It’s Brady vs. Mahomes when the Bucs face the Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t buying all the talk about Tom Brady’s struggles. They insist he’s still playing at a high level and will have to be at their best to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The reigning Super Bowl champions visit the Bucs today, with Patrick Mahomes facing Brady for the fourth time in his young career and Brady looking to shrug off a couple of subpar performances against playoff contenders.
“You can’t take anything away from Tom Brady. He’s still very smart, he’s still trying to throw the ball downfield, he still has the weapons. We’ll have our hands full,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said.
“He’s played against our system a number of times, even going back to New England,” Mathieu added. “He’s familiar with us. Now we have to get familiar with him and the weapons he has.”
Brady won two of the previous three matchups against Mahomes, including an overtime thriller in the AFC title game two seasons ago.
The six-time Super Bowl champion played poorly in home losses to New Orleans and the Rams two of the past three weeks. Still, Kansas City coach Andy Reid cautioned against anyone writing off the 43-year- old quarterback.
Despite Brady’s recent struggles, particularly on deep passes, the Bucs have already matched their victory total from last season and remain in prime position to end a 12-year playoff drought that’s the second longest in the NFL.
“He’s unbelievable. He’s a great player, a Hall of Fame player. We’re lucky enough to have a chance to be in this era where we get to play him,” Reid said.
“He’s old, and it’s hard to tell he’s old,” Reid added. “And that’s a tribute to how he takes care of himself, and the care and living he does all the way around, from diet to workout to everything.”
The Chiefs have won five straight, the eighth consecutive year they’ve had a streak at least that long.
Mahomes, who’s thrown for just over 312 yards per game with 14 TDS and one interception during Kansas City’s winning streak, was as surprised as anyone that Brady left the Patriots to sign with Tampa Bay in free agency last March.
“But he’s in a great spot. They’ve got a lot of weapons there,” Mahomes said, looking ahead to another head-to-head meeting.
Brady threw a pair of costly interceptions and was 0 for 6 on passes traveling at least 20 yards in last week’s 27-24 loss to the Rams. He’s 0 for 19 on such throws over the past three games, which includes a 38-3 loss to the Saints.
The struggles have raised questions about whether the offense Brady is being asked to run following a historic 20-year stint with the Patriots is suited to what he does best.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians concedes the offense has been inconsistent, but attributes that to a lack of continuity caused in part by teams not having a usual offseason due to the coronavirus pandemic and injuries that have forced lineup changes and limited practice time for some players.
Brady has lots of good things to say about Mahomes and the Chiefs, who lead the league in scoring at 32.1 points per game.
“He’s a terrific player, obviously. ... They’ve got their offense rolling,” Brady said. “I feel continuity is probably the most critical aspect of consistent performance.”
TITANS AT COLTS
Both of these AFC South leaders won in overtime with comebacks last week. The Colts already won at Tennessee this month. Tennessee has its best record after 10games since going 10-0 in 2008, in part because the Titans have a league-low five turnovers. Derrick Henry became the first player in league history with multiple overtime rushing TDS in a single season and leads the NFL with 1,079yards. The Colts have won four of their past five overall and four of the past five in this series. QB Philip Rivers (right big toe) hopes to make his 235th consecutive start, which would break a tie with Eli Manning for the 10th-most starts in league history.
SAINTS AT BRONCOS
As QB Taysom Hill stepped in so admirably for the sidelined Drew Brees, the Saints seized the top spot in the NFC. It’s Hill’s show for now, and the New Orleans defense appears ready to keep things rolling. Considering the only remaining opponent with a winning record, albeit a formidable one, is Kansas City, the rest of the schedule could be, well, a Big Easy. Denver, as up and down as anyone, ran all over Miami’s tough D last week. So the Broncos are no pushover.
BEARS AT PACKERS
Neither side comes into this renewal of the league’s longest rivalry playing their best. Indeed, Chicago has dropped four in a row as its offense has disappeared. Green Bay is 3-3 after a 4-0 start. The Packers have won their past four home matchups with the Bears. Green Bay has gone 19-5 against Chicago when Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback.
PANTHERS AT VIKINGS
The Vikings truly blew an opportunity by losing at home to Dallas and are 1-4 at home. The Panthers had their first shutout in 82 games when they manhandled Detroit as Brian Burns had a career-high two sacks. He leads all defensive ends in total tackles with 42. Like the Cowboys, Carolina has the receivers to damage Minnesota’s spotty secondary.
BROWNS AT JAGUARS
Like the Ravens and Bengals in their division, the Browns have had some COVID-19 issues and will be without their best player, edge rusher Myles Garrett, for the second consecutive week. Cleveland has built its record by beating whoever it should, and certainly the Jaguars, losers of nine in a row, fit that category. Jacksonville will go with yet another QB, journeyman Mike Glennon, who steps in for Jake Luton, who stepped in when Gardner Minshew was injured.
DOLPHINS AT JETS
Had the Dolphins not stumbled in Denver, this could be considered a trap game. Instead, look for a determined bunch from Miami, which figures to shut down the inept Jets with its strong defense. New York, threatening to become the third franchise to go 0-16 in a dozen years, hopes to get the oft-injured Sam Darnold back behind center. The Jets really need to evaluate him over the final six weeks as they head toward major decisions.
CHARGERS AT BILLS
No major QB decisions ahead for these teams. Buffalo took Josh Allen four spots after Darnold went in 2018 and has no reason to regret it. The Chargers grabbed Justin Herbert with the sixth overall spot in April and are thrilled with him. The Chargers finally overcame their late folds in beating the Jets last week, while the Bills had a bye. Watch the performances of outstanding wideouts Keenan Allen of L.A. and Stefon Diggs of Buffalo.
CARDINALS AT PATRIOTS
It’s been stunning to see the Patriots flop against mediocre or worse teams, with losses to injury-wrecked San Francisco, inconsistent Denver, and awful Houston last week. They seem to have little direction on offense, and the last time anyone could say that was 20 years ago. Arizona is right in the playoff mix in the NFC West and the conference. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has to know that New England neutralized the similar style of Lamar Jackson two weeks ago.
GIANTS AT BENGALS
A huge break for the Giants, who actually are playing the best among the dregs of the NFC East. They won’t have to face rookie sensation Joe Burrow after the quarterback and top overall draft choice tore knee ligaments in a loss at Washington.