Super Bowl LV Tale of the Tape: Who has the advantage at each position group?
A matchup for the ages is set for Super Bowl LV.
Here's how the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers stack up against one another at each position ahead of Sunday's finale:
Quarterback
Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport / GettyIs Brady vs. Mahomes the greatest quarterback matchup in Super Bowl history?
On one side, we have arguably the greatest football player of all time. Brady will try to win his seventh Super Bowl title on Feb. 7 - which would extend his own quarterback record - in what will be his 10th appearance in the Big Game.
On the other, there's the NFL's current best quarterback, who many believe can create the league's next dynasty and potentially threaten Brady's GOAT status. In fact, the Mahomes-led Chiefs can be the first back-to-back champions since the Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004.
Both signal-callers ranked in the top four in passing yards and touchdown throws during the regular season, and they've continued to produce in the playoffs.
| Playoff games | Comp. % | Yards per game | TDs | INT | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahomes | 2 | 73.5 | 290 | 4 | 0 | 118.5 |
| Brady | 3 | 55 | 286.6 | 7 | 3 | 90.8 |
It's unusual for Brady not to be the best quarterback in a head-to-head comparison. Only a superstar talent would be able to edge him - Mahomes is that guy.
Advantage: Chiefs
Running backs| Chiefs | Buccaneers |
|---|---|
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Leonard Fournette |
| Le'Veon Bell | Ronald Jones |
| Darrel Williams | Ke'Shawn Vaughn |
Kansas City's and Tampa Bay's biggest strengths aren't in the running game - they were two of the 10 teams with the fewest rushing attempts during the regular season.
The Chiefs moved the ball on the ground better than the Bucs in 2020, averaging 112.4 yards per game against Tampa Bay's 94.9.
But that has changed in the postseason. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le'Veon Bell battling injuries, Darrel Williams has been Kansas City's top runner despite averaging just 65 yards per game. Meanwhile, Ronald Jones' injury gave Leonard Fournette an opportunity to shine: Fournette has three touchdowns and over 300 scrimmage yards through three postseason appearances this year.
Both teams should have their main runners healthy in Super Bowl LV, which will close the gap on this comparison. For now, Fournette's momentum gives Tampa Bay a slight edge at the position.
Advantage: Buccaneers
Receivers| Chiefs | Buccaneers |
|---|---|
| Tyreek Hill | Mike Evans |
| Travis Kelce | Chris Godwin |
| Sammy Watkins | Antonio Brown |
| Mecole Hardman | Rob Gronkowski |
| Demarcus Robinson | Cameron Brate |
| Byron Pringle | Scotty Miller |
| Tyler Johnson |
The Chiefs and Buccaneers have stellar receiving corps, both featuring future Hall of Famers.
Tampa Bay has arguably the NFL's deepest group of receivers. Mike Evans led the team with 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns, and the arrival of Antonio Brown midway through the season helped the club overcome an inconsistent year from Chris Godwin. Having two reliable tight ends with Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate doesn't hurt, either.
Kansas City still has the best players here. If we had to rank all the pass-catchers from both teams combined, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce would top the list. The Chiefs' duo earned first-team All-Pro nods this season after ranking in the top 10 in both receiving yards and touchdown catches.
Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport / GettyAdditionally, the Chiefs' receiving depth isn't to be underestimated, as few rosters have third and fourth options with as much playmaking ability as Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman. This group is a nightmare to any defense.
Advantage: Chiefs
Offensive line| Chiefs | Buccaneers | |
|---|---|---|
| LT | Mike Remmers | Donovan Smith |
| LG | Nick Allegretti | Ali Marpet |
| C | Austin Reiter | Ryan Jensen |
| RG | Stefen Wisniewski | Aaron Stinnie |
| RT | Andrew Wylie | Tristan Wirfs |
In this postseason, the Buccaneers have faced three teams that finished the regular season ranked in the top 10 in sacks, and yet Brady has been sacked just five times - only twice in the last two contests combined. Tampa Bay's offensive line clearly isn't flawless but it often steps up when it matters the most.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are preparing for Super Bowl LV without their two starting offensive tackles. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz remains on injured reserve due to a back ailment, and Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher suffered an Achilles injury in the AFC title game and won't play in the season finale. That means Mahomes will play his eighth career playoff game without his blindside blocker for the first time.
Mahomes has been sacked just once through two games in January. Granted, the signal-caller has a unique ability to extend plays and avoid sacks, but the Chiefs received the seven-highest pass-blocking grade during the regular season, while the Buccaneers ranked 16th, according to PFF.
The offensive line hasn't been an issue for either the Chiefs or Buccaneers, and Kansas City may even have the numbers on its side. However, we still don't know how much the reigning champions will miss Fisher. That can be a big problem.
