Chiefs rebuilt their offensive line after Super Bowl LV but Bucs player is unimpressed
Despite having an injured toe at the time, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did a lot of running during Super Bowl LV.
It wasn’t by choice.
A beat-up offensive line forced Mahomes to scramble early and often in the Super Bowl, which the Buccaneers won 31-9. In the months following that game, the Chiefs made a point of upgrading their offensive line, by trading for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., signing guard Joe Thuney and drafting center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith.
The Chiefs offensive line is now regarded as one of the NFL’s best, just maybe not by Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett. During a news conference Wednesday, Barrett was asked about how the Chiefs line has changed since Super Bowl LV.
Barrett said: “Uh, I think they, I mean...”
There was a pause and Barrett began laughing.
“I really don’t think it’s too much of a difference,” said, Barrett, who sacked Mahomes in Super Bowl LV. “I think we have a lot of favorable matchups. I think we really have an opportunity to really dominate the game. I just think, yeah, we’ve got an opportunity to really impose our will as pass-rushers, edge rushers this game.
“We can really have like a coming-out party. I know we had six sacks the other game (against the Saints), but we can really have a coming-out party as edge defenders in the position group for this game.”
Mahomes, who was asked at a news conference Wednesday about Barrett’s comments, said he has confidence in his teammates.
“I trust those five guys that we have out there,” Mahomes said. “I feel like we have one of the best offensive lines in the league, and we’ll go in there with that mindset.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 9:07 AM.
