TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Patrick Mahomes made history in Super Bowl LV tonight, and definitely not the kind you want to make if you’re a quarterback.
Mahomes was under fire from the opening snap in the Chiefs’ 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The reigning Super Bowl MVP was sacked three times and under constant pressure behind a porous and injured offensive line.
How bad was it? Well, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Mahomes was pressured on 29 out of 56 snaps, a rate of 52 percent. That’s the most in Super Bowl history.
#Chiefs Patrick Mahomes was pressured the most of any QB in Super Bowl history.
29 pressures = 52%— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) February 8, 2021
Another statistic adds context to how brutal Mahomes’ night was. Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who is known for blitzing, dialed up only six blitzes all night long, instead letting his front four go to work against a battered KC offensive line.
Let’s assume that all six of those blitzes caused pressure. That means that at best, Mahomes was pressured on 23 out of 50 dropbacks where Tampa Bay didn’t send an extra defender.
That figure theoretically could be even higher if not all of the Bucs’ blitz packages got home.
Bowles blitzed on only 6 of 56 dropbacks, per @ESPNStatsInfo — way below his norm. He threw a change up, relied on front 4, which allowed them to drop 7 into coverage. Simple, but effective. #Bucs
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) February 8, 2021
If you’re the Chiefs, the offseason plan has to begin with making sure Mahomes is well-protected moving forward.
As remarkably talented as the young QB is, he’s still limited when he has to worry about getting killed all night.
