Buccaneers pass rusher Shaq Barrett has been to the Super Bowl before and he’s seen what the power of a strong pass rush can do for a team.
Barrett was part of the Broncos Defense that took on the Panthers and NFL MVP Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50. The Broncos sacked Newton six times and forced a fumble that Malik Jackson recovered for a touchdown.
Von Miller forced that fumble and another late in the game while recording 2.5 sacks on his way to winning Super Bowl MVP. Barrett told reporters on Monday that Miller’s message from that game is resonating with him this week.
“I remember Von talking to us, just motivating our position group, saying, ‘They ain’t never played a team like us,'” Barrett said, via the team’s website. “It could come down to us. We can control the game. If we affect the quarterback it can be all on us. He was determined to get it by any means, like don’t let failure be an option, and that’s what I’m on right now. We came too close to start all over next year without a ring.”
The NFC Championship Game saw the Bucs knock off this season’s MVP behind three Barrett sacks and two more from Jason Pierre-Paul. If they can do the same to Patrick Mahomes that they did to Aaron Rodgers, the Bucs’ chances of winning will likely look pretty good.