Buccaneers defense looking to limit 'money plays' by Tyreek Hill, Chiefs

Another query came to mind when there was time for only one more question during Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr.'s Super Bowl virtual news conference on Wednesday.

It went something like this: "So, Antoine, um, back in Week 12, when you guys played the Chiefs at home, what in the world happened in that first quarter?"

"They made some explosive plays," said the former Gopher and son of the former Viking. "Some money plays."

You can say that again.

The Buccaneers were facing the same team they'll face in Sunday's Super Bowl LV. In the same stadium to boot.

It didn't start well. At least not for the Bucs. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw eight first-quarter passes to Tyreek Hill, a confounding All-Pro jitterbug who creates nightmares for all defenders.

Hill caught seven of them. The gains went for 34, 23, 1, 75, 19, 7 and 44 yards. The 75- and 44-yarders were touchdowns as the Chiefs jumped ahead 17-0.

Carlton Davis, a third-year cornerback, was in Mahomes' crosshairs more than anyone in that quarter.

So what's the plan this time, Carlton?

"I'm going to bring the same mentality," he said this week. "And that's to dominate. I play defensive back in the NFL, so you're going to have your share of losses. It doesn't change who I am, what I do, or how I approach the game. I'm going to continue to be a dog and go out there and give it my all every time."

In defense of Davis' and the Bucs' defense that day, Hill caught only six more passes for 66 yards and no touchdowns in the final three quarters. And the Bucs rallied before losing by only three points, 27-24.

"We made our halftime adjustments and were in better position than the first half," Winfield said. "But that first half, they just made some plays. That's pretty much all I can say about it."

They haven't lost since, going 7-0, including three road playoff wins as a wild card team. As the NFC's No. 5 seed, they beat No. 4 Washington 31-23, No. 2 New Orleans 30-20 and No. 1 Green Bay 31-26.

Tom Brady and the offense have failed to reach 30 points only one time during the seven-game winning streak. That came in the first win, a 26-14 victory over the Vikings in Tampa.

The defense has stepped up as well, forcing 12 turnovers in those seven games. Seven playoff takeaways have led to six touchdowns for the Bucs' offense.

In that Week 12 meeting, Mahomes had season highs for attempts (49), completions (37) and yards passing (462). Brady threw for 345 yards — 106 to tight end Rob Gronkowski — but was intercepted twice.

Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians was asked about Davis' mighty struggles early in that game and whether that was something to keep an eye on heading into a rematch in the Super Bowl. He said Davis was dealing with a hip and groin injury during the season but is better now.

"Yeah, he had a hard time with Tyreek Hill, but everybody does. I'm going to take the blame for that one, not him, for putting him in that situation. He's had a great, great year and has toughened up."