On Nov. 29 – Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season – the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-24, at Raymond James Stadium.
That outcome, however, likely won’t have much of an impact on what happens this Sunday in Super Bowl LV as the same teams square off on the same field.
“I wouldn’t put too much stock into that first matchup,” Chiefs linebacker Damien Wilson said on The Zach Gelb Show. “The Bucs, since then, they’re a different team with a different identity. They’ve been on a roll as of late. They’re in excellent form, and they’ve been playing a really, really high level of football. To compare that old team that we beat to this monster we’re about to face on Sunday would be comparing apples and oranges.”
The Buccaneers fell to 7-5 with that Week 12 loss – and they haven’t lost since. Tom Brady has led the Bucs to seven straight wins, including three road playoff victories.
“He’s got the reins to the offense,” Wilson said. “He can check in and out of anything. Getting ready for him is priority No. 1.”
While the game is being billed as Brady versus Patrick Mahomes, Wilson doesn’t see it that way.
“Mahomes ain’t going against Brady; it’s going to be [the defense] against Brady,” Wilson said, laughing. “But Brady, there’s no denying it. He’s got the most Super Bowls ever. He’s greatness walking. Pat, he’s getting there, man. Believe it or not, Pat is getting there. He is the future of the NFL. For me, I got to stay focused on my job and not get caught up into watching them two do their thing because it’s going to be very, very entertaining.”