The Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) head to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to face Tom Brady and the 7-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a late afternoon matchup.
The Chiefs have not been very fortunate against the Bucs in years past, losing the last five meetings dating back to the 1999 season. In fact, the last time Kansas City beat Tampa Bay, the Chiefs were leaning on the magic of Joe Montana during the 1993 season.
This time around, the Chiefs will be leaning on the magic of Quarterback Patrick Mahomes to help propel them past the Bucs and move to a 10-1 season record. To do that, they’ll have to win a matchup that features a ton of star power, but if there’s anyone that can do it, it’s Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes was spectacular last week against the L.V. Raiders, passing for 348 yards and 2 touchdowns, including the game-winner to tight end Travis Kelce in the closing seconds.
That, of course, is more than what Tom Brady could say about his performance from last week against the L.A. Rams. The 43-year-old QB struggled, throwing for 216 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, and finished with a 62.5 QBR as the Bucs lost 27-24 on Monday Night Football.
This week doesn’t get any easier as Brady faces a Chiefs defense that ranks fourth in the league in QBR allowed (84.9) and eighth in average-yards-per-attempt allowed (6.8). That being said, Kansas City’s pass defense is coming off of a game where they allowed Raiders QB Derek Carr to pass for 275 yards and three touchdowns.
Since the Buccaneers have way more offensive weapons at Brady’s disposal in comparison to Vegas (Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the future hall of famer to have a bounce-back performance.
While Kansas City’s ability to stop opposing rushing threats has been lackluster (ranks 26th in the NFL), so has Tampa Bay’s run game. The Bucs mustered up just 42 yards off of 18 attempts on the ground last week, and they’ve only eclipsed the 100-yard mark five times this season.
However, running back Ronald Jones is still a potential threat and will be someone Kansas City will need to prepare for. Jones averages 4.9 yards-per-carry, 68.5 yards-per-game, and has 754 yards and five rushing TDs so far this season.
In order to have a chance, Tampa Bay will need their best performance on offense in order to potentially best Kansas City on the scoreboard, which is something few teams have been able to do this season.
An even tougher task has been forcing Mahomes into making mistakes and turning the football over. Unless you’re wearing Silver and Black, that is, both of his interceptions were to the Raiders.
Tampa Bay will definitely be up to the challenge, however, since they are one of the best in the business at taking the football away. The Buccaneers pass defense ranks 2nd in the league, with 14 interceptions, and they’re 6th in the NFL, with 50 passes defended through 11 games.
This would be a direct result of a heavy pass rush, and the Bucs happen to be one of the best when it comes to getting after the passer, with 32 sacks and 76 QB hits. While the Chiefs are tied for fourth in the NFL with only 13-sacks allowed, making Mahomes one of the least sacked QBs, this will still be what Kansas City will need to prepare for due to a slightly banged-up offensive line.
The final aspect to watch on Sunday will be Kansas City’s rushing attack and particularly rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who’s coming off of a stellar performance last week, rushing for 69 yards and a pair of TDs on 14 rushing attempts. Veteran Le’Veon Bell is also making himself at home within the Chiefs offense, rushing for 79 yards and a score on 23 attempts through four games in K.C.
While the Chiefs and Buccaneers matchup will feature an abundance of big-names, Sunday will also be a moment where two great QBs will go head-to-head for what could be the final time. While Tom Brady closes in on the final chapters of his career, Patrick Mahomes continues on the early stages towards creating his own legacy as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks to ever take the field.