Advantage: Buccaneers
Front seven| Chiefs | Buccaneers | |
|---|---|---|
| DL | Frank Clark | Ndamukong Suh |
| Chris Jones | Vita Vea | |
| Alex Okafor | William Gholston | |
| Tanoh Kpassagnon | ||
| Derrick Nnadi | ||
| LBs | Anthony Hitchens | Jason Pierre-Paul |
| Damien Wilson | Devin White | |
| Lavonte David | ||
| Shaq Barrett |
The Buccaneers racked up 48 sacks during the regular season - fifth-most in the NFL - and they've recorded seven sacks in the playoffs, including five in the NFC title game.
Additionally, led by All-Pro linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David, Tampa Bay's front seven has been excellent against the run, holding opponents to fewer than 105 rushing yards in each of its three playoff matchups.
Dylan Buell / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe Chiefs' front seven is also coming off a great outing after registering four sacks in the AFC Championship Game. During the regular season, Kansas City knocked down opposing passers on 11.3% of their pass attempts, ranking slightly ahead of Tampa Bay (10.7%).
Overall, the Chiefs have solid playmakers on their defensive line - Chris Jones and Frank Clark, in particular - but the team's linebackers often lack consistency, which hurts their ability to stop the run.
Advantage: Buccaneers
Secondary| Chiefs | Buccaneers | |
|---|---|---|
| CBs | Bashaud Breeland | Carlton Davis |
| Charvarius Ward | Jamel Dean | |
| L'Jarius Sneed | Sean Murphy-Bunting | |
| Rashad Fenton | ||
| Safeties | Tyrann Mathieu | Antoine Winfield Jr. |
| Daniel Sorensen | Jordan Whitehead | |
| Juan Thornhill | Mike Edwards | |
| Andrew Adams |
Both secondaries are coming off tough conference championship matchups, and while the two units passed their tests, the Chiefs' group deserves a ton of credit for limiting the red-hot Buffalo Bills to 24 points.
During the regular season, Tampa Bay ranked 21st in passing yards allowed, and it received PFF's third-highest grade for pass coverage. Kansas City, meanwhile, ranked 14th and 10th in those categories, respectively.
Here's how opposing quarterbacks fared against the two secondaries in 2020:
| Comp. % | Yards per game | TDs | INTs | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Chiefs | 62.7 | 236.3 | 29 | 16 | 89.4 |
| vs. Buccaneers | 69 | 246.6 | 29 | 15 | 94.3 |
Kansas City has been especially strong against wide receivers, allowing the second-fewest yards to the position this season. However, the team gives up the third-most yards to tight ends, largely because of its limitations at linebacker.
This is the second straight year the Chiefs' secondary is stepping up in January, but this time Kansas City might boast more individual talent on its roster. The team found a reliable playmaker in rookie cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, and Tyrann Mathieu often reminds us why he's a three-time All-Pro.
The Buccaneers' defensive backs have been forcing clutch turnovers during the playoffs, so we shouldn't be shocked if they steal the show in Super Bowl LV. But as a unit, we've seen more from the Chiefs' secondary.
Advantage: Chiefs
Special teams| Chiefs | Buccaneers | |
|---|---|---|
| K | Harrison Butker | Ryan Succop |
| P | Tommy Townsend | Bradley Pinion |
| KR | Mecole Hardman | Jaydon Mickens |
The Chiefs' special teams unit is unquestionably one of the NFL's best. But it has somewhat struggled in the team's previous two playoff games. Harrison Butker missed two kicks against the Cleveland Browns and Hardman fumbled at his own 3-yard line versus the Bills.
The Buccaneers are a different story: Ryan Succop has converted 15 straight attempts since missing his first try against the Washington Football Team in the wild-card game and Jaydon Mickens is coming off the best performance of his career against the Packers.
Tampa Bay's momentum on special teams made this a close comparison but the Chiefs' individual talent deserves the edge.
Advantage: Chiefs
Coaching
Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport / GettyBruce Arians is looking for his first Super Bowl title as a head coach while Andy Reid finally won his first in 2019 and is trying to go back-to-back.
Reid became the first head coach ever to host the conference championship game for three straight seasons with different teams this year (in the early 2000s, he accomplished the feat with the Eagles) and his offense, which has the support of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, continues to torch opponents.
On the other side, Arians' offensive game plan received some criticism during the regular season, but the unit got better as the campaign progressed. Tampa Bay's defense, which is coordinated by Todd Bowles, also deserves a ton of credit.
While the Bucs might be more balanced on both sides of the ball, Reid's outstanding job with the Chiefs' offense has created a juggernaut. And he bested Arians during the regular season.
Advantage: Chiefs
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