Super Bowl Preview: Buccaneers Defense vs. Chiefs Offense

Patrick Mahomes made throwing for 462 yards look easy to begin the Kansas City Chiefs Week 12 matchup against Tampa Bay, although the Buccaneers were able to generate some pressure in the second half and make the gunslinger uncomfortable.

In order to house the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night, the pass rush will have to be disruptive from start to finish, and get Mahomes into the dirt far more often before he can find his vast arsenal of weapons. That might be a bit easier as the Chiefs will be without both of their starting offensive tackles, but it is the Chiefs and their high-powererd offense nonetheless.

In order to best preview Super Bowl LV, we're joined by Joshua Brisco of Arrowhead Report this week to analyze the matchups between the Buccaneers and Chiefs, beginning with Tampa Bay's offense and Kansas City's defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense

Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill casually connected for 203 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter when the Buccaneers last hosted the Chiefs. That can't happen this time around if Tampa Bay wants to stand a chance in the Super Bowl.

Fortunately for the Bucs, their defense is hot and has played an instrumental part in Tampa Bay's playoff run. The Bucs have scored 41 of their 92 points in the postseason off of seven turnovers, allowing 5.3 yards per play, which would rank in the top quarter of the NFL during the regular season.

Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead have been on the injury report but are trending upward. Their availability is crucial as the Bucs will require more help from their safeties to cover Hill and the Chiefs' weapons, as cornerback Carlton Davis III allowed Hill to catch nine passes for 211 yards in Week 12 according to Pro Football Focus, typically left on an island in coverage.

Sean Murphy-Bunting and Lavonte David are the most likely candidates to line up across from Travis Kelce, so long as David is available as he's nursing a hamstring injury. Murphy-Bunting has recorded an interception in each playoff game, putting together a string of strong performances when the Bucs have needed it most.

The matchup that could play into Tampa Bay's favor is upfront, a hot Bucs pass rush going against a battered Chiefs offensive line. Edge rushers Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul are coming off of a combined five sack performance in the NFC Championship, and as a whole, the Buccaneers have compiled 53 quarterback pressures across 140 dropbacks in the playoffs, per PFF.

Without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz as is, the Chiefs gave up 24 pressures against the Chiefs in Week 12, but Mahomes did what Mahomes does and connected with playmakers off-script routinely. Left tackle Eric Fisher only allowed three of those pressures, though, and he won't play on Sunday due to a torn Achilles. Right guard Andrew Wylie allowed seven pressures the last time around, furthering the importance of disruption from the likes of Ndamukong Suh, William Gholston, and the now-healthy Vita Vea.

The Bucs' edge rush must improve its contain from last time around, but the potential is there for Tampa Bay to disconcert Mahomes and force a crucial turnover or two. But even if that were to come to fruition, Mahomes is bound to put up some points one way or another.

Kansas City Chiefs offense

The Chiefs' offense is a juggernaut, that's not really an item of debate at this point. Tampa Bay's challenge on Sunday won't be to stop the Chiefs, but to knock them out of sync in a small handful of key situations. If the Buccaneers can simply keep Kansas City out of the end zone — by forcing punts, field goals or turnovers — they'll have done their job, giving Tom Brady and the offense a chance to keep pace.

Tampa's best chance at disruption will come from their star-studded front-four, matched up against the Chiefs' held-together-by-gum-and-string offensive line. Center Austin Reiter figures to be the Chiefs' only opening-day starter to start the Super Bowl where he began the year, with the team's only other healthy Week 1 starter, Andrew Wylie, likely to move from right guard to right tackle as swing-tackle Mike Remmers moves from right tackle to left following the injury to Eric Fisher. Left guard Nick Allegretti has performed admirably since being thrust into action early in Week 5, following the opt-out of starting left guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and injury to then-starting left guard Kelechi Osemele. Remmers was the Chiefs' first choice as next-guard-up before he moved to right tackle to replace the injured Mitchell Schwartz in Week 5.

Long story short on the o-line: it has been an injury-ravaged jigsaw puzzle, but a competent one. As long as Mahomes' toe injury is completely healed, as Mahomes indicated it would be by game time, the offense should be able to continue to function with Mahomes remaining mobile and the line holding its own.

The Buccaneers will have their hands full when Mahomes does get the ball out, as Tyreek Hill torched them for 203 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter in the mid-season matchup between the two teams, and Travis Kelce will force the Bucs to pay extreme attention to the intermediate sections of the field even when Hill tests them deep. One potentially underrated aspect of the offense could come with the return of Sammy Watkins, who hasn't seen the field since his injury in Week 16. He's not the game-destroyer that Kelce or Hill are, but if Tampa decides that Watkins will be the poison to pick, he'll win one-on-one matchups often enough to keep the chains moving.

The Kansas City running game is nearly an afterthought considering how explosive and consistent the passing game is, but it's worth noting that the Chiefs will absolutely take free yardage if Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles dares them to run the ball into a light box. There's no reason to expect the Chiefs to force carries on early downs or pass-preferred situations, but if Tampa wants to test this theory, Mahomes will leave the ball in the hands of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrel Williams or Le'Veon Bell in a run-pass option.

The Buccaneers' best chance is to rush four and try to show Mahomes as many various looks as possible in the back seven, though that's far from Mahomes' kryptonite. Tampa Bay's secondary will be overmatched in this game, but if they can be just disruptive enough in the pass-rush to force a turnover in a big moment, it could provide the speed bump that gives Brady and the Tampa offense the opportunity they need.