Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs are still smarting from their blowout loss in Super Bowl LV, but with Monday comes the start of a new opportunity for the dethroned.
The outlook didn't take long to emerge from key Chiefs less than 24 hours after their defeat.
"As of today I am going to do whatever I can to look at the film and get better," Mahomes said Monday, via 610 Sports' Cody Tapp. "Gotta find ways to be more efficient."
Efficient was far from what the Chiefs were Sunday night, with Tampa Bay's dominance up front significantly hindering Kansas City's usually explosive offense. Compounded with dropped passes and untimely penalties, the Chiefs resembled a team lost at sea, not one that had only lost two games since the last Super Bowl.
The key for the Buccaneers was their pass rush, which produced consistent pressure and forced Mahomes out of his comfort zone. He said after the loss that the Chiefs were just a tick off for the majority of the game, keeping them from finding the rhythm they've used so often to put up plenty of points. Instead, they were shut out of the end zone, mustering just nine points on the night.
While the pass rush got after Mahomes and forced him into a record-setting night of desperate scrambling, Tampa Bay did its job on the back end, limiting Kansas City's two most prolific playmakers, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
"They did a good job taking away our easy stuff, and they kept guys deep," Mahomes explained. ... "On third down they really paid attention to Travis and Tyreek."
Buccaneers linebackerLavonte David shined while covering Kelce for much of the night, while Devin White roamed the field, using his speed to shut down perimeter plays. Tampa Bay combined to keep Hill contained, providing a complete effort to deny the Chiefs a repeat title.
As the Buccaneers celebrate their title and we rave about the greatness of Tom Brady, Kansas City is left to pick up the pieces and look toward 2021. That moment, Mahomes said, began shortly after the Chiefs returned to their locker room Sunday night.
"For the first five minutes it was quiet, and then it just turned to we're going to get back," Mahomes said. "It's not the end of something -- it is another chapter."
