Super Bowl 55 preview: Wade Phillips breaks down Chiefs’ attack
Former NFL defensive coordinator Wade Phillips uses his 45 years of experience to break down what we should see in Super Bowl 55.
Ask for help.
When Wade Phillips and I began chatting, that was his initial answer to the most pressing question of Super Bowl LV.
How do you slow down the Kansas City Chiefs?
Phillips, 73, has coached in two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator and won one, helping the Denver Broncos take the title in 2015 with a dominant showing. He has been part of 363 NFL wins and seen his team rank top-five in sacks at each of his stops. He has coached Reggie White, J.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and many other Hall-of-Fame talents.
Simply put, Phillips is one of the best coordinators in NFL history.
Additionally, he’s faced this current version of the Chiefs once, coaching the Los Angeles Rams’ defense in 2018. It was a rough night.
In that famous game, his Rams won 54-51. Yet Kansas City racked up an absurd 546 yards but also lost five turnovers, including a pick-six and scoop-and-score, both courtesy of Samson Ebukam.
For Sunday, I put Phillips in the shoes of Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and asked him what he sees. Not shockingly, he started with Patrick Mahomes.
“They gave you so many problems,” Phillips told FanSided. “The quarterback extends plays, which is a bad problem, and we knew he was good but I have so much respect for him now. Won a Super bowl, MVP. He’s a tremendous player. He throws off-balance, off-schedule, in the pocket. If you rush him in the pocket he gets out and throws well. He’s a one-man wrecking team with the people he has to throw it to. They can run the ball well enough, but he’s taking over for Tom Brady.”
Of course, Mahomes is only part of the ever-growing problem when facing the Chiefs. They have elite weaponry in All-Pros Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, both likely ticketed for Canton.
Hill, who went for 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the prior matchup between these teams in Week 12, was of particular concern for Phillips. He noted the need for double-teams, but also insisted the Buccaneers are without hope if they can’t get home with four consistently.
When asked bluntly if Tampa Bay could win without constant four-man pressure, Phillips was succinct.
“No, I don’t,” Phillips answered. “You say you double Hill, but you better have someone close because he’ll motion and run the quick screen and run off with it. He can go for a touchdown at any time. Kelce is going to be consistent, but Hill gets the ball and runs 30, 40, 50 yards whether it’s a short pass, crossing route or a long pass. It’s not over the top all the time … it’s outrunning someone.”
While the two-time head coach believes the Chiefs have distinct advantages, he does see a path for Tampa Bay. Most notably, Kansas City is banged up on the offensive line, with left tackle Eric Fisher out with a torn Achilles while right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has been sidelined with a back injury since Week 6.
If the Buccaneers are going to pull the upset, Phillips sees this as their main source of hope.
“Their two outside guys against their backup tackles, that’s the key to me,” Phillips said. “If you can rush four and get some pressure and not let him out of the pocket too much you have a better chance. If you have to rush with five and play man you better get there because it’s a real problem with Kelce or especially Hill one-on-one.
“You have to mix it up with their quarterback because he can read coverages too. You can’t play Tampa 2 or three-deep zone. You have to play some man-combo, matchup zones, throw those in there.”
Phillips believes it’s possible for edge rushers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul to have good days, specifically citing Von Miller’s MVP outing in Super Bowl 50 against Remmers, when he was the right tackle for the Carolina Panthers.
In that game, Miller had a pair of strip-sacks, essentially winning the game for Denver. Phillips noted “Remmers is not a great tackle,” giving Tampa Bay an area to attack on Mahomes’ blind side.
However, Phillips does have concerns about Tom Brady, who threw three interceptions in the second half of the NFC Championship Game. He believes the Chiefs can blitz the 43-year-old while attempting to choke off the deep outside and short inside routes.
“You can play man on Brady because he doesn’t have Hill,” Phillips said. “[Mike] Evans and [Chris] Godwin are good, but I don’t think he can get it to them like he did before.”
Additionally, the Chiefs have a distinct advantage up front with All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones going against right guard Aaron Stinnie, who is making only his third-career start in the Super Bowl.
When I asked him to explain how Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could dissuade Tampa Bay from double-teaming Jones without sending all-out blitzes, Phillips harkened back to some of his best pupils over the years.
“Same thing we did with Aaron Donald or J.J. Watt,” Phillips said. “You can give a five-down look where it could be any five guys coming, so they have to block one-on-one and then you drop someone out. It’s simpler than people think. Therefore they are one-on-one. You can give a five-down look and one can cover the back, there are different ways to do it. If you line up in an odd-man look, you have to block five down.”
In the end? Phillips made his pick.
34-24, Chiefs.