Dynamic quarterback with mobility
Face it, Mahomes already is among the best of all time. He’s playing in his seventh straight AFC title game and is 17-3 in the postseason. Only Tom Brady owns more playoff wins, with 35.
No team or quarterback has ever won three straight Super Bowls, and Mahomes could have his fourth NFL championship ring at only 29. With no elite receivers, Kansas City traded with Tennessee for DeAndre Hopkins to play the final 10 games. But Mahomes still passed for 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
Mahomes’ mobility is a bigger asset when he’s escaping pressure to throw the football. But he did manage to gain 307 yards and two touchdowns with his legs on 58 carries.
That rivals Mayfield, who is elusive in the pocket and rushed 60 times for 378 yards and three touchdowns.
But as a ballcarrier, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is in a different stratosphere. He had 630 yards on the ground, tush-pushing his way to 14 rushing TDs. His passing was pedestrian: 2,903 yards and 18 TDs with five INTs. But in each case, both Mahomes and Hurts did an excellent job protecting the football.
In many ways, Mayfield had a better season, passing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns while completing more than 71% of his passes. But you can’t ignore his 16 interceptions, which led the NFL. He also had a league-high 13 fumbles.
Dynamic run game
Saquon Barkley isn’t just any running back. The Eagles star had a historic season, rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns despite being sat for the final regular season game after Philadelphia had clinched. He had 57 explosive plays from scrimmage, defined as runs of 10 yards or more and pass plays of 20 yards or more.
Add that to Hurts’ production, and you have an unstoppable 1-2 combination.
The Chiefs were only 22nd in rushing yards at 105.3 per game. Hunt led all ballcarriers with 728 yards.
Certainly, the Bucs are closer to the Eagles in this regard. Rookie Bucky Irving became the first Tampa Bay player since Doug Martin in 2015 to rush for 1,000 yards. Behind a big offensive line, not dissimilar to that of the Eagles, the Bucs were fourth in rushing offense (149.2 yards per game) and third in yards per attempt (5.2).
The Bucs can run with anybody, and that should translate to a deep playoff run.
Opportunistic defense
The Eagles had the No. 1 defense in the NFL after hiring coordinator Vic Fangio. They put a lot of pressure on the offense just using their front seven. The list includes defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr.
Likewise, the Chiefs defense is elite. It ranked ninth in the NFL, allowing 320.6 yards per game. But in terms of points allowed, it gets even better. The Eagles allowed 17.8 points per game, while the Chiefs were at 19.2
This is where the comparison to the Super Bowl teams falls with the Bucs.
Tampa Bay struggled on defense all season, finishing 16th by allowing 341.8 yards per game. The Bucs also were 16th in scoring defense, giving up an average of 22.6 points.
Clearly, the Bucs lack an edge rusher, a game-wrecker. Calijah Kancey led the Bucs with 7½ sacks, and Vita Vea had seven. The complete absence of an elite edge rusher outside is killing the defense.
Bucs GM Jason Licht may need to make a bold move similar to the one he did prior to the start of the 2018 season by trading for outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul.
The Bucs also have to address the inside linebacker position. Lavonte David is 35 and could retire. SirVoccea Dennis is coming off surgery to repair a torn pec.
A defense can’t go a whole season with only seven interceptions.
Fortune favors the bold
Say what you want about the analytics in the NFL, but they’re here and they seem to be working.
The Bucs had a chance to prevent overtime against the Chiefs. Receiver Ryan Miller caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds remaining in regulation to leave them trailing by an extra point. Of course, given Mahomes’ penchant for winning games late, the Bucs could have gone for the two-point conversion and tried to walk out of Arrowhead with a win.
They were just as conservative in their wild-card loss to Washington. They were down by a field goal and faced second and 1 at the Commanders’ 12-yard line. But Mayfield was stopped for no gain, and an Irving run lost 2 yards, forcing the Bucs to settle for Chase McLaughlin’s tying 32-yard field goal with 4:41 left.
Once again, Bowles played it safe, and safe was death. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels took the Commanders down for the winning field goal as time expired.
The Bucs have won four straight NFC South titles and are the only NFC team to reach the playoffs each of the past five years.
But they have work to do, especially on defense, where they need more manpower.
It also would help if Bowles was more aggressive on fourth down and goal-to-go situations. They can hang with the Super Bowl 59 teams. But to beat them? It’s a toss-up you can’t leave to chance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bucs have some key areas to address if they want to compete for another Lombardi Trophy. Improving their defense, acquiring a dynamic edge rusher, and being more aggressive in critical game situations could be the keys to their success.
FAQs
Q: What can the Bucs learn from the Super Bowl teams?
A: The Bucs can learn from the dynamic quarterback play, strong running game, and opportunistic defense of the Super Bowl teams to enhance their own performance.
Q: How close are the Bucs to competing for another Lombardi Trophy?
A: The Bucs are in a good position to compete for another Lombardi Trophy, but they need to address key areas of improvement, particularly on defense and in critical game situations.
Q: What are the key takeaways from the Bucs’ 2024 season?
A: The cruel symbolism of key moments, the need for improvement in critical game decisions, and the comparison to the Super Bowl teams are important takeaways from the Bucs’ 2024 season.
