The Defense of Super Bowl LV

Author: Jack Casabonne

Editor: Fran Attie

While all the talk so far has been on the offenses led by Brady and Mahomes, there’s always truth in the saying “defense wins championships.” Sunday’s matchup is going to come down to what team can get enough stops and takeaways to swing momentum, and both teams were exceptional at that during the regular season, with Tampa Bay forcing 25 turnovers and Kansas City forcing 22. If either team can get the opposing quarterback uncomfortable and off his A-game, they’ll surely be holding the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the night.

Defensive Line:

Chiefs:

The Chiefs tout one of the best defensive tackle and defensive end duos in the league with Chris Jones and Frank Clark. Jones is a two-time 2nd team All-Pro, and in the 2020 season he tallied 8 sacks while earning an incredible 90.3 PFF grade. On the other hand, Frank Clark had a quieter year than normal, incurring just 6 sacks, but he’s played his best ball in the playoffs, tallying 2 sacks against Buffalo and a tackle for loss against Cleveland. Other names to watch along Kansas City’s defensive front are Alex Okafor, Tanoh Kpassagnon, and Derek Nnadi.

Bucs:

Vita Vea’s return to football following his Week 5 ankle fracture couldn’t have come at a better time for Tampa Bay. In his first game back against Green Bay he made an immediate impact against the run, containing star running back Aaron Jones to just 27 yards. Playing alongside Vea are pass rushers Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul. Barrett came back down to earth during the 2020 season with 8 sacks following his monster 19.5 sack season in 2019; JPP wreaked havoc against the Packers, sacking Rodgers twice; and Pierre-Paul and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh are two veteran leaders along this defensive line that will look to continue their strong playoff performances.

Linebackers:

Chiefs:

In their AFC Championship matchup, the Chiefs used their linebackers sparingly, totaling just 88 snaps on 71 defensive plays. Former Dallas Cowboys Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson have led the way at linebacker for the Chiefs throughout the season, and both recorded low PFF grades in the 50’s, which could be why former Hawkeye Ben Niemann has seen an increased snap count in the playoffs. Linebacker is definitely the weakest position group for Kansas City, and an area Tom Brady may try to attack in coverage throughout the Super Bowl.

Bucs:

One of the biggest surprises this year has been Devin White’s play. The 22 year old has had an incredible second season, showcasing exactly why Tampa drafted him 5th overall in the 2019 draft. White has been all over the field in the playoffs, incurring 15 tackles against the Packers, and a huge interception against the Saints. Playing alongside him is the three time All-Pro Lavonte David, and the two combine to make one of the most impressive linebacker duos in the entire NFL.

Defensive Backs:

Chiefs:

Rookie cornerbacks are supposed to have a tough time transitioning to NFL-speed and -route running. Nobody told this to L’Jarius Sneed, though. The 138th overall pick has had a fantastic rookie season, where he’s tallied 3 interceptions and just 28 receptions allowed. Chavarius Ward and Bashaud Breeland round out the cornerback depth chart for Kansas City, and the Chiefs are also deep at safety, where they can play Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorensen, and Juan Thornhill. Mathieu is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the league. He recorded 6 interceptions in the regular season, including one that he returned for a touchdown against the Patriots in Week 4.

Bucs:

This Buccaneers' pass defense has gained a lot of attention since their divisional matchup against the Saints, when star receiver Michael Thomas got completely shut down. Carlton Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Jamel Dean will now be tasked with trying to slow down Kansas City’s explosive passing game. Davis and Murphy-Bunting were both 2nd round picks by the Bucs in 2018 and 2019, while Dean was drafted in the 3rd round of 2019. They aren’t, however, the only high draft picks in the Tampa secondary: Antoine Winfield Jr was the Bucs 2020 second round draft choice and has manned the free safety role for Tampa. Jordan Whitehead has been working as the strong safety, a role in which he has excelled throughout the playoffs.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

The Offense of Super Bowl LV

Author: Jack Casabonne

Editor: Fran Attie

Super Bowl LV will feature two extremely well-constructed rosters: The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams possess dangerous offenses, capable of scoring 40 points at will. There will be multiple players on the field who have the ability to take over a game at any second. So, the team that can take advantage of their strengths and play into potential mismatches should be able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the night.

Quarterback:

Chiefs:

Patrick Mahomes has been the definition of a star since winning the starting quarterback spot in 2018. The 4th year player had another stellar season in 2020, throwing for 4,740 yards and 38 regular season touchdowns against just 6 interceptions. Mahomes, however, has been battling injuries for much of this Super Bowl run: he exited the Divisional Round matchup with the Browns due to a concussion, and also suffered a turf toe injury. While this is something to monitor, it didn’t seem like it slowed him down much, as the Chiefs were able to gain 325 yards through the air in the AFC Championship showdown with the Bills.

