Todd Bowles created the perfect defensive game plan by doing everything he doesn’t do

In Week 6 of the 2020 season, Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles put together the best single-game defensive game plan I’d seen this season. In a 38-10 win over the Packers, Bowles combined all kinds of odd fronts, creative blitzes, and tying pressure to coverage in ways that forced perhaps the worst game of Aaron Rodgers’ career.

How Buccaneers DC Todd Bowles created the NFL’s best defense

I should say that Bowles’ Week 6 plan was the best I’d seen until I saw the one he put together in Super Bowl LV. Because there should be no doubt that Bowles was a primary architect in the Buccaneers’ 31-9 win over the Chiefs. Yes, Patrick Mahomes was playing behind a makeshift offensive line, but the Chiefs have been making adjustments to that for a while now. In this game, Bowles had the fortitude to do what most teams were either unwilling or unable to do against Kansas City’s offense — to dictate terms from the beginning. Patrick Mahomes, who ripped Tampa Bay’s defense apart in Week 12 with 37 completions in 49 attempts for 462 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 27-24 Chiefs win, had no such luck this time around. This time around, Mahomes completed just 26 of 49 passes for 270 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Per Next Gen Stats, Tampa Bay’s defense aligned in a two-high safety shell on 87% of plays (59 of 68 total), the highest rate by a Todd Bowles-led defense in any game over the last five seasons.

Converesly, the Bucs blitzed on 9.6% of their dropbacks, the lowest rate by a Bowles-led defense over the last five seasons. which plays completely against type. This season, the Bucs had the NFL’s fifth-highest blitz rate at 39.0%. This time around, Bowles knew he wouldn’t have to blitz. Now, he knew he could get pressure with four, and that opened everything up for the two-safety dominance of his pass defense.

Even more specifically, per ESPN’s Seth Walder, it was all about Cover-2 (zone coverage with two deep safeties) and 2-man (man coverage with two deep safeties).

This was not something the Buccaneers did a lot this season, but when they did do it… hoo boy, they were really good at it. Per Sports Info Solutions, Tampa Bay played either Cover-2 or 2-Man on 90 pass defense snaps this season, all the way up to the conference championship. They allowed  receptions on 71 catchable passes for yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, two more dropped interceptions, an opponent QBR of 74.75, and an EPA of -17.3.

Mahomes against Cover-2 and 2-Man this season? 66 completions in 101 attempts for 865 yards, 492 air yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. Not horrible, but not exactly world-beating, either.

Most defenses don’t play more two-high coverage against the Chiefs because when the Chiefs see you in two-high, they’ll just run the ball down your throat and beat up on your safeties who are dropping to try and take away the deep game.

Bowles said after the game that the plan was to try and get Mahomes past his first read — to get him thinking more than he wanted to, and then the defensive line could hunt. Mahomes was sacked just once, but he was pressured ceaselessly and the two picks — both against deep safety looks — were killers.

Finally, the Bucs took away the sidelines. Mahomes finished with 10 completions in 22 attempts for 50 yards and both interceptions on passes targeting receivers outside the numbers.. In Week 12, Mahomes completed 18 of 22 passes for 308 yards and all three of his touchdown passes outside the numbers against this defense.

Andy Reid put it about as succinctly and accurately as possible.

“We had two weeks to think about what they did to us in Week 12,” Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David said after the game. “We were playing great defense throughout the playoffs, and [people] still doubted us.

“Coach Bowles? We call him the Mastermind. We know [the Chiefs live to throw the deep ball, so we just let our D-line go and took care of everything underneath, and we got the victory.”

They did, and their defensive coordinator is the reason more than anybody else. By playing against type in every way possible. Todd Bowles came away with the most important victory of his long career.