Three Takeaways From the Chiefs' 31-9 Loss in Super Bowl LV
In an uneventful game for Kansas City, the Chiefs were unable to complete the Run It Back Tour as the Chiefs fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
Tampa Bay cruised to the win thanks to big performances from Lenoard Fournette, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and the Buccaneers' defense. The Bucs stifled the Chiefs' high-octane offense to just nine points.
Here are three takeaways from the Chiefs' Super Bowl LV loss.
1. Eric Fisher is more important than people give him credit for.
The performance from the offensive line was the worst I have seen in a long time and one of the bigger reasons this game ended the way it did. With Andrew Wylie playing out of his position, going up against an elite pass rusher was a recipe for disaster. The Buccaneers were able to get consistent pressure on the Chiefs and it forced Kansas City to get open quicker, which wasn't happening. All the injuries finally caught up to the Chiefs and it just so happened to be on the biggest stage.
2. Patrick Mahomes played better than his stat line showed.
Mahomes had to deal with the aforementioned pressure all day on a toe that he is reported to have surgery on when this offseason. Coupled with drops from his receivers, the Chiefs' offense struggled to get anything going all night. Mahomes had no help and was forced to make all the plays. Travis Kelce was the only other player who helped Mahomes, but that was only after he had a couple of costly drops of his own. While the stat line will be talked about all week, don't let it fool you. There was more to it.
3. The Chiefs have been given motivation for next season.
The 2018 AFC Championship loss loomed large over the 2019 Chiefs team. Could this win possibly give the Chiefs more motivation for next year? It could. Arrowhead Report's Conner Christopherson pointed this out first on Twitter and while it might be a reach, it's definitely something Kansas City will be thinking about.
