Arkush: Bucs crush Chiefs' offense, silence Mahomes in Super Bowl

I'm sorry; someone said defense doesn't win championships anymore?

Someone might want to mention that to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not only was it the Bucs' defense more than anything else that earned their club their shiny new rings, it was Kansas City's defense that gave Tampa its biggest assist.

Predictably, Tom Brady is once again the Super Bowl MVP and Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette were worthy as well, but the award really should have gone to Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.

Let's see a show of hands: Who among you predicted Patrick Mahomes and company would be held to 9 points? Not just in Tampa Sunday, but ever?

Ten weeks ago on the very same field, the Chiefs only scored 27 - but they put up 543 yards of offense, with Mahomes throwing for 462.

Garbage time - which began with 2:50 to play in the third quarter when the Bucs converted a 52-yard field goal to make it a 31-9 game - warped the numbers at the end, but at halftime the Chiefs had managed just 121 yards and 6 points, and on two possessions prior to that final Bucs field goal they'd added just 44 more yards.

In the end, Mahomes was 26-49 for 270 yards (including all the garbage time), zero TDs, 2 interceptions, 3 sacks and a 52.3 passer rating, easily his worst performance as a pro with only an Oct. 7, 2018, game against the Jaguars coming close.

Tyreek Hill, who had a season against the Bucs 10 weeks ago with 13 catches, 269 yards and 3 TDs, had just 2 catches in the first half for 13 yards and finished with 7-73.

How did Bowles do it? He blitzed just five times all night, knowing that his front seven could dominate the Chiefs' banged-up and rejiggered offensive line; bracketed Hill with a cornerback and a safety on every play; and trusted his two second-team All-Pro inside linebackers, Devin White and Lavonte David, to deal with Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs' defense, on the other hand, was overmatched almost from the jump. Its Achilles' heel all season long, the Run 'D,' allowed 145 yards on 33 rushes and committed one unnecessary penalty after another.

While the defense was the main culprit, the Chiefs' 11 penalties for 120 yards - and several more that were declined - assured their club would never have a chance.

With Kansas City trailing 21-6 but receiving the opening kickoff of the second half, it was hard to assume Mahomes would bring them right back and make it a game.

The Bucs stopped them on that first possession on 3rd and seven at the Tampa 34, forcing them to settle for a 52-yard field goal, and Tampa then went 74 yards in just 3:41 and only six plays to make it 28-9. Even with almost 23 minutes left you knew this one was over.

While not spectacular, Brady was efficient as could be - 21-29 for 201 yards, 3 TDs, zero interceptions with a rating of 125.8 - and clearly the guy every Buc on both sides of the ball looked to guide them, securing him his seventh Super Bowl title and fifth MVP.

Afterwards though, he refused to make it personal, saying, "The team had a lot of confidence, we came together at the right time, I think we knew this was going to happen guys didn't we?

"We ended up playing our best game of the year.

"This team is world champions forever, you can't take that away from us."

Gronk was also a difference-maker, really for the first time all year, scoring the Bucs' first two touchdowns and finishing as their leading receiver.

In fairness to Mahomes, none of what happened in the Chiefs' worst performance of the season was really on him - and in fact, he made one miraculous play (or at least attempt) after another while running for his life almost all night long.

It will be interesting to see now how the rest of the NFL reacts going forward in this high-flying offense, video-game highlight-reel era where defenses have become afterthoughts to a number of teams - now, for the second time in three seasons, it is a Tom Brady-led team's defense that has secured titles.

Brady left no doubt immediately following the game, telling us of course he'll be back next year.

Now the biggest question of the offseason. in which it seems almost everyone is already focused on finding a quarterback to combat him and Mahomes, is who will come up with a defense to stop him?

• Twitter: @Hub_Arkush