When the Bucs and Chiefs meet at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night, it’ll be a highly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LV. On Feb. 7, 2021, Tampa Bay beat Kansas City, 31-9, on the very same field to earn its second-ever Lombardi Trophy. And while this is another Sunday Night Football matchup between the two sides in the same stadium and even in the same uniform combinations, a lot has changed for both teams since that night some 20 months ago.
After taking a look at how the Chiefs have changed since losing Super Bowl LV to the Bucs, let’s explore the changes Tampa Bay has undergone since beating the defending Super Bowl champions at Raymond James Stadium at the conclusion of the 2020 season.
The Bucs Offense Has Undergone Plenty Changes
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: USA Today
As different as the Chiefs look these days, it’s not like the 2022 Bucs are the 2022 Bucs. The team largely stayed together in 2021 in hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions, but Tampa Bay fell excruciatingly short. And that’s where a lot of the transitions began.
Starting at the top, Super Bowl LV-winning head coach Bruce Arians retired in March. He handed the team over to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who is now three games into his second chance at being an NFL head coach. Personnel-wise, there are a lot of differences on both sides of the ball.
Rob Gronkowski scored two touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win, and he retired this offseason. Ali Marpet also retired after being a mainstay on the team’s offensive line since 2015. And of course Antonio Brown, who also scored a touchdown against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, peace-signed his way out of town mid-game last December. Not to mention, Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen won’t be in the lineup on Sunday as he continues to recover from a knee injury he suffered during training camp.
Bucs Defensive Front Is Younger, Secondary More Experienced
The Buccaneer offense is still navigating some of the turnover in personnel, having struggled to score points through the first three games. But the defense – which has parted ways with Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Jordan Whitehead since the Super Bowl – is looking dominant early this season. Foote even said this week that he thinks this year’s unit can be better than 2020’s.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
“Definitely can be better,” Foote said. “Like I said earlier, these guys are one year older, and they’re into it – just telling from the meeting rooms. Even on the sidelines when the defense is not up, guys are talking ball, they’re maturing and the sky’s the limit because the talent is there. So, talent will not be an excuse and we want to take that next step. We want to be one of the dominant defenses that you guys talk about, and we’re capable of it, but we’ve got to do it from above the neck and those guys are accepting the challenge so far.”
“Well, that was a special day – obviously long ago and far away – it’s something for the memory banks you’ll never forget,” he said. “But we want to play that fast, we want to play that smart and you want to be clicking on all cylinders at all times. If somebody is down, you want to be able to pick that other guy up and move from there. But you always strive for greatness, and if you don’t achieve greatness, you get excellence. That’s always our motto, that’s always what we’re pushing for.”
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