Super Bowl 2021: Bucs cornerbacks coach says defensive backs better prepared to cover Chiefs' speedsters

Tampa Bay's cornerbacks know they can't let Kansas City's offensive weapons dominate like they did last time

We have officially entered Super Bowl week, as coaches and players began speaking to the media on Monday about the upcoming matchup. The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have actually already battled in Tampa once this season, and it was Patrick Mahomes and Co. that escaped with a 27-24 win. In their Week 12 matchup, the Chiefs jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Mahomes finished with 462 passing yards and three touchdowns, but it was Tyreek Hill that took over the game. He caught 13 passes for a whopping 269 yards and three touchdowns, and had his way with anything and everything the Buccaneers' secondary threw at him.

The Buccaneers will not have a shot at winning Super Bowl LV if Hill puts up big numbers again, and cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross knows it. When speaking to reporters on Monday, Ross said that his players took their first meeting with the Chiefs as a learning experience, and that they are better prepared to face the likes of Hill and tight end Travis Kelce this time around.

"They realize now that they can't do some of the things they did in the last game," Ross said, via Pro Football Talk. "I think it was maybe — I don't want to say lackadaisical or disrespecting their speed, but sometimes you don't know how fast a man is until you actually run with that man, and then you find out some things about yourself and him as well.

"The approach will be totally different this time around. I think they'll be better prepared. Should be a good ball game for them."

Unfortunately, Hill's career game against the Buccaneers was not an anomaly, as the speedy wideout has been putting up incredible numbers in the playoffs. In the divisional round, Hill caught eight passes for 110 yards, and then exploded for 172 yards on nine catches in the conference championship game. His 172 receiving yards were the most in a playoff game in Chiefs history, and marked his third straight postseason game with over 100 receiving yards. Hill isn't the only wideout the Buccaneers have to worry about either, as Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman have proven their worth as home-run hitters, and Kelce is one of the best when it comes to finding the open spots in zone coverage. 

There are plenty of interesting matchups to dive into when it comes to these two teams, but perhaps the most important one has to do with the Chiefs' offensive weapons and how the Buccaneers can contain them.