Kansas City Chiefs’ Ward knows what Bucs’ pass-catchers (and Brady, of course) can do
Cornerback Charvarius Ward had a few takeaways from the last time the Chiefs faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Week 12 of the regular season.
The Chiefs held on for a 27-24 win, but the Bucs’ offense left an impression that has carried into KC’s preparations for Sunday’s rematch in Super Bowl LV.
“They’ve got a good team, a lot of good receivers: Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, Scotty Miller, Chris Godwin,” said Ward, who totaled four tackles and a quarterback hit in the game. “They got a lot of talent on offense, but I feel like we match up pretty well on defense.
“They gave us a few problems that game, but we’ll be better this game on the back end.”
Godwin totaled eight catches for 97 yards in the Week 12 matchup, while Evans had three catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Brown and Miller weren’t factors, but tight end Rob Gronkowski piled up 106 yards on six catches.
Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady completed 27 of 41 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, one apiece by cornerback Bashaud Breeland and safety Tyrann Mathieu.
The Buccaneers provide a tough matchup for any opponent. In the regular season they ranked seventh in the league in total offense (384.1 yards per game). Anchored by a strong wide receiver group, the Bucs ranked second in passing yards per game (289.1) behind the Chiefs.
Another stout test awaits the Chiefs’ 14th-ranked pass defense. But Ward and his teammates don’t need added motivation. Sunday’s challenge is the kind they get paid to overcome.
“We’re all professional players, so we know we’ve all got talent,” Ward said. “We don’t care about mistakes, so you’ve just got to believe in yourself and have faith. We all put in the work during the offseason and early in the season to get to this point.
“We knew were going to be here, so we’ve been working for this moment. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to be confident in ourselves.”
The outcome of Super Bowl LV hangs in the balance. But Ward has that figured out, too.
“We think we’re going to win the game,” Ward said.
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 4:49 PM.
