Chiefs, Bucs defenses will try to overshadow QB showdown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (left) greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes following Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Chiefs, Bucs defenses will try to overshadow quarterback showdown

By Thomas Huitt-Johnson | Last updated 9/28/22

In another battle of star quarterbacks, it could be the defenses that decide the winner Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes faces Tom Brady for the sixth time already, and Sunday's contest could be the finale. Mahomes is 2-1 in the regular season and 0-2 in the postseason against Brady.

But it's not necessarily the quarterbacks going up against each other, it's the defenses they are facing. Both are taking on improved opposition.

Mahomes battles a Buccaneers defense that is giving up just nine points a game. In Week 1, Tampa defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-3. In Week 2, the Bucs knocked off the New Orleans Saints 20-10. Still, the offense for Tampa has been anything but electrifying, and that weakness showed in Week 3 when it played the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay took the 14-12 victory last weekend.

Remember the Super Bowl two seasons ago? These teams sure do.

Shaq Barrett on Chiefs' offensive line: "I really don't think it's too much of a difference. I think we have a lot of favorable matchups. We have an opportunity to really dominate the game ... to really impose our will as pass-rushers. We can really have a coming-out party."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 28, 2022

Kansas City, on the other hand, has played two top-tier quarterbacks in Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert and also and former league MVP Matt Ryan. The defense stifled the QBs on the way to a 2-0 record with a fourth-quarter lead last week.

But Ryan led his team on a game-winning drive aided by a third-down unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Chris Jones. Without the penalty, it's highly likely the Chiefs would be undefeated heading into the showdown against Brady and the Bucs. But that's not the case.

This early-season matchup pits a couple of championship contenders against each other, with the loser coming out a .500 team a quarter through the season. It's another prime-time matchup with the NFL's most recognizable faces under center.

Though this game may be decided by which team's defense can stop the other team's quarterback.

More must-reads: