Chiefs vs. Bucs Scouting Report, Super Bowl

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have steamed into Super Bowl LV on a seven-game winning streak, becoming just the fourth team to get to the title game by winning three straight on the road. They've taken down a trio of division winners, the NFC's top two seeds and a pair of former Super Bowl MVPs to get within one game of the franchise's second championship. Their reward? A date with the NFL's winningest team over the past two years and the game's most electric superstar.

It is the Buccaneers who will try to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs from defending their Super Bowl LIV victory with a second straight championship. The Bucs may be red-hot, but the Chiefs have won 25 of their last 27 games, including one in Tampa in Week 12 of the 2020 season. One of those two losses came in Week 17, when Kansas City rested much of its starting lineup with the top AFC seed already clinched.

Super bowl 2021

It is the Buccaneers who will try to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs from defending their Super Bowl LIV victory with a second straight championship. The Bucs may be red-hot, but the Chiefs have won 25 of their last 27 games, including one in Tampa in Week 12 of the 2020 season. One of those two losses came in Week 17, when Kansas City rested much of its starting lineup with the top AFC seed already clinched.

Kansas City brings the NFL's top-ranked offense in terms of net yards and net passing yards to Raymond James Stadium, with an attack that averaged over 400 yards and nearly 30 points per game. Like the Buccaneers, the Chiefs throw the ball better than they run it, but their ground game is actually middle of the NFL pack with 112.4 yards per game and 4.46 yards per carry. The Chiefs' offense is also in the top five in interception percentage, sack percentage, first downs, third-down percentage, yards per play and yards per pass play.

It starts with Mahomes, the 2018 league MVP who is on the short list for that award again in 2020. Mahomes' baseline numbers this season – 66.3% completion rate, 4,740 yards, 38 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 108.2 passer rating – are all magnificent, of course, but it's the manner in which he gets it done that sets him apart. For instance, the fourth-year passer threw for 951 yards while on the run this season (defined as when he's moving at 8-plus miles per hour), which is easily the most in the NFL. He's also essentially blitz-proof, posting a passer rating of 134.2 this season against the blitz. That's the highest such rating Next Gen Stats has calculated since it kicked off in 2016.

The Chiefs have emphasized surrounding Mahomes with dynamic weapons and the results at time seem unfair. In addition to all the downfield throws he can make with the flick of the wrist – occasionally while looking in a different direction – Mahomes also has seven touchdowns on "pop passes" since he became a starter in 2018, more than double any other quarterback. A pop pass is one that gets out of the quarterback's hand in less than 1.5 seconds and travels three or fewer yards in the air – in other words, plays that are designed to let the pass-catcher do all the work.

This statistic is easy to believe when you watch wide receiver Tyreek Hill at work. Hill had 1,499 yards and 17 touchdowns from scrimmage in the regular season (including 269 and three against the Bucs in Week 12) and made big plays on go routes and short passes. Against Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game, Hill turned a six-yard pass into a 71-yard gain, reaching nearly 21 miles per hour and covering more than 100 total yards in his meandering. Meanwhile, teams that want to pay a little extra attention to Hill are at risk of making it even easier for Travis Kelce, whose 1,416 receiving yards in 2020 were the most ever by a tight end in a single season. Much more on both Hill and Kelce below.

Mahomes can also put the ball in the hands of another extremely speedy receiver in Mecole Hardman, while Demarcus Robinson and Sammy Watkins give the Chiefs incredible depth and breadth at the position. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire showed flashes of brilliance in his debut campaign and is a natural pass-catcher. There is depth in the backfield, too, with veteran Le'Veon Bell and 2020 playoff standout Darrel Williams. If there is any area of concern on the Chiefs' offense it is with the line, which had an outstanding 2020 season but is now down both of its starting tackles after the Achilles tendon injury to Eric Fisher in the AFC Championship Game. Mike Remmers, who had been starting at right tackle in place of the injured Mitchell Schwartz, now moves to left tackle, with right guard Andrew Wylie kicking out to right tackle.

Kansas City's defense gave up 358.3 yards per game and 5.61 yards per play during the regular season to rank 16th and 18th in those categories. It was 21st against the run and 14th against the pass but helped hold down opponent scoring (22.6 points per game, 11th) by picking off 16 passes and causing 22 turnovers overall. Tyrann Mathieu, who quickly became the Chiefs' unquestioned leader on defense upon arriving in 2019, also led the team with six interceptions (plus one more in the playoffs) and is one of the most versatile defenders in the NFL. He and fellow safety Daniel Sorensen line up all over the field and are among the most blitz-happy safeties in the NFL.

Super Bowl 2021

Chiefs vs Buccaneers

Super Bowl 2021

Chiefs vs Buccaneers