Breakdowns

2/8/21

2 min min read

Key Takeaways From Super Bowl LV

By Mike Tannenbaum

Former NFL Executive

Here are my Super Bowl LV takeaways:

1. Dominant up front

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won this game up front, specifically on defense. They sped up the clock for Patrick Mahomes and had pressure in his face all night. The Bucs finished with 3 sacks but it felt like more. And what really made a difference was that they did it with a four-man rush on most occasions. Tampa Bay only blitzed six times out of 56 dropbacks.

And while the Bucs’ defensive line put pressure on Mahomes, their offensive line was protecting Tom Brady. Mahomes was pressured on 52% of dropbacks; Brady was only pressured on 13% of dropbacks.

2. Dominant on back end, too

By getting pressure on Mahomes with just four, that gave Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles his full complement of defenders in pass coverage. The secondary did an outstanding job of keeping Tyreek Hill from making big plays. Linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David deserve a ton of credit for their underneath coverage. Even when Mahomes was able to scramble and buy himself a little more time, he couldn’t find anyone open. With White and David taking away those underneath passes, Kansas City only converted three first downs for the game.

3. Play-action passing

The Buccaneers used play-action on a season-high 43% of their dropbacks Sunday. Brady was 10-for-13 for 135 yards, 3 TDs and 9 first downs on play-action passes Sunday, including 3 of 4 with 2 TDs when targeting Rob Gronkowski.

4. Can’t win if you can’t score

Amazingly, Super Bowl LV was the first game in Mahomes’ NFL career In which the Chiefs did not score a touchdown. In Tom Brady’s last two Super Bowls, his team’s defense has held two elite offenses – the 2020 Chiefs and the 2018 Rams – to a total of four field goals.

5. Penalties hurt, but…

Clearly, penalties were a big part of the Chiefs’ struggles. They committed 11 penalties for 120 yards on Sunday. But it should also be noted that this was nothing new for the Chiefs. Kansas City committed the fourth-most penalties in the NFL this season, and it didn’t stop them from finishing 14-2.

Tags: Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, Super Bowl LV See More

Mike Tannenbaum

Former NFL Executive

Mike Tannenbaum is a former NFL Executive and current ESPN analyst.  Throughout Tannenbaum’s nearly three-decade-long football career, he has constructed quite an impressive résumé.

Tannenbaum began his career in 1994 as an intern for the New Orleans Saints. In 1995 he became a Player Personnel Assistant for the Cleveland Browns. A year later he would rejoin the Saints after completing his Law Degree at Tulane University Law School.

Tannenbaum’s longest tenure came with his hometown New York Jets from 1997-2012. Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells hired him as the Director of Player Contracts in 1997. Tannenbaum developed in this role and was promoted to Director of Pro Personnel/Assistant General Manager in 2001.

In 2006, Tannenbaum was chosen General Manager/Senior Vice President of Football Operations at 36. Tannenbaum oversaw seven drafts and led the Jets to four winning seasons during his tenure with the team. Before departing New York, Tannenbaum led the Jets to four playoff wins and orchestrated the blockbuster trade for Darrelle Revis.

After a brief break from an NFL front office, Tannenbaum served as the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins. Since leaving Miami, Tannenbaum has joined ESPN as an NFL Front Office Insider. Tannenbaum is a regular on shows such as, ‘Get Up’, ‘First Take’, and ‘This Just In.’ He also teaches Football Business Management: The Inner Workings of the NFL at Columbia University.

In 2019, Tannenbaum founded the NFL’s premiere think tank in The 33rd Team.

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