Tampa’s ‘D’ made quick work of Mahomes, KC dynasty talk

In the only game that held anyone’s interest Sunday, Ruff defeated Fluff in the Puppy Bowl.

Well, that’s what happened in the Super Bowl, too.

Ruff defeated Fluff.

The rough and ready Tampa Bay Buccaneers took down the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty.

So the Chiefs dynasty lasted about as long as an episode of “Duck Dynasty.”

Patrick Mahomes has still won as many Super Bowls as Trent Dilfer.

Let’s stop trying to make him into something he’s not. At least right now.

When last seen, Mahomes was running around in circles in his own backfield. OK, he did look like Fran Tarkenton. That’s incredible.

He had no offensive line. The Buccaneers have a defensive line.

The results were predictable. Afterward, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ game plan was to blame.

“I think he got a little tired hearing how unstoppable they were,” Arians said. “He had a great plan to keep them in front of us and give the guys up front time to hunt. They chased him around pretty good.”

They probably chased him to the team bus.

“There was nothing that was gonna stop us from winning this game. I knew we was going to keep the pressure up,” linebacker Shaquil Barrett said.

“I did not think we was going to keep them from scoring a touchdown but we stepped up, we showed up, we held them to three every time they was down there,” Barrett added, “and Coach Bowles had a great game plan. We had the guys up there to make it work and we made it work, baby.”

Mahomes could not pick up a first down on third-down plays if his savings account depended on it.

He missed his first eight passes on third downs and finished 4 for 12 for 46 yards and an interception for an 11.1 rating that was fourth worst on third downs in the past 30 Super Bowls.

“They had a good game plan,” Mahomes said. “They kind of took away our deep stuff, took away the sidelines and did a good job rallying to the football and making tackles. We weren’t executing early, had a few miscues and we weren’t on the same page.”

The book is now closed.

Tom Brady, on the other hand, continues his career with honors about as long as “War and Peace.”

He now has won seven Super Bowl rings and five MVP awards from the game. It is likely he made a pit stop at IKEA on the way home for a case to store his new stuff in.

A lot of people don’t like Brady. Maybe it’s because he wins ugly. Maybe it’s because he wins boring. Maybe it’s because he wins all the time.

“He is the greatest football player to ever play. I can tell my kids I played with that man,’’ Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette said. “I’m just blessed.”

Is Brady the greatest of all time? Seven Super Bowl rings say yes. The veteran quarterback, who said he’d be back, didn’t reflect on his career afterward.

“We were fortunate our team stayed disciplined, with all the protocols in place, and ended up getting the job done,” he said.

OK, that’s kind of boring.

But he now is what everyone likes to call The GOAT.

If the Cubs knew he was The GOAT, they would have brought him to Wrigley Field years ago.

Vinelines

Norman Chad, syndicated columnist: ‘Elected officials have term limits – it is time to apply them to Tom Brady.”...

Frank Iosla of The Athletic, on the halftime show: “The Weekend has me looking forward to Monday.”...

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle: “Second stupidest thing in world: Making a Super Bowl prediction. Stupidest: Asking someone for theirs.”...

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “This 135th edition of Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania broke with tradition last week when: a) it was done virtually because of COVID-19 b) Punxsutawney Phil emerged with an N95 mask on c) they changed the prediction to six more years of bad Jets football.”...

Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen, on working with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning: “I stay out of their way. I’ve always thought of myself as the stable boy who gets kicked in the shin a few times, keeps everything mucked out, and get ’em to the track on time and let them do their thing.”...

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, on EA Sports College Football being resurrected after seven years: “All I ever wanted was to be on the cover of this game, and as soon as I graduate they bring it back.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passes while getting hit by Tampa Bay outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett on Sunday. Mahomes often had very little time to throw.