5 takeaways from Chiefs' Super Bowl LV loss to Buccaneers (2024)

This was a bit of a learning experience in the sense that Patrick Mahomes is not always able to do the impossible. We’ve seen him overcome so many obstacles in games in the past, but this time it just never came. He made some fantastic throws that would have been all-timers but just wasn’t able to connect with his receivers.

Looking at his stat line it could look like he had a bad game, completing just 26-of-49 attempts with no touchdowns and two interceptions. In reality, he was the only reason why the Chiefs had any hope in the fourth quarter, but even he couldn’t weather what was a perfect storm from Tampa Bay. It’ll be interesting to see how Mahomes uses this in the future for motivation, but he has to be hurting knowing that even his best couldn’t get the job done.

In general, the Chiefs didn’t look like they were ready to play this game. The offense, defense and special teams looked like they were fighting uphill all game long. There were dropped passes, coverage busts, missed tackles and shanked punts. The execution was severely lacking by the standards that we’ve come to hold this team.

The team was either overconfident going into this game or they were simply outcoached throughout, maybe both. Either way, it’s disappointing for Kansas City to come out flat in the most important game of the season. They’ll have a chance to let that feeling of loss simmer throughout the entire offseason. Hopefully, they can use this as a learning experience. Coming back from early deficits isn’t always possible.

The offensive line play was the hardest thing to watch as they were simply dominated by the Buccaneers. Kansas City going into the game knew that Tampa Bay’s best chance at winning this game was giving Patrick Mahomes more pressure than he could handle, and they clearly were able to achieve that. Mahomes was pressured 29 of his 56 dropbacks, making him the most pressured quarterback in a Super Bowl ever. They’ll need to get Mahomes some more protection this offseason to assure this doesn’t happen again.

That being said, the Chiefs were without five of their linemen this season to either injury or opt-outs including Pro-Bowl LT Eric Fisher and All-Pro RT Mitchell Schwartz. If either of those two played in the Super Bowl, it could have been a completely different game. With the future of both of those players up in the air, it may be in the best interest of the Chiefs to invest at o-line to give them a little more depth in the future.

The Chiefs hurt themselves frequently on defense with the penalties. The defense had 9 penalties that continually put Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in a good position to put up points. If you give Brady extra chances, he’ll find a way to score. If Kansas City was able to refrain from a couple of those penalties, especially the pass interferences in the second quarter it could’ve been a closer game for Mahomes to work with.

The game was eerily similar to earlier this season when the Chiefs lost to the Raiders at home. That game was also one of the worst games Kansas City had penalty wise. It continues the narrative that the Chiefs can only lose when they shoot themselves in the foot, which for the most part has been true the last couple of seasons. They’ll need to work to clean up those penalties right away next season.

It’s hard to stay positive after getting blown out in the biggest game of the year, but the Chiefs are still in a great position to be a dynasty in the NFL. They have the most important piece of the offense locked up for the next decade in Patrick Mahomes, with one of the best offensive minds in football in Andy Reid calling plays.

As long as they continue to surround him with talent, they’ll have a chance to get back to the Super Bowl and win one for as long as he plays. They can use this game as a humbling experience that will hopefully motivate them to be better for many years to come.