NFL
Devin White Reveals the Distinct Advantage the Buccaneers Had Over the ‘Cocky' Chiefs in Super Bowl 55
Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sports7 in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies. When Jack isn't writing about sports, he's watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He's also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sports7 with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.
Get to know Jack Dougherty betterUpdated18 Feb 2021
No one expected the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ defense to completely shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs' high-powered offense in Super Bowl 55. Well, no one except Bucs linebacker Devin White.
White, who led Tampa Bay in tackles in the Super Bowl, knew the Chiefs weren't going to be able to block the hungry Buccaneers' defense. He says it was Kansas City's cockiness that eventually led to their downfall.
The Buccaneers' defense dominated the Chiefs' offense in Super Bowl 55
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Heading into the Super Bowl, the Chiefs scored at least 22 points in all but one of their 18 games played last season. Patrick Mahomes and company ranked sixth in the NFL in points scored per game with 29.6, and they put up over 30 points 10 times.
It was unfathomable to believe Kansas City would be held to single digits in the biggest game of the year, but that's exactly what happened. The Buccaneers held the Chiefs to just nine points and zero touchdowns for the first time all season.
Devin White led the Bucs with 12 tackles and two tackles for loss in the game. He appeared on FS1's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed last week and spoke about the exemplary job his defense did in the Super Bowl.
“A lot of people don't even realize what we did as far as holding them guys to nine points and not letting them in the end zone,” White said. “They started gaining yards when we were already up 21 points. We already gave our little brothers the controllers... At the end of the day, we know what went on. There was a lot of toe tagging out there.”
Devin White says the Chiefs were too “cocky”
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The Chiefs came into the Super Bowl with a specific game plan. Give Patrick Mahomes the ball and let him find the team's best weapons in space. It's a simple plan, but one that had worked flawlessly all season long.
Devin White and the Buccaneers knew the Chiefs weren't going to deviate from that plan, so they used that cockiness against them.
“We knew that they was gonna be a cocky team, which they have every right to be,” White said. “They was the No. 1 offense in the entire National Football League. But the thing is, we knew they couldn’t block us. We knew that our front four was gonna dominate them. So they did us a favor. They played right into our hands.”
Devin White and the Buccaneers refused to be cocky themselves
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White and the Buccaneers made life a living hell for Patrick Mahomes by pressuring him every snap and making him run for his life. The Chiefs refused to give their backup offensive lineman any help, and the Bucs rushed them to death en route to a dominant victory.
“We weren’t gonna be that cocky team like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna play them in Cover One, we’re gonna shut them down.’ Our best guys matched up on their best guys,” White said. “We was gonna make it be a team, collective win on defense, and that’s what we did, man. So at the end of the day, they shouldn’t even talk about not having their offensive tackles when they didn’t even help them. They put them on islands by themselves with the best pass rushers in the game. So that’s at their own fault.”
