIV, while Brady won Super Bowl LIII with the New England Patriots.
Brady’s accomplished career is well-known, as he has now won seven Super Bowls.
Mahomes is just getting started and the superstar signal-caller has proven he is capable of taking over a game.
That is, until Sunday night.
Mahomes completed 26-of-49 passes for 270 yards and two interceptions for a 52.3 passer rating. Most of Mahomes’ production came late in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though, as Mahomes made miraculous throws only to be let down on the receiving end.
His off-balance throw to wide receiver Tyreek Hill would have been a touchdown, but bounced off Hill’s facemask. Mahomes also threw a pass in the third quarter on a fourth-and-9 play when he was parallel to the ground. The pass was intended for running back Darrel Williams near the end zone, but that ball also bounced off Williams’ facemask.
Mahomes also attempted to keep the Chiefs in the game with timely runs and finished the contest with 33 yards on five carries.
The big passing plays down the field, however, were missing.
The Buccaneers were prepared for Hill, who torched Tampa Bay with 13 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns in Week 12. This time around, the Buccaneers limited the explosive Hill to seven catches and 73 yards.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce led the team in receiving with 10 catches for 133 yards on 15 targets.
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DEFENSIVE LETDOWN
The Chiefs’ defense was a no-show for the game.
Kansas City finished the season allowing 22.6 points per game, 10th fewest in the league, but couldn’t stop the Buccaneers from putting up 31 points.
The Chiefs also couldn’t get any pressure on Brady, producing a sack, which was recorded by defensive end Frank Clark, and two quarterback hits. With time in the pocket, Brady picked apart the Chiefs with play-action passes and a deadly screen game.
Kansas City also had no answer for the Buccaneers’ run game, which produced 145 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. Running back Leonard Fournette paced the attack with 135 total yards (89 rushing) and the touchdown.
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SPECIAL TEAMS NOT SPECIAL
Special teams coordinator Dave Toub likely didn’t expect the type of game he received from his unit.
In addition to Hardman’s neutral-zone infraction, rookie punter Tommy Townsend picked a bad time to have the worst game of his young career.
Townsend produced punts of 27 and 29 yards in the first half, with the latter setting up the Buccaneers’ fifth possession of the game. Tampa Bay capitalized with a touchdown eight plays later.
Kicker Harrison Butker was a bright spot, though, with three field goals in the game.
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INJURIES
None of note.
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UP NEXT
With the season officially over, the Chiefs can now look ahead to taking care of the business side of football with free agency in March, followed by the 2021 NFL Draft.
