Tampa Bay’s pressure gets to Patrick Mahomes on Chiefs’ first Super Bowl drive

The Chiefs had a few passing possibilities on their first offensive drive, but in the end, the Buccaneers were able to hold the defending champions at bay with pressure. On that drive, Patrick Mahomes completed one of four passes for three yards, running twice for 13 yards and Kansas City’s first down.

The problem? Pressure. Here, Bucs edge man Shaquil Barrett gets to Mahomes and forces a rapid throwaway. In the NFC Championship game against the Packers, Tampa Bay sacked Aaron Rodgers five times, and each sack came with four-man pressure.

If the Bucs can keep getting pressure like this, the Chiefs may have to recalibrate their expectations regarding the deep ball — which they have done throughout the postseason. In his two postseason games against the Browns and Bills, Mahomes has attempted two passes of 20 or more air yards — one in each game, with no completions. That’s it. He’s thrown four touchdown passes in the postseason for a grand total of 30 yards.