Ndamukong Suh reveals the Todd Bowles adjustment that helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV

Bucs fans will never forget when their Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium.

It was a defensive performance for the ages, as Todd Bowles’ unit made life a living hell for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, holding them without a single touchdown. 

Ndamukong Suh was a key part of that championship defense, and the retired defensive tackle just shared some insight on what led to the Buccaneers’ defensive masterpiece in the Super Bowl.

Ndamukong Suh urged Todd Bowles to make a major defensive adjustment against Patrick Mahomes

Earlier that season, the Chiefs shredded the Buccaneers. Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three touchdowns, while Tyreek Hill had 13 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns. 

Tampa Bay couldn’t allow that to happen again in the Super Bowl, and the savvy veteran Suh offered his input to Todd Bowles, who at the time, was the defensive coordinator.

In an appearance on the Mike High Performance Podcast, Suh shared how the masterful game plan came to be.

“Going into the championship game, Super Bowl against Kansas City, and having played them earlier in that year, they just came into Tampa and destroyed us. They ran through us. I begged and begged and begged for us to look at that game totally different… Our DC who's now the head coach, Todd Bowles of Tampa, loves to blitz, loves to get after the quarterback and speed up their process. And I told him and I was like, ‘Hey man, we're watching film. I'm looking at these different things. This offensive line as a whole has no chance against our defensive line. Put all the pressure on us up front in the front seven…”

Suh explained that Bowles was open to the idea of shaking up the game plan by trusting the front seven to generate pressure rather than relying on his trademark blitz-heavy philosophy. The adjustment would allow Tampa Bay to put a bigger emphasis on coverage against Mahomes and the Chiefs’ dangerous passing attack.

“He’s like, ‘Let me take a look at it.’ And so we came into the game plan and he said we're going to play two-high, Tampa 2. Basically have two high safeties. And when we were going through this in practice, he was like, ‘I'm starting to see, I like this. If you guys can stop the run in a soft shell, and you guys can also get after the pass rush, we will stay in this throughout the game.’ We end up winning that game 31 to 9. Wasn't even close. And so being able to have a coach that was willing to change and adapt to some different things to understand what's best for the team, I think was key, but then also us being able to execute.”

Todd Bowles’ willingness to adjust helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl

Bowles’ willingness to put his ego aside and listen to his players’ input ahead of the biggest game of his coaching career is the sign of a true leader.

The Chiefs offense had its way with the Buccaneers defense earlier in that season, and sticking to the status quo would’ve been a major risk. Instead, Bowles looked like a total genius after his defense pivoted and delivered one of the most dominant performances in Super Bowl history.

Stories like this offer a glimpse at the side of Bowles that fans don’t often see, helping demonstrate why he’s so beloved by his players. He’s willing to accept input and adapt his approach for the betterment of the team, and in this case, it paid off with a Super Bowl ring.

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