It’s a lot more than a cliché. Defense remains the key to success in the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand as the latest example.
As shocking as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs was on the first Sunday in February at Raymond James Stadium, it’s hardly that surprising considering the history of the NFL.
For the second time in three years, a team with a highly-touted offense and left without scoring a touchdown. In Super Bowl LIII at Atlanta, Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams scored an impressive 527 points in 2018 during the regular season, totaled a combined 56 points in playoff wins over the Cowboys and Saints and then were limited to a field goal in a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
And on this most recent Super Sunday at Tampa, a relentless pass rush that took advantage of Andy Reid’s team’s shortcomings at offensive tackle sacked Patrick Mahomes three times and grabbed two of his passes. Turnovers have always been a big part of clubs falling short on Super Sunday. A total of 55 losing teams in the Super Bowl have given up the football an astounding 163 times (compared to 62 turnovers by the 55 winners).
Keep in mind that Kansas City finished with the NFL’s top-ranked offensive unit in terms of total yards in 2020. It marked the 17th time in Super Bowl history that a team arrived at the “Big Game” with such credentials and those clubs own an 8-9 record on Super Sunday.
How many times have we seen a team with high-flying credentials on offense get stifled in the Super Bowl by a solid defensive effort? Ask the 2013 Denver Broncos, who scored a record 606 points during the season and were shut down by the Seattle Seahawks in XLVIII by a 43-8 score.
And Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2007 took an 18-0 record into their match-up with the New York Giants (XLII). Bill Belichick’s club totaled 589 points during the regular season, now the second-highest total in NFL annals, and was limited to 14 points by that Big Blue defense.
No doubt that the Chiefs were their own worst enemy in the loss to the Bucs. But give credit to Todd Bowles’ defense and standout performances by linebacker Lavonte David and Devin White and a defensive line featuring Ndamukong Suh, Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.
The 22-point margin and the fact that Kansas City couldn’t find the end zone was a big surprise. But a defense stifling a top-notch offense in the NFL’s biggest game of the season has been commonplace for quite a spell.