Chiefs Commit Super Bowl–Record Eight First-Half Penalties
The first 30 minutes ofSuper Bowl LV were anything but pleasant for the Chiefs.
Kansas City failed to reach the end zone in the first half against the Buccaneers, punting three times in their six drives. Making things more difficult forPatrick Mahomes and company—other than the Tampa Bay defense—were a litany of self-inflicted errors.
Kansas City committed eight penalties in the first half, themost for the first half in Super Bowl history. A defensive pass interference penalty extended the Buccaneers' last scoring drive, while a defensive holding penalty negated an interception.
On one drive, the Chiefs forced Tampa Bay to kick a 40-yard field goal, but adefender lined up offsides to extend the drive.Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown one play later, giving the Bucs a 14-3 lead.
The Chiefs committed 6.4 penalties per game during the regular season, fifth-most in the NFL. The Bucs, who committed just one penalty in the first half, ranked sixth with 5.1 penalties per game.
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Nick Selbe is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about baseball and college sports. Before joining SI in March 2020 as a breaking/trending news writer, he worked for MLB Advanced Media, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor's in communication from the University of Southern California.