Chiefs win over Bucs shows what might have been in Super Bowl LV

Chiefs Kingdom is feeling fantastic after Kansas City’s hugely impressive win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend on Sunday Night Football. And so they should. It was a stellar game on all sides of the ball for the Chiefs, who put in exactly the kind of performance you’d want to see after a disastrous loss to Indianapolis the week before.

In a rematch of Super Bowl LV, in the very stadium that the Buccaneers demolished the Chiefs in 19 months ago, this time KC was able to flip the script. It was the first time the two sides had met since the Super Bowl, and this time it was Kansas City who dominated literally from the game’s opening kick-off.

While it was awesome to watch, it was also disheartening at the same time because it highlighted just how different things could have been back on February 7, 2021 The Chiefs got annihilated that day, with miscues, dropped catches, a foot injury that limited Patrick Mahomes, and an insane number of penalties all too much to overcome.

The Chiefs’ win in Week 4 over the Buccaneers was nice, but it also shows what might have been in Super Bowl LV.

The biggest obstacle the Chiefs had that day however was their offensive line. Depleted by injuries, it was makeshift at best. And with hindsight, both the O-line and Mahomes never really stood a chance against a rampaging Buccaneers defense.

Last Sunday was a totally different story. We saw the revamped offensive line work wonders, Mahomes was at his brilliant best and everyone around him stepped up around him too – from Travis Kelce and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to Matthew Wright, L’Jarius Sneed, Andy Reid, and the entire coaching staff. For me, all of these things highlighted just how differently Super Bowl LV could have been.

After failing to score a single touchdown against Tampa in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs reached the end zone on each of their first four drives last Sunday, and there were other stark differences too. Kansas City had just four penalties instead of 11, they were 12-17 on third down conversions instead of 3-13 and they had five touchdowns on six red zone trips instead of none in three. After only scoring nine points in the Super Bowl, this time Kansas City dropped 41 points on what was widely regarded as the best defense in the NFL heading into the game.

The difference between the two games was night and day.

The Buccaneers were unquestionably the better team in the Super Bowl and they clearly deserved to win. But with so many factors going against Kansas City that day, for Chiefs Kingdom, they will always be left wondering how different the game could have been had the Chiefs played anywhere near their best. Now, Sunday’s game just adds to that. It showed not only can they beat Tampa, but they can pound them, too.

Of course, both rosters and teams are obviously different from the ones that took the field in Super Bowl LV, and a Week 4 match-up is a far cry from the big stage of the Super Bowl. But last weekend’s result showed just how good the Chiefs are when they play at their best, something they were so far from against Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

Sunday was both a fantastic win and a demonstration of just how differently things could have gone. And for me and the rest of Chiefs Kingdom, we will always be left wondering what might have been.