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Ivis AburtoESPN Digital
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl LV in the trenches and by winning this battle, they looked dominant on offense and defense in other areas of the field and virtually outscored the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Buccaneers ‘dominance on both sides of the ball was such that it caused the Chiefs’ mental errors with punishments, loose passes and poor execution, but Tampa Bay’s solid performance was also a reflection of the game plan designed by their coaches.
Below are some numbers that were key and serve to size the way the Buccaneers subdued Patrick Muhammad and his powerful attack and defensive of the Chiefs.
9 YARDS
– Muhammad’s aerial production in the first quarter and that marked the kind of game the Chiefs quarterback would have until the end when he struggled with the Buccaneers ’defensive pressure.
Kansas City’s defensive dominance was reflected in tricky third chances by Muhammad and company. The Chiefs only made three good 13 conversions in the third chance (23 percent). In the regular season, Kansas City finished third in efficiency on third chances with 49 percent.
497 YARDS
– This was the total number of yards traveled by Muhammad before throwing his passes or being caught in the Super Bowl LV, that is, when he came out of the protection bag in passing plays and in any direction to try to connect with its receivers.
The 497 yards traversed by Muhammad are the largest total before being launched or captured in the 2020 campaign.
11 PUNISHMENTS
– More than the final balance of handkerchiefs caused by the Chiefs, it is the impact that the punishments, particularly in the first half, had on Kansas City’s performance as a team.
The Buccaneers ’offense hit six firsts and 10 via Chiefs’ penalties all in the first half and the total is the largest for a team in Super Bowl history, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Chiefs’ 95-yard penalty in the first half is the highest total for a half in Super Bowl history (the previous record was 91, for the Dallas Cowboys in the 5th edition).
Of those 95 yards, 90 were only in the second quarter, also the highest total for a period in NFL title play history, and far surpassed the previous mark (59 yards for the Cowboys in the fourth period of Super Bowl XIII).
87 PERCENT
– How often the Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles belongs to the group of two deep Safeties (15 or more yards behind the scrimmage line).
The formula was put into practice by the New Orleans Saints against the Chiefs in the regular season, but the Buccaneers’ defense perfected it so that, in combination with relentless and effective pressure on Muhammad, the Chiefs could not exploit the deep passing routes with the speed of its receivers.
29 AGAINST APRIL
It’s the difference in times that Muhammad and Brady were pressured. The difference of 25 plays of pass under pressure is the greatest one in the history of the Super Bowl.
The difference also reflects the solid work the Buccaneers ’offensive line did, not only in the Vince Lombardi Trophy duel but throughout the campaign, after finishing the regular season as the fourth team that allowed the fewest quarterback catches.
On the other hand, it’s an indication of how Tampa Bay’s defensive line took advantage of injury absences on both sides of the Chiefs ’offensive line. This helped them dominate the battle on the line of scrimmage no longer having to hire more players to send load packs (blitz) and leave in individual coverages to the deep defenders.