Super Bowl LV Bold Prediction: Buccaneers defense will limit Patrick Mahomes

The Kid may not get much done.

By Gil Arcia@GilArciaBUCS Feb 5, 2021, 8:00am EST

Kansas City Chiefs v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You’ve followed along all season. Now we’ve brought it to you individually. The Bucs Nation staff has written up a series of bold predictions for the game one by one, day by day as we head into Super Bowl LV between the Buccaneers and the Chiefs where we sum it all up for you and give you the chance to vote for your favorite bold prediction the morning of the big game. Here is our final bold predictions piece in our Super Bowl LV Bold Predictions Series.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, inconsistency plagued them for part of the 2020 regular season. Sure, one could argue the offense put them in situations that were tough to come out of. But as the saying goes, players still have to execute in those difficult moments.

In games where they looked dominant and executed with ease, Tampa Bay’s defense gave up less than 250 total yards to opposing offenses five times during the regular season. They were 4-1 in those games, where that lone loss came against the Chicago Bears — a game they let get out of hand due to penalties they committed.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has thrown for less than 250 yards just four times all season. Back in Week 12, Mahomes scorched the Bucs defense for 359 yards passing in the first half alone. Yes, most of that was due to wide receiver Tyreek Hill racking up over 200 receiving yards in the first quarter. However, even if you cut Hill’s production in half for that quarter, the Chiefs’ gunslinger would still be over 250 yards in the half.

I’ve been very critical of the Buccaneers’ defense all season. They’ve played soft coverages often and there just wasn’t ever enough push up front for pressure to materialize. There were rarely adjustments made, and we saw that for the first three quarters of that Week 12 matchup.

But Todd Bowles has made adjustments to his defensive unit ever since. We witnessed his defense play to their strengths throughout the second half of the season and during their playoff run.

That’ll continue on Sunday.

For my Super Bowl LV bold prediction, the Buccaneers defense will hold Mahomes to under 250 yards passing and just one touchdown. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough to knock off the defending champions — unless the weather does in fact play a role.

Score Prediction: Chiefs 26, Buccaneers 20