NFL Conference Championship Sunday grades

As they did in New Orleans, the Bucs did not waste opportunities the favored team provided. Scoring 14 points off Packer turnovers that placed the Bucs (14-5) in or just outside Green Bay territory became necessary after Tom Brady's three-interception second half. QBs with three-INT halves moved to 2-18 in playoff games over the past 20 years; the other instance -- Russell Wilson in the 2014 NFC title game -- cost Aaron Rodgers as well. Brady targeted overmatched Packers cornerback Kevin King on two TD strikes. The iffy deep passer dialed up a perfect lob on Scotty Miller's 39-yard end-of-half stunner -- which became necessary to avoid a collapse.

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE GRADE: C-plus

Outplaying Brady was not enough for the MVP-to-be. Coaching blunders, pass interference sequences going Tampa Bay's way, right tackle Rick Wagner's struggles, and ball-security issues let down Rodgers, who fell to 1-4 in NFC championship games. Likely on his way to free agency, Aaron Jones delivered a two-fumble dud. But his injury absence hurt the Packers (14-4) late. All-world wideout Davante Adams' failure to corral a back-shoulder fade cost Green Bay a touchdown, and Equanimeous St. Brown's two-point drop set in motion Matt LaFleur's defining coaching decision. Rodgers' 33-completion, 346-yard day in a loss adds to a concerningly vast archive of modern Packers playoff shortcomings. 

PACKERS OFFENSE GRADE: B-minus

This will be Shaq Barrett's second Super Bowl. He played a backup role behind Miller and DeMarcus Ware in 2015. Barrett beating Wagner for three sacks reminded of Miller torturing Mike Remmers in Super Bowl 50 and kept the Bucs from losing an 18-point lead. Barrett's second and third sacks halted Rodgers from capitalizing on Jaire Alexander's INTs and illustrated how valuable the Bucs' $4 million flier was. Only the Bucs and Bengals offered Barrett contracts in 2019. Over the past two years, the ex-Bronco UDFA has 30.5 sacks -- well worth the 2020 franchise tag price. Barrett's seven pressures capped a 22-pressure day -- the most heat Rodgers has seen in 21 playoff games.

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE GRADE: A-minus

Eerily similar to Rahim Moore's infamous sequence that cost the No. 1-seeded Broncos a playoff win eight years ago, Kevin King's inability to stay with Scotty Miller on an iso Hail Mary will endure similar scrutiny. The Packers drafted three first- or second-round cornerbacks from 2017-18; they hit big on Alexander but missed on King and Josh Jackson. Brady beat King for two TDs, and the free-agent-to-be allowed a 140.5 passer rating while in coverage. But the Packers' expensive pass rushers -- Za'Darius and Preston Smith (zero sacks, two QB hits) did not justify their near-$30M in combined average salary Sunday. All this undercut Alexander's efforts. 

PACKERS DEFENSE GRADE: C-minus

Given only 25 seconds, Arians delivered his usual aggression. The 68-year-old coach taking punter Bradley Pinion off the field and dialing up the half-ending Scotty Miller go route will go down as a signature Bucs moment. Brady's shaky second half became less relevant because of Arians' call. The Panthers routed Arians' Cardinals in the 2015 NFC title game, and he left coaching two years later. The brash coach has rewarded the Bucs. Arians' ex-Arizona lieutenant, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, dialing up 23 blitzes -- during a five-sack day -- helped keep Rodgers from undoing Tampa Bay's marvelous first half. Bowles' defense was responsible for 10 of the 25 sacks Rodgers took this season.

BUCCANEERS COACHING GRADE: A 

Whoa. Matt LaFleur is off to a historically good start, going 2-for-2 in NFC championship games to begin his coaching career. But going conservative on a potential go-ahead drive at the end of the first half and calling for an astonishing 26-yard field goal down eight -- with the MVP-to-be in a goal-to-go situation -- with barely two minutes left will be difficult to shake. Per ESPN, only two other teams in the past 20 years have kicked a field goal when down between four and eight points in the final five minutes of a game. LaFleur's picture will be on that clubhouse door. DC Mike Pettine putting his troops in man coverage on the Bucs' end-of-half Hail Mary: not helpful either.

PACKERS COACHING GRADE: F

Brady did not make the Pro Bowl and put a collapse in play with a three-INT day. But the Bucs went 7-9 last year and had not won a playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII. A 43-year-old quarterback -- set for his 10th Super Bowl and (somehow) fourth since his age-39 season -- changed the equation for a woeful franchise. It is impossible to deny Brady has received good fortune during his unparalleled run, Sunday being the latest example. At the same time, he afforded the Bucs the high floor he gave the Patriots. Showing this form in Year 21 is unprecedented, and Tampa Bay's front office did a quality job building around the greatest winner in NFL history.

NEXT: SUPER BOWL LV, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7

Brady's Sunday adversary has long been more talented. The Bucs went all out to give Brady the best chance to win; the Packers spent most of Rodgers' career holding back. While their current regime has spent more, it plugged holes with street free agents and refused to give Rodgers a needed No. 2 pass catcher despite Davante Adams' support cogs showing inconsistency. Shades of past Packer tactics. GM Brian Gutekunst's Jordan Love pick may have ignited Rodgers, but going QB-RB-FB/TE in Rounds 1-3 ran counter to a Bucs blueprint that produced instant starters. Rodgers going to one Super Bowl in 13 seasons is an indictment on a franchise running out of time with its 37-year-old superstar. 

