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Woke up with a head full of thoughts on SB LV and had the urge to tweet for the first time in ages, so random train of thoughts upcoming.
First to say that the Bucs were clear & deserving winners, and I'll try to frame my thoughts based on that, not KC losing.
First to say that the Bucs were clear & deserving winners, and I'll try to frame my thoughts based on that, not KC losing.
I'll mainly be focusing on the KC O vs TB D, I spent the morning re-watching the passing game on that side of the ball and I think that's the story. The Bucs O did their job and got a par/above par score, but they won because of the defense, that's the story.
The game script developed in a way that enhanced favourable matchups for TB and they executed to take full advantage of that. How that developed was a mixture of KC being off their game, TB taking their chances & KC making limited or no adjustments to the TB D.
There was an early chance for the game to take a different path. The final play of KC's opening drive they got Hardman behind Davis on a corner from the slot and they couldn't hook up. There's a TD & 7-0 lead there when KC are on & this was one of v. few chances for a big play.
The only other time I saw KC get anyone in behind the D was in Q4. It was Hardman, again, but Mahomes couldn't get to it due to pressure (a running them, obviously). Play resulted in a 1st down gain to Kelce when Mahomes had to come off it.
Another brief touch on non-TB factors, officiating in Q2 contributed to the development of the game script but didn't decide the game. I think there was a mix of good & ticky-tacky calls in there and TB took full advantage to add to their lead.
This game script hasn't been an issue for KC in the past as @PFF_Sam said in preview content. But this reinforced that are hard & not guaranteed. Especially when the leading team keeps their foot on the gas & doesn't come off what's working like TB did on O & D last night.
Another factor that hurt KC's comeback was them falling foul of the "creep back towards average" maxim on the OL (h/t @PFF_Steve & @PFF_Sam). This was one injury & re-shuffle too many for KC with the combined factor of the OL they were left with, the game script & TB's pass rush.
KC's OL this season hasn't been a huge issue in spite of being stretched because they've been able to protect the OL. But the game script & TB's D setup meant the OL had to protect Mahomes & the scheme rather than the opposite & they couldn't do that.
Mahomes' style didn't help either though. He had 25 dropbacks that we charted with a drop depth of 10yds or more, that puts a lot of stress on OTs that the like of Schwartz & Fisher can stay in the fight against but when you get this deep on the depth chart, that's a tough ask.
Another factor for the KC OL being so depleted & moved around on short notice is that they couldn't (or wouldn't, both?) go to the BUF gameplan from their first game & exploit the 2-high looks with the run game to force them out of it.
The quality of the TB front compared to the quality of the BUF front & the game script probably dictated that, but it was indicative of KC not trying to significantly change things up when TB had the clamps on them that was the theme of the game.
The Bucs' pass rush got a lot of credit last night & deservedly. As I've seen @robertmays & @DariusJButler point out the TB mixed up the scheme really well to ensure they kept their advantage. They could win the 1-on-1s but mixing up the stunts/games & blitzes kept KC off balance
This from @DariusJButler highlights a good example with Vea collapsing the edge; they did it with Suh as well collapsing one edge to force Mahomes into the looper on a stunt & controlling how he could leave the pocket. A great blend of pass rushes. https://twitter.com/DariusJButler/status/1358587606104231938
TB's pass rush got their dues last night but coverage unit will get their dues this week too. They were disciplined in not giving any windows deep & KC never switched away to consistently hit things quick, underneath to the middle of the field to force a change.
One setup I really liked converted a KC strength to a TB strength within this game. When Hill & Kelce were to the same side they'd always have 4 over 2 which meant Mahomes never had anything when he read that side first & by the time he got off them, the pass rush on him.
I've waffled long enough, my PFF colleagues will absolutely shocked at that.
This wasn't a classic Super Bowl but credit goes to Todd Bowles, his staff & his players for making it so. They stayed disciplined & dared KC to come up with a change of pace & they couldn't.
This wasn't a classic Super Bowl but credit goes to Todd Bowles, his staff & his players for making it so. They stayed disciplined & dared KC to come up with a change of pace & they couldn't.
