Will Tom's Tumultuous Turnover Problems Persist When KC Provides Proper Pressure?

The Kansas City Chiefs face off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida this afternoon. We can expect excessive screen-time spent comparing the top-shelf quarterbacks facing off, but the pressure to outperform one another is nothing compared to literally dealing with pressure, especially when it's applied by a strong NFL defense.

Both teams apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks on over 25% of dropbacks, giving both teams a Pressure % in the top ten league-wide. Advanced stats indicate that Mahomes is around league-average against pressure, but Tom becomes one of the worst passers in football. Brady should continue this trend today when he faces a secondary with plenty to prove.

The Chiefs still rank eighth in passing yards allowed per game, but nobody on that defense can be too ecstatic about their last two weeks. Everything we know about Tyran Mathieu suggests he'll be seething. I believe the leader of that secondary will help them bounce back after allowing 310 and 275 passing yards to Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr, respectively. More importantly, the Chiefs gave up 31 points to consecutive opponents, which they haven't done since that game against the Rams in 2018.

Expect a fired-up Tyran to reap revenge and ruin Tom Brady's day. Both he and KC's defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will relish this opportunity to stifle Tampa Bay's gameplan. Disrupting the Buc's rhythm on offense is crucial because, believe it or not, this Brady guy is pretty good at winning football games.

A quick look at common opponents among these teams could concern some fans in Chiefs Kingdom. Tampa Bay has won all five games against teams that KC already faced this season. The Chiefs snuck by the Panthers 33-31, but Tampa beat Carolina twice already, and they won by 13 and 14 points. The Bucs also took care of the Raiders 45-20 with the help of Brady's best performance of the year. 

When he's on, Tom and his team still look Super Bowl-caliber. When he's off, which is admittedly rare until recently, Brady looks like a liability.

Brady began his latest game against the Saints with four straight 3-and-outs, and he gave away a chance for a comeback with two late picks against the Rams last week. Tampa Bay is 1-4 when they lose the turnover ratio, so Tom's turnovers may wind up costing them the division. Also, Brady is 0 for 19 in his last four games when throwing the ball 20 or more yards. I don't need to double-check the stats before I tell you that Patrick Mahomes isn't having that problem.

31-23, Chiefs.

Chiefs Face Intriguing Week 1 Test In Jacksonville

Meaningful Kansas City football returns today, Chiefs Kingdom. We all want to see our reigning MVP go wild, but I'm actually more excited to see KC's torn-down, rebuilt defense face off against an improved Jacksonville Jaguars offense. We'll inevitably be amazed by Patrick Mahomes again and again, but we already knew that coming into the season. The Chiefs' defense gives us no such certainty, especially in Week 1 against a Jacksonville squad that KC cannot underestimate.

The Jags ranked 27th in yards per game and 31st in points per game last season, but veteran Super Bowl champ Nick Foles will look like a Hall of Famer to Jacksonville fans after their previous ugly experiences. A healthy Leonard Fournette is a great Week 1 test for the Chiefs' new run-stuffing strategies. He's one of the league's best when he's on his game, and KC's new 4-3 defense will need to limit backs like Fournette in order to be successful. That's no easy task for a group that has never played a meaningful game together.

At no fault of its own, this defense lacks an identity. Edge rush threat Frank Clark brings an impressive four-season resume with him, along with some of that Legion of Boom mystique, but he's in a new place with a new coach and system for the first time in his career. It's tough to say whether or not he can improve upon his 13 sack season in 2018. The much-maligned secondary saw dramatic alterations as well. On paper, they're better this season, but can newcomers like Tyran Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland mesh with Kendal Fuller and Company this early in the season? Nobody knows yet, but I'm excited to learn more.

New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows that his mission is to once again upend the New England Patriots' chances at a Super Bowl. However, to give the Chiefs solid seeding in the playoffs, Spags and KC need to win consistently against good-not-great teams like Jacksonville. The majority of the football world would wager that KC's defense will improve this year, but today we'll see what the new unit is capable of when it actually matters. With the Chiefs' potentially record-breaking offense and consistently stellar special teams play, the Kansas City defense will be the biggest worry for the Kingdom. The speed in which that group of guys finds cohesion factors heavily into the Chiefs' chances to go all the way this season.

In just minutes, we get to witness Chapter One of a story that could conclude in Super Bowl glory. Soak that in and have fun today.

Doug LaCerte is a freelance sportswriter with a Facebook page and a Twitter feed that he likes to neglect equally.