Did Denver see the Chiefs’ dynasty crumble in Super Bowl loss to Tampa Bay?
Kiz: Tom Brady did GOAT things and our old friend Shaq Barrett wrecked an offense touted as unstoppable. Tampa 31, Kansas City 9. Holy moly. Got to admit, I didn’t see that coming. But I guess neither did quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. So was this complete undressing of K.C. on the NFL’s biggest stage the result of a beat-up offensive line and a miserable week when coach Andy Reid had more serious matters than the Super Bowl on his mind? Or did it portend something more?
O’Halloran: I tabbed Tampa Bay to reach the Super Bowl (losing to Baltimore) in our preview magazine way back in September and stuck with the Buccaneers by picking then to beat Washington, New Orleans, Green Bay and the Chiefs in the playoffs. Victory lap over. Going into the Super Bowl, I thought the Chiefs having to play Mike Remmers at left tackle and Andrew Wylie would be costly (it was), so if they get Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz back, the offense should be fine. Rushing four allowed Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to paint a masterpiece. Concerning, though, for Kansas City — the Chiefs have four touchdowns in two Super Bowls with Mahomes, who has basically had one good quarter in the two games (the fourth quarter against San Francisco).
Kiz: My friends in Kansas City used to get really irked when I called the Chiefs soft. They fed me crow when Mahomes finally brought their long-suffering team a championship. But the Chiefs that got pushed around by Tampa were soft physically and mentally I know there are too many teams to count that hope Houston trades quarterback Deshaun Watson. So perhaps my vision of Watson wearing orange and blue is a pipe dream. But if the Broncos find a way to get Watson, can wrestle the AFC West championship from the Chiefs in 2021?
O’Halloran: It depends on what the Broncos have to give up for Watson. If it is draft picks and any player not named Bradley Chubb, the good guys move into AFC playoff contention, and may get a chance to dethrone KC. Back to the Chiefs — their three highest cap numbers on defense for 2021 are edge rusher Frank Clark ($25.8 million), tackle Chris Jones ($21.9 million) and safety Tyrann Mathieu ($19.7 million). Did you hear CBS mention any of those players aside from when they committed penalties? Nope. The Chiefs’ defense was totally exposed. No pass rush. No discipline. No toughness against the run. On Sunday night, they were soft, particularly mentally.
Kiz: The best way to beat a bully is a punch straight to the kisser. The Broncos did it to Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50, and he was never Superman again. OK, Mahomes is a far superior quarterback to Newton. And speedy receiver Tyreek Hill won’t lose a step anytime soon. But when Mathieu lost his cool and his mind with everybody from Brady to teammates on the sideline, the Chiefs’ aura of invincibility crumbled. Kansas City is too soft to be a dynasty. The Broncos should be inspired to hit the weights and come out swinging next season.
O’Halloran: There is a long line of TBSBV (Tom Brady Super Bowl Victims) who never recovered. The Rams took 17 years to get back. Philadelphia 13 years. Carolina 12 years. Seattle hasn’t been back. Atlanta hasn’t been the same. And the Rams gave up on Jared Goff two years after their Super Bowl loss to New England. But Kansas City should be different … emphasis on “should be.” They have Mahomes, Hill and tight end Travis Kelce to score. But the key for the Broncos, aside from getting multiple cornerbacks to contain KC’s offense, is to get in-house improvement and/or outside help to stress a Chiefs defense that looked all kinds of vulnerable on Sunday.