Todd Bowles made Patrick Mahomes look like Jameis Winston
By Rob Leeds
Bucs fans should appreciate what Todd Bowles did to Patrick Mahomes.
In the Super Bowl last night between the Buccaneers and the Chiefs, one quarterback tried to extend plays too long, ran for their life the entire time behind a depleted offensive line, and forced some questionable throws. No, that quarterback was not playing for the Bucs, and Todd Bowles put the pressure on Patrick Mahomes from the opening whistle.
Last night’s game was one of the best assistant coaching performances in NFL history. What Todd Bowles has done in Tampa has been nothing short of spectacular, and last night’s win is the crowning achievement of Bowles’ career so far.
The offense was good, and Brady looked like he was 30 again, but that game goes very differently without the outstanding defensive performance. Bowles put every player on the field in the best position to succeed with a stellar scheme against the best offense in football, and the Super Bowl has never seen anything like it.
Mahomes, who is currently the most talented quarterback in the NFL and is great at extending plays and slipping away from pressure, was unable to flash his signature play style against this defense. On 56 dropbacks, Mahomes was pressured a record-breaking 29 times, and the Bucs were generally able to do this without having to blitz.
Prior to last night, Patrick Mahomes only had one game in his career without a touchdown. In addition to keeping Mahomes out of the endzone, the Bucs also introduced Mahomes and company to a new concept: not scoring a touchdown during a full game.
Since Mahomes took over, the Chiefs have scored a touchdown in every game that he has started since 2018. Not only did the Buccaneers hold the Chiefs to zero touchdowns for the first time in the Mahomes era, but nine points is also the fewest Kansas City has accounted for during the young phenom’s tenure.
Todd Bowles was able to shut down this prolific offense during his second season with the Buccaneers, using a defense that was one of the lowest-rated in the NFL against the pass last season.
The Tampa defensive transformation has been amazing to see, and Bowles should see head coaching offers at an extremely high rate after next season based on his excellent success so far with the Bucs.