Three Ways Buccaneers vs. Chiefs Matchup Could be Different From Week 12

The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a football game, the three-point loss came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, over two months ago.

Fast forward to Feb. 7, 2021, and the two teams find themselves in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla. Let's be clear, their paths to the Super Bowl have been very different.

The Bucs have won seven games in a row, including three straight playoff games on the road against three regular-season Division Champs. Meanwhile, Kansas City lost its regular-season finale after deciding to rest their starters ahead of the postseason. The Chiefs, however, finished the season at 14-2 overall and hosted their two playoff wins.

While Kansas City won 27-24 over the Bucs during the regular season, this Tampa Bay team has improved in a number of areas since then. Let's take a look at three ways Super Bowl LV could be different from Week 12:

1. The Bucs Could Start the Game Much Faster on Offense

Punt. Punt. Punt. Punt.

That's how the Bucs' first four offensive drives went against the Chiefs in Week 12. It wasn't until late in the second quarter Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady finally was able to lead his team down the field and put points on the board.

But by then, it was almost too late. Tampa Bay found itself down 14-0 after the end of the first quarter and trailing 20-7 entering halftime. While Brady and Bucs were able to get going in the second half and ultimately make it a three-point game, there's a strong chance Tampa Bay could start the game much faster on offense. Here's why:

On the opening drive vs. the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, Brady completed three of his first five passes and hit wide receiver Mike Evans for a 15-yard touchdown grab. That momentum continued as the Bucs entered halftime up 21-10.

Brady understands how important it is to start the game with offensive success, especially against the Chiefs.

"You'd obviously love to get off to a fast start," Brady said this week. "The one thing about this game, you're playing the other best team in the league, so there's not a lot of margin for error. If you do anything unsound it's not going to work."

While Tampa Bay at times this season has struggled to start games well, the Bucs have scored 7 or more points in the 1st quarter in 11 of their 19 games this year. Brady explained it's all about execution.

"Your execution has to be at your best," Brady said. "That's the way this game should be played. It should be the highest level of execution. It's the most time to prepare, concentration, focus. You've got to lay it on the line and try to make the plays when we've got them. When they're there to be made, we have to make them."

2. Tampa Bay Could Force Multiple Takeaways This Time Around

In the Week 12 win, Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw no interceptions and was only sacked twice. Mahomes finished the game with nearly 500 passing yards to go along with three touchdowns. Could we see a turnover today? It's possible.

During their seven-game win streak, the Bucs have forced seven turnovers, including three straight games with an interception from Sean Murphy-Bunting, to go along with seven total sacks against opposing quarterbacks.

Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles explained his defense has been "playing hard" and has caught fire recently.

"The guys up front, we've got some good players over there and they're clicking at the right time," Bowles said. "They're playing very well up front. We've been very opportunistic in the back end. They're coming together and making plays at the right time. They smell blood and they go after it."

It's important to remember that receiver Tyreek Hill blew past Bucs' cornerback Carlton Davis multiple times in the first quarter of the Week 12 matchup. Hill caught two touchdowns in the first quarter including a 75-yard grab. Despite what happened last time, Davis said he's not changing much for Super Bowl LV.

"I'm going to bring the same mentality," Davis said. I'm always going to be myself. It didn't work out the first game as far as what we did and our game plan, but we've corrected it and we've got a great game plan going in. But I'm going in with the same mentality and that's to dominate."

3. The Bucs Could Have Third Down Success on Both Sides of the Ball

One of the biggest reasons the Bucs struggled against the Chiefs was because of their third-down performance both on offense and defense.

When it was all said and done, Tampa Bay only converted 3-of-9 third downs, while Kansas City converted 50% of the time finishing 6-of-12 on third down. Bucs' head coach Bruce Arians explained how frustrating that can be especially on defense.

"I don't think there is anything worse than giving up a third-and-14 on defense, other than giving up a touchdown," Arians said. "It demoralizes a defense. You think you're off the field, then you're back out there for more plays."

Offensively, Brady understands how important it will be to have success on third down and the team has done a better job as of late converting. In the team's last three games, the Bucs have a conversion rate of 51.11% on third down. Brady explained how important it is to avoid long third downs.

"We're going to have to play well on early downs, keep our third downs manageable, eliminate negative plays, eliminate negative runs, sacks, penalties, all of those things are really important," Brady said. It's got to be a really clean football game because if you get stuck behind the down-and-distance, these guys do a really great job of getting you off the field. I think every play we're going to have maximum concentration."