The Tampa Bay Buccaneers conquered Super Bowl LV in the trenches and by winning that battle, they looked dominant on offense and defense in other areas of the field and practically surpassed the Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Buccaneers ‘dominance on both sides of the ball was such that it caused the Chiefs’ mental errors with penalties, dropped passes and poor execution, but Tampa Bay’s solid performance was also a reflection of the game plan designed by their coaches.
Here are some key numbers that serve to gauge the way the Buccaneers subdued Patrick Mahomes and his powerful attack and the Chiefs’ defense.
9 YARDS
– Mahomes’ aerial production in the first quarter that marked the kind of game the Chiefs quarterback would have until the end when dealing with pressure from the Buccaneers defense.
Patrick Mahomes had to turn to his legs on several occasions to escape the incessant pressure from the Buccaneers defense. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Kansas City’s defensive dominance was reflected in tough third downs for Mahomes and company. The Chiefs only made good three of 13 third-down conversions (23 percent). In the regular season, Kansas City finished third in third-down efficiency with 49 percent.
497 YARDS
– This was the total number of yards traveled by Mahomes before throwing his passes or being sacked in Super Bowl LV, that is, when he came out of the bag on passing plays and in any direction to try to connect with his receivers.
Mahomes’ 497 yards traveled is the most before he pitched or sacked in the 2020 season.
11 PUNISHMENTS
– More than the bottom line of tissues caused by the Chiefs, it is the impact that the penalties, particularly in the first half, had on the performance of Kansas City as a team.
The Buccaneers offense got six top-10s via penalties from the Chiefs all in the first half and the total is the most for a team in Super Bowl history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Chiefs ’95 penalty yards in the first half is the highest total for a half in Super Bowl history (the Dallas Cowboys’ previous record was 91, in Edition V).
Of those 95 yards, 90 were in the second quarter alone, also the highest total for a period in the history of the NFL title game, and far exceeded the previous mark (59 yards for the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. of Super Bowl XIII).
87 PERCENT
– How often Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles field two safeties deep (15 or more yards behind the line of scrimmage).
The formula was implemented by the New Orleans Saints against the Chiefs in the regular season, but the Buccaneers defense perfected it so that, in combination with relentless and effective pressure on Mahomes, the Chiefs could not exploit the deep pass routes with the speed of your receivers.
29 VS 4
It’s the difference in times Mahomes and Brady were pressured. The 25-play pass-under-pressure difference is the largest in Super Bowl history.
The difference also reflects the solid work the Buccaneers’ offensive line did, not just in the Vince Lombardi Trophy matchup but throughout the season, after finishing the regular season as the fourth-lowest quarterback sack team.
On the other hand, it’s an indication of how the Tampa Bay defensive line took advantage of injury absences on both sides of the Chiefs’ offensive line. That helped them to dominate the battle at the line of scrimmage and not have to employ more players to send out packets (blitz) and leave the safe defenders in individual coverage.
