Patrick Mahomes surprisingly struggles against Buccaneers’ blitz in Super Bowl

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading the Kansas City Chiefs by double digits for most of the Super Bowl probably surprised most fans. The Chiefs getting called for a record amount of penalty yards probably surprised most fans. And another surprise from Sunday’s Super Bowl is how Patrick Mahomes struggled against the blitz against the Bucs in Super Bowl LV on Sunday.

Mahomes was so good against the blitz the rest of the season that many teams stopped blitzing him. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Mahomes had 17 touchdowns and no interceptions against the blitz prior to the Super Bowl. The Bucs got an interception off a blitz in the Super Bowl. They also had Mahomes 0-for-5 on pass attempts during blitzes at one point as well.

Most bizarre part of the night. Mahomes has been very literally the best in the NFL against the blitz this season — ranked No. 1 — to the point where teams stopped blitzing. https://t.co/amfkIjOwXx

— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) February 8, 2021

Mahomes was being held to one of his worst games ever through three quarters. The Bucs had him on the run and were utterly dominating the game.

Who saw that coming, and who saw Mahomes struggling so badly against the blitz?