Super Bowl 55 between the Buccaneers and Chiefs will feature two of the most prolific passing offenses in the NFL, with both teams ranking in the top 5 on the season.
While the Bucs are ranked 4th in the NFL is total pass yards this year, it's the Chiefs who lead the way, ranking #1.
Despite the air attack both teams come into the game with, many think it's still the ground game that will be the determining factor, and one of those people is former Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith.
"This is a game that comes down to which defense can create turnovers," says Smith. "Wouldn't surprise me one bit if Tampa uses the run game with Fournette to try to control the clock instead of getting into a shootout."
"It's tried and true, the teams that can run the ball when they other team is trying to stop them from running the ball are the ones that win," continued Coach Smith. "You still gotta win the line of scrimmage and run the football and wind the clock."
There is no doubt that the NFL has entered a pass-heavy era offensively, FIVE of the top nine passers of all time played this past season (Brees, Brady, Rivers, Roethlisberger, and Ryan), and Aaron Rodgers is knocking on the door of the top 10 as well.
It's interesting that despite the prolific numbers through the air many of those close to the game still find the ground game to be the difference-maker.
To hear all of Mike Smith's comments, click here.