Old reliables allow Tampa to buck its history
There’s always a place for relentless defense as Buccaneers’ shrewd scheme demonstrates
Tampa Bay became the best team in the NFL because the once-laughable Buccaneers had the guts and foresight to believe in the power of Tom Brady in 2020.
Wisdom and experience prevailed in Super Bowl LV. Without 68-year-old Bruce Arians doing it his way, the 43-year-old Brady doesn’t buy into the Bucs, and key veterans Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul don’t unite behind a single unified cause in Tampa.
But the real reason the Buccaneers stunned the NFL — and smart football fans across the globe — on Sunday night via a 31-9 big-game beatdown? Defense. Defense. Defense. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was the real star of SB LV.
Defense still wins champi
onships, even in 2021.
The “best offense in the NFL” didn’t score a touchdown while Patrick Mahomes was forced to run almost 500 yards as he attempted to escape pressure that never ceased.
“We took away some of the underneath throws, and it takes time for guys to get deep. That allowed guys up front to get after him,” Bowles told reporters after two interceptions and three sacks held Mahomes to a shaky 52.3 passer rating. “The biggest thing we were trying to do was take away his first read, make him hold the ball to look at (the defense) long enough to get after him.”
Bill Belichick built his twodecade New England dynasty with Brady by relying on defense.
When Peyton Manning went out with a Super Bowl 50 victory as a Bronco, it was Denver’s relentless defense, not Manning’s Hall of Fame arm, that handed Gary Kubiak a shining trophy.
Seattle’s Legion of Boom. The Chiefs’ defense kicking in at the end of Super Bowl LIV, allowing Mahomes to take over late and steal a title from San Francisco.
Defense. Defense. Defense. Brady was sharp Sunday: 21-of-29 passing for three TDs and a 125.8 rating.
Leonard Fournette pounded for 89 yards and a win-sealing TD, while Tampa Bay ran 33 times for 145 total yards.
But the Bucs were only 4-of-12 on third down, Brady threw for only 201 yards, and SB LV wasn’t dominated by an offensive explosion.
Tampa Bay was balanced on the scoring side, blending an old-school ground game with play-action passes and heavy tight end usage.
Bowles’ defense — strong up front, precise in the secondary — was the real game-changer. Mahomes never looked comfortable and was pressured 29 times, according to ESPN. The Chiefs were just 3-of-13 on third down, while Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy combined coaching forces to produce just three field goals and a scoreless fourth quarter.
“I think (Bowles) 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.”
The Texans' defense ranked 30th out of 32 teams in 2020 in average yards allowed (416.8) and was 27th in average points allowed (29).
For all the talk since early January surrounding Deshaun Watson’s uncertain future in Houston, new general manager Nick Caserio’s most challenging long-term task is rebuilding a Texans defense that lost its way in recent years.
If Watson’s situation can be fixed, a single one-on-one conversation could be the breakthrough.
The Texans’ defense needs a new identity, fresh talent and a complete overhaul.
Maybe new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith still possesses enough of the 2006 Bears to make a first-year impact inside NRG Stadium. That Chicago squad reached Super Bowl XLI with one of the best defenses in the NFL — and Rex Grossman at quarterback.
In 2018, the Texans were tied for fourth in the NFL in points allowed (19.8). The 2011 and ’12 teams were led by elite defenses. In 2016, Bill O’Brien’s most dangerous playoff team pushed Belichick and Brady hard at New England, riding a defensive unit that topped the NFL in yards allowed (301.3) and almost overcame Brock Osweiler’s unreliability in a divisional round contest against the Patriots.
Mahomes was supposed to be unstoppable. Back-to-back championship trophies were in sight.
Kansas City’s speed, athleticism and diverse offensive weaponry were supposed to turn the high-powered Chiefs into the NFL’s new modern dynasty.
Bowles outschemed Kansas City. Great defense trumped a great offense again.
“They beat us pretty good,” Mahomes said. “The worst I’ve been beaten in a long time.”
No matter what happens with Watson in the coming months, a broken defense is what the Texans must fix in 2021 and the years ahead.