EARLY PEEK AT SUPER BOWL 55: BUCCANEERS (14-5) VS. CHIEFS (16-2)

Sunday, Feb. 7, 6:30 ET Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

TV:

Danny Sheridan’s line: Chiefs

Bucs’ keys to victory: On offense, everything starts with protecting QB Tom Brady, something Tampa Bay’s offensive line has done extremely well in victories. Brady has tons of playmakers, led by WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, as well as TE Rob Gronkowski, but he needs time in the pocket to take advantage of them. When the Chiefs have the ball, Tampa Bay will have to get the same kind of pressure it got against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game. (Five combined sacks from OLBs Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.) The secondary has to do a better job of containing Kansas City’s dynamic pass catchers than it did in a 27-24 loss in Week 12.

Chiefs’ keys to victory: Tampa Bay might have the best quarterback of all time, but the Chiefs have the best one right now. Patrick Mahomes also has arguably the best 1-2 punch of pass-catching weapons in WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce, both of whom carved up the Bucs in the regular season.

Getting pressure on Brady will be vital for the Kansas City defense, and it may require complex blitz packages, many of which should feature do-itall DB Tyrann Mathieu. Keeping Brady and Company in thirdand-long situations will be important.

Matchup to watch: Bucs CB Carlton Davis III vs. Hill. In that Week 12 loss (Tampa Bay’s most recent defeat), Hill scorched Davis for more than 200 yards and multiple touchdowns, doing most of his damage before the first quarter was over. Davis will need a much better outing, and perhaps some help from his safeties over the top, for the Bucs to avoid the same fate this time around. Look for the Bucs to play plenty of double coverage on Hill.

Who wins? Brady continues to prove that betting against him is risky business, though Mahomes and Company will certainly give him the toughest of tests. Still, he’s been in this situation far more often than any other quarterback in league history, and the Bucs are talented enough to learn from their mistakes in Week 12 and get some revenge for the second time this postseason. Bucs, 30-27

– Luke Easterling, Bucs Wire