Blaine Gabbert witnessed firsthand what it took for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to overcome doubters, grind out wins and score a Super Bowl championship during the 2020 season.
He’s now doing the same as Patrick Mahomes’ backup with the Kansas City Chiefs as he did with Tom Brady. He talked to NFL journalist Peter King for his “Football Morning In America” column on Monday and discussed how Mahomes and the Chiefs need to find “different ways to win just as the Bucs did.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Blaine Gabbert stand together at practice on the DFB Campus. (Arne Dedert/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“You have to evolve. They’re used to being extremely explosive here. They’ve been probably the best in the NFL in the last seven years at big plays,” Gabbert said. “Defenses know that. It’s kind of a chess match back and forth. We’re just trying to find different ways to win. How can we attack this defense in a different way than, let’s say, in years past?
“Patrick knows every single season’s different and you have to find different ways to win. This year, we know that a punt isn’t necessarily the worst thing, right? We just gotta grind out these grimy wins.”
He compared the Chiefs’ season to that of 2020 when the Bucs, with the hype surrounding the team because of Brady and Rob Gronkowski, had to churn out tough victories. Tampa Bay finished second in the NFC South and were 7-5 at Week 12 of the season.
Tom Brady and Blaine Gabbert in action for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Tampa Bay won its final four games of the season en route to a wild-card berth and eventually the Super Bowl.
“There’s eerie parallels between this season and the season that we had in 2020 in Tampa, where you gotta find different ways to win, and we ended up winning the Super Bowl. We had this conversation I think earlier this week,” Gabbert told King.
Gabbert is in his first season with the Chiefs after spending the last four with Tampa Bay.
The Chiefs ground out a victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. Offensive miscues have plagued the team but they’re still seventh in yards gained and 10th in points scored as well as first in the AFC West.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Blaine Gabbert during the national anthem before the Broncos game at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 29, 2023, in Denver. (Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
