Tom Brady is a tough opponent to defeat twice in the same season, and while the New Orleans Saints were able to pull off that feat with a regular-season sweep of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their third attempt ended with them being eliminated from the playoffs on their own field in the NFC Divisional Round. It's now time for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to see if they can duplicate what the Saints did in the first two matchups against Brady and the Buccaneers defense when again they meet in Super Bowl LV, the latter being just as lethal at determining the outcome of a game.
When the two sides met in Week 12, it was the Chiefs narrowly escaping with a 27-24 victory at Raymond James Stadium, where they return to the scene of the crime on Sunday. The question is what can the Buccaneers take away from the loss suffered more than two months ago that could give them the edge in early February?
Well, lots.
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The growingly visceral defense has blossomed under defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but they were roasted to the tune of 543 total yards of offense by Mahomes and the Chiefs offense in late November -- the most they've given up all season by a hefty 123 yards -- along with 26 first downs. They knew going into the game they'd have to stop Mahomes, which is no secret, but their hope is they've now learned enough from facing him already this season to stop him from passing for a robust 462 yards and three touchdowns in the rematch.
Easier said than done, obviously, but Bowles has done well at adjusting his defense this season, and his unit has been more opportunistic than in recent memory, reeling in more than a handful of takeaways in the postseason alone.
They'll need to keep those good times rolling in Super Bowl LV and, if they can give Brady added possessions as they did against the Green Bay Packers -- as one example -- it'll likely end in added points on the board, more often than not. Keeping in the defensive discussion for Tampa Bay, bottle-capping Mahomes will also make it easier to turn the tide by way of the run defense, something they are the best in the NFL at controlling. Rookie sensation running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, wasn't much needed in Week 12 en route to rushing for no touchdowns on 11 carries, but the Bucs defense held him to only 3.36 yards per carry and 39 total yards from scrimmage.
It's what All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill did that humiliated them -- racking up a monstrous 269 receiving yards (most in the first quarter) and three touchdowns that included his tell-tale taunt-fueled back flip into the end zone on one occasion.
And then there's when he went to the sideline and channeled his inner Shannon Sharpe, picking up the phone and pretending to call someone before yelling at those in attendance that "help is on the way!" So not only does Bowles and his defense know what to do and might potentially have a better idea at how to do it, but to say they're emotionally charged to shut down Hill is an understatement. They've not forgotten the disrespect, and as Bowles noted, if they smell blood in the water -- they're "going after it" -- but that will involve either clamping Hill or taking down Mahomes to prevent the trigger from being pulled in the first place. Again, easier said than done, but there's something different this time around that might help in a big way.
The Chiefs are entering the rematch with only one offensive lineman, center Austin Reiter, occupying the same position he's played in mostly all season. They lost both starting tackles in Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz along with left guard Kelechi Osemele for the season with injury, while the Bucs saw the return of defensive lineman Vita Vea to the mix recently. That adds him to a lineup with Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett, along with Ndamukong Suh, to make for mismatches that didn't exist on Nov. 29.
All the Bucs have to do is take advantage of them.
From there, the best version of Brady will be required, e.g., the one who showed up in the first half against the Packers and not the one who came out of halftime at Lambeau Field. He also wasn't perfect in his first meeting with the Chiefs defense -- All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback Bashaud Breeland both grabbing an interception in that game. Gifting Mahomes additional possessions is a death sentence, and simply can't happen. The onus will be on Brady to play mistake-free football if he wants to stave off the next big thing in the NFL and, in the process, remind the world he's far from suffering a defeat at the hands of Father Time. Both teams will have tricks up their sleeve not unveiled in the first fight, but it was the Bucs using the November loss as their final boost to get them where they are right now: on track to potentially avenge their mistakes from Week 12.
In a game that's infinitely difficult to predict, the Bucs have the benefit (?) of having lost the first round, as chip meets shoulder.
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Super Bowl 2021: Losing to Chiefs in Week 12 might give Buccaneers narrow edge in rematch - CBS Sports
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