Against a Chiefs defense that had delivered inconsistency, the best Bills offense in a generation -- passing-wise, at least -- failed. Buffalo's O-line could not stop Chris Jones and Frank Clark, and an array of blitzes affected Josh Allen's timing as well. Allen did not play especially poorly, accounting for nearly 400 yards, but saw his well-assembled receiving corps struggle. The Bills allowed Allen to be sacked four times and hit on 10 dropbacks; Allen did take two alarmingly bad sacks. The NFL's No. 2-ranked offense did not give its less consistent defense a remotely necessary effort against a dominant opponent.

BILLS OFFENSE GRADE: D-plus

Without a two-score win since Week 8, the Chiefs spent part of their season coasting and were not stampeding past the Browns before Patrick Mahomes' concussion. That said, yikes. Mahomes has two top-five active pass catchers and found them at will Sunday, showing a gear that will give the Buccaneers a monstrous task to slow down. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce combining for 22 catches and 290 yards -- against an experienced Bills defense -- allowed the Chiefs to erase a two-score deficit for the fifth time in Mahomes' seven playoff starts and showed the defending champions could beat Buffalo via the run (the October game plan) or via their terrifying pass attack. 

CHIEFS OFFENSE GRADE: A-plus

The Bills ranked as a top-five DVOA pass defense in 2018 and '19 and brought back several starters this season. Ranking 12th in DVOA, Buffalo's defense lacked consistency as Allen jumped multiple levels in his third season. The Chiefs have now gashed the Bills on the ground (245 rushing yards in Week 6) and through the air. Buffalo's zone-based defense went from failing to contain Kelce in the first half to letting Hill run amok after the break. Mahomes managed to sidestep some effective Bills rushes in the first half and was able to find his Hall of Fame-caliber weapons far too easily throughout.

BILLS DEFENSE GRADE: F

The Mahomes-Kelce-Hill troika drives this unequaled engine, but Kansas City's defense has backed its offensive superstars in big spots. Steve Spagnuolo's unit -- 22nd in DVOA this season and spotty against the Browns -- showed its best stuff Sunday, resembling the form of last season's stretch run. The Chiefs' cornerbacks winning against the Bills' receivers proved surprising and efficient. Kansas City has devoted sparse resources to its corner corps, but it neutralized Stefon Diggs (100-plus yards in five of his past six games) with press coverage to help its pass rush accumulate timely sacks. A statement outing that creates a clear Super Bowl favorite.

CHIEFS DEFENSE GRADE: A-plus

Sean McDermott will be bailed out by Matt LaFleur's potentially regime-defining field goal decision in the NFC title game, but the fourth-year Bills coach did not coach like a leader prepared to beat the Chiefs. McDermott opting for a half-ending 20-yard field goal over a fourth-and-2 and doubling down with a 27-yarder on a third-quarter fourth-and-3 made it look like he did not realize his opponent's capabilities. The Chiefs have repeatedly burned teams for conservative tactics; they predictably did so again. Of course, McDermott and Leslie Frazier's defense leaving All-Pros wide open so many times may have rendered these field goal decisions moot.

BILLS COACHING GRADE: F

This will be Andy Reid's second world-stage encounter with Tom Brady. The Chiefs coach has transformed his reputation since Super Bowl XXXIX. The former West Coast Offense devotee is unmatched for modern creativity. Reid consistently frees up players for pivotal third- or fourth-down conversions, and his goal-to-go repertoire represents an underrated resource. Kelce benefited twice from this wizardry Sunday. Reid's reverse call to Mecole Hardman aided another quick Chiefs comeback, and Mahomes went 11-for-11 out of play-action. Spagnuolo mixing up coverages and blitzes also contained the NFL's No. 2-ranked offense. A masterclass coaching effort.

CHIEFS COACHING GRADE: A-plus

This may well be the Chiefs' premier challenger going forward, but the Bills are closer to a crowded AFC second tier than they are to the Chiefs. And lowercase bills will be due soon. Allen is now extension-eligible, and recent NFL history has shown -- in the cases of the Seahawks, Eagles, and Rams -- maintaining championship rosters becomes tougher post-QB re-ups. Diggs' All-Pro season will soon result in a raise, with his $14M-per-year deal out of step with the new receiver market. The Bills must manage this while upgrading at defensive end. Buffalo's D-line depth did not compensate for a lack of an A-level edge talent -- as shown by Mario Addison's team-high five sacks and an overall defensive decline. 

The Bucs have one clear advantage. Already down stalwart right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, the Chiefs lost left tackle Eric Fisher to an Achilles tear. But Tampa Bay is fortunate to be in Super Bowl LV; Kansas City (an incomprehensible 25-1 in Mahomes' past 26 starts) was always on this track. The Chiefs extending Mahomes, Kelce, and Jones -- the first two on team-friendly deals -- opened a longer-term title window. Mahomes did not look too hindered by his toe injury, and his NFL-best QBR against the blitz will be key against a blitz-happy Bucs team the Chiefs already beat. Modern pro sports' defining winner against the team gunning to be the first post-Patriots dynasty. There will be hype.

NEXT: SUPER BOWL LV, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7