After a year like no other, we got a Super Bowl that was disappointing, to say the least. Patrick Mahomes seemed almost awestruck by the legend he was playing and looked like he forgot that he wasn’t a fan, but his opponent. The Chiefs as a whole seemed off as the Buccaneers beat them into submission with a strong 31-9 pounding.
It is clear that Brady is very much here to stay and combining him with some actual wide receivers, something the Patriots never seemed to do, makes him outright dangerous at an astounding 43 years old. Mahomes will have his chance to be back though, as the Chiefs are unlikely to fall off save for some horrible mismanagement of cap or losses in free agency. However, after a Super Bowl that left fans in dismay, maybe we don’t need to see the past meet the future again.
This Super Bowl had amazingly high expectations from most fans this year. Brady was going for his 7th ring, Mahomes his 2nd straight, it was the first game where the home team played in their home stadium, and it was two of the highest-powered offenses meeting for what was sure to be a great duel. Their regular season meeting was, resulting in a 27-24 scoreline with a Chiefs victory.
Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady combined for over 800 yards and 6 TDs in that game and yet in the Super Bowl they had less than 500 yards and only 3 TDs. While there is a strong argument that this was due to the Buccaneers’ constant pressures and lockdown coverage, and in part it truly was, but the Chiefs just were off the entire game.
Pat Mahomes did not score a single TD and the Chiefs only scored 9 points. The last time they only scored 9 points in a game was a 2017 game against the Giants. Even better, this was before Patrick Mahomes, as Alex Smith started this game, meaning Patrick Mahomes has never had a game where only 9 points are scored.
His passer rating was a lackluster 52.3 which was also his lowest of his career, and he only has two games with no TDs and 2 interceptions, his last being in 2018 against Jacksonville. The Chiefs’ defense also seemed off, drawing far too many penalties and giving the Buccaneers free first downs on multiple occasions.
On the other hand, the Buccaneers defense does deserve immense respect for their absolute shutdown of the Chiefs’ offense. Forcing any quarterback to their worst passer rating ever is an impressive task, but a quarterback as skilled and seemingly unstoppable as Mahomes is worthy of a round of applause. They pressured him constantly and played with a passion that the Chiefs lacked.
They were aided by the offense as well. After all, 31 points were scored by the Brady-led Bucs. Gronk looked perfectly at home in the Super Bowl, catching passes from his long-time quarterback, including 2 TDs on the night. Arguably even more impressive were the Buccaneers running backs who garnered 150 yards with a 5.4 YPC against a Chiefs team that allowed a 4.5 YPC over the course of the season.
Overall, this game was an absolute blowout, and the only stats you need to see are 21-6 at halftime and a 31-9 final to understand that. This game was painful to watch for even the most loyal NFL fans and the only ones celebrating are the people of Tampa Bay, while the rest of the country cringes in agony after a pathetic end to another football season.
Now comes the inevitable trek to September 9th for the return of professional football. Until then, we have free agency and the draft to wash the bad taste of the Super Bowl out of our mouths.