Bucs:

At age 43, Tom Brady shows no signs of slowing down. In his first season outside of New England, Brady led the Bucs through a tough NFC into his record 10th Super Bowl appearance. No player in the history of the league understands winning quite like Brady, as he looks now for his 7th Super Bowl ring. While he did turn the ball over 3 times in the NFC Championship clash with the Green Bay Packers, Brady has had a solid postseason performance so far—the signal caller has thrown for at least 2 touchdowns in every game, and he’s led the Bucs to at least 30 points in each game as well.

Running Back:

Chiefs:

2020 first round draft pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire hasn’t had an overly impressive rookie campaign, averaging just 4.4 yards per carry. Additionally, after missing over a month's worth of games due to ankle and hip issues, his return against the Bills on Sunday consisted of only 6 rushing attempts that netted 7 yards. With backup running back Le’Veon Bell nursing a knee injury as well, it’s been Darrel Williams who’s gotten the bulk of the carries during the playoffs. The former LSU Tiger ran for 52 yards against the Bills and 78 yards against the Browns. Hopefully the week off will allow this positional group to get healthy ahead of their Super Bowl matchup.

Bucs:

The combination of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones have given the Bucs a 2-headed beast at the running back position. While it was Jones who received the majority of touches in the regular season, this dynamic has flipped in the playoffs—with Jones sitting out in the wild card matchup against Washington, Fournette took over lead back duties while rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown. Furthermore, “Playoff Lenny” has also been involved in the passing game, as he’s managed at least 4 catches in each playoff matchup. Expect the two to split carries and responsibilities again versus Kansas City.

Wide Receiver:

Chiefs:

Tyreek Hill remains the best vertical threat in football. His ability to take the top off a defense has to be considered on every offensive play, while he’s also one of the toughest players to tackle in space. His 172 yard performance against Bills corner Tre’Davious White showcased his ability to completely take over games. The Chiefs number two wideout is Sammy Watkins, but he’s missed both playoff games due to a calf injury. In his place the Chiefs have implemented the speedy Mecole Hardman, but while he has 4.3 speed to stretch secondaries, he actually made his biggest impact rushing the ball against Buffalo. Hardman had one carry but made the most of it, taking the wide receiver reverse for 50 yards.

Bucs:

Tampa Bay possesses the deepest wide receiver group in the entire NFL. Headlined by the 6’5” redzone beast Mike Evans, this bunch finished the regular season leading the NFC in receiving yards. Alongside Evans, the group consists of Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller. Now, Godwin’s production in 2020 didn’t match his gaudy numbers put up in 2019, as he missed 4 games, but he still came up critical in last Sunday’s matchup with the Packers, putting up 110 yards. Antonio Brown isn’t the same player he was a few years ago, but can still be a matchup nightmare out of the slot, and both of the youngsters, Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller, have proven to be reliable targets for Brady, completing an insanely deep depth chart at wide receiver.

Tight End:

Chiefs:

Two words: Travis Kelce. The tight end has carried his stellar performance from the regular season over to the postseason. Following a year in which he finished 2nd in football with 1,416 receiving yards, Kelce has continued his dominance by compiling over 100 receiving yards in both playoff games. Sunday’s performance against Buffalo was a spectacle, as Kelce finished the night with 13 catches for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 31 year old is playing the best football of his career right now and appears to be utterly impossible for defenses to contain.

Bucs:

While Rob Gronkowski’s return to football for the 2020 season didn’t see him put up the same stat lines from his younger years, he still has proven to be a reliable target for his familiar quarterback. Gronk finished the regular season with 623 yards and 7 touchdowns, but most importantly, he was able to stay healthy. In the playoffs however, Gronkowski has only caught 2 passes through 3 playoff games, as backup tight end Cameron Brate has been more involved, having had 11 catches in the same timespan.

Offensive Line:

Chiefs:

The loss of Mitchell Schwartz in Week 6 has definitely hurt the Chiefs throughout the season. The right tackle suffered a back injury and is not expected to be back for the Super Bowl. To make matters worse, starting left tackle Eric Fisher suffered an achilles injury in the AFC Championship game, leaving another starter out for the Super Bowl. While these injuries are concerning in light of a loaded Buccaneers’ front seven, the Chiefs were nonetheless able to hold the Bills to only 1 sack in their meeting last Sunday.

Bucs:

The Bucs offensive line has taken a huge step up from the 2019 season following the selection of offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs with the 13th pick in the draft. Brady only faced pressure on 24% of his dropbacks during the regular season, which was the 4th lowest percentage in the league. Additionally, this offensive line has given Brady plenty of protection throughout the past two weeks, holding the Packers and Saints to just one sack each. But a major question mark will revolve around their ability to pave holes for the running game in this matchup.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE