The stage was set as the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squared off in Super Bowl LV. Heading into this game, many believed that this would be a Super Bowl classic featuring Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes going head-to-head.
Instead, it turned into a spanking by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9 over the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers become the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in their stadium, and Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl title. He was named the MVP for the fifth time in his career. Bruce Arians became the oldest coach to win the Super Bowl at 68 years old.
The Buccaneers also made more history, as mention on the ESPN Stats & Info Twitter. They become the first team to score four 30-point games in a postseason. The first team to beat three straight MVP quarterbacks (Brees, Rodgers, Mahomes), and Tom Brady is the first player to throw 50 touchdowns for a Super Bowl champion.
Tom Brady went 21/29 for 201-yards and threw three touchdowns. Leonard Fournette led the way with sixteen carries for 89-yards and one rushing touchdown. Tight-End Rob Gronkowski led the way in receiving yards with six receptions on seven targets for 67-yards and two touchdowns. The defense pressured Mahomes 29 times, the most in Super Bowl history, along with sacking him three times and intercepting him two times.
On the other side, the Chiefs could not get anything going. Before the game, they missed two key players with linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and left tackle Eric Fisher. Patrick Mahomes was 26/49 for 270-yards and threw two interceptions. Mahomes was also dealing with a turf toe injury that affected his performance. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the Chiefs in rushing with nine carries for 64-yards.
Tight-End Travis Kelce led the team in receiving yards with ten catches for 133-yards. The defense only got to Brady one time throughout the game. The Chiefs were undisciplined, committing eleven penalties for 120-yards, while Tampa Bay only had four penalties for 39-yards.
Tampa Bay controlled the time of possession for 31 minutes and 23-seconds versus the Chiefs with 28 minutes and 37-seconds. The dominating performance led the Buccaneers to win their second Super Bowl in franchise history. They add another win to the column for teams losing to an opponent in the regular season and beating them in the Super Bowl.
The 2020 season is in the books, and the NFL managed to get all regular season and postseason games in during the COVID-19 pandemic. All 32 teams now turn the page to get ready for the 2021 season, starting with the NFL Combine set for March 8th, followed by the NFL Draft from April 29th to May 1st.
