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Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief
Put Brady on the Chiefs with that oline and he leaves on a cart...Put Mahomes behind a healthy O-line with the same defensive penalties being called on Bucs, because they were holding just as much, and he drops 45... GTFO
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If the quarterbacks were swapped with both having plenty of time to get adjusted to the other teams' personnel, it would have been a much closer game. Not saying the Chiefs would have won but they would have had a better chance. The Patriots coaching staff and Brady learned a big lesson from the 2007 Super Bowl loss. Respect your opponent. If they have a strong pass rush, maybe play in a manner that slows it down. If the Chiefs fan base isn't willing to criticize Mahomes/Reid for that game in terms of their strategy/decisions, it will lead to further underperformance against really good defenses in the future unless those two learn how to truly respect their opponents.
Brady has played on some really bad lines in New England and survived. He gets rid of the ball very quickly and for the most part stays in the pocket so it is easier to protect him and hide bad pass blocking lines. In fact, the ironic thing with Brady is he never won the Super Bowl when he he played with his best offensive lineman with the Patriots in Logan Mankins. 9 years with Mankins and 0 Super Bowl wins. The year before and year after Mankins Super Bowl wins. Plenty of Super Bowl wins with overrated pass blocking offensive linemen that Brady made look good. Ask NY Giants fans about Nate Solder who wasn't that good but Brady made the guy 10's of millions by getting rid of the ball so quickly.
Most of the pressure Mahomes faced was actually self inflicted by Mahomes/Reid. If his first read wasn't open, Mahomes didn't even bother looking for his second read and started scrambling. Put in a little more protection and get rid of the ball quickly... and I doubt the Bucs are able to pressure the Chiefs half as much as they did.
Nothing prevented the Chiefs from running the ball more as well and that slows down any pass rush.
If Brady was on the Chiefs, if the Chiefs just replaced one of their non Hill/Kelce receivers that isn't that good with a decent tight end or maybe another back, I would not be surprised if Chiefs won. Bucs weren't the best defense in football but Brady throughout his career is 3-1 in the playoffs vs the best defense in football.
I have a lot of respect for the Bucs defense but Brady has faced and beaten a better defense in the Super Bowl such in the Legion of Boom. He did that by playing smart and focusing in on the relative weaknesses of the Seahawks defense. A tough defense to crack. And yes Hightower and Malcom Butler had to save the day on that final Seahawks drive but Seattle got a lucky catch that really helped them on their last drive as well.