One of my favorite times of the year is finally upon us, its Super Bowl weekend! After a long year which has been filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, this Super Bowl might be exactly what we need at this moment. In my eyes this Super Bowl will be disguised as a moment of normalcy for society. This is the one sports game that everyone comes together to watch, even if football is not your thing. In all honesty, the Super Bowl should already be given the title of a National Holiday, It's that popular. This weekend everyone should hang out with their friends(safely), cook up some nice food, kick back, have a drink and enjoy the game.
On February 7th at 6:30, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be technically hosting Super Bowl LV(55) against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. This is going to be a matchup that will be one of the most entertaining gun shows in recent years. This Super Bowl includes two of the top NFL’s offenses from this past season. Leading the Chiefs is last year's Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who will be looking to be the first Quarterback to win back to back Super Bowls since Tom Brady did it in ‘03 and ‘04. Funny as it is, Tom Brady just happens to be the rival Quarterback who will be facing off against Mahomes this weekend. With these two potent offenses and their strong defenses, this game can go either way. We have already seen this matchup before earlier this season. Mahomes and the Chiefs did indeed win the battle, however down the stretch it was very close. With the players knowing how intense and close this game will be many players have been saying all week, “the team that plays better will win”.
At the age of 43, Buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady will be playing in his 10th career Super Bowl. This time without the help of Bill Belichick and the Patriots. After a career move to Tampa in the offseason, Brady masterfully led the underdog Buccaneers to the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers entered the postseason as the 5th seed in the NFC needing to conquer every team on the road. They took out Taylor Heinicke and the Redskins, likewise with Drew Brees and the Saints. To top it off they went into Lambeau Field and sneaked by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Three on the road wins is very rare to see in the postseason. Luckily for them, the Super Bowl just happens to be in their home of Raymond James Stadium. It’s the first time in Super Bowl history that a team will be able to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Although many disregard this fact, I feel that this will play great into the hands of the Buccaneers.
The most impressive and consistent unit of the Buccaneers has been the strong and disciplined defense. Coached by Todd Bowles, this defense playing its best football just at the right time. Some notable players on defense include Jason Pier-Paul, Lavonte David, Devin White, Ndomukong Suh, Antoine Winfield and Sean Murphy-Bunting. If the defense can play the way they have all post season, they will place the Buccaneers in great position to win this Super Bowl.
On offense the Buccaneers are absolutely loaded from top to bottom. With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowksi, Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette this offense has been very strong as of late. This has been the perfect supporting cast for the ageing Tom Brady. They all have played a part in Bruce Arians “No risk it, no biscuit” offense. With this much talent, they are able to take chances and look for the big play on any down. If the big plays aren't there, they will just pound you with the run game until the right plays become available. I believe that the game plan must be extremely methodical to win this game. They need to score efficiently and keep Mahomes on the sideline for as long as possible.
The Chiefs in the regular season were cruising past opponents, however come postseason time they too had their own struggles. They finished the regular season at a strong 14-2 and were rewarded a first round bye. During the season, Mahomes and the offense have been as clean and polished as anyone would have expected. Entering the Playoffs they were heavily viewed as the favorites to reach and win the Super Bowl. In the first matchup against the red hot Cleveland Browns, QB Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game with concussion symptoms halfway through the third quarter. With the star Quarterback out, many like myself felt that the end of their season was near. But to my disbelief Chad Henne stepped in and made some big plays which were crucial late in the game. Luckily for the Chiefs, Mahomes was cleared and ready to go for the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills. With ease, the Chiefs won and proceeded to the Super Bowl.
Andy Reid will be looking to coach his way to two Super Bowl wins. He is the true mastermind behind the Chiefs lethal and mind blowing offense. Starring Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, this offense is by far the most difficult to slow down in recent NFL history. The formula for success is quite simple for the Chiefs. Let Hill find separation in the secondary and have Kelce find the soft spots of the defense and the offense will be perfect. If the offense remains unstoppable like they have been all season long, they will probably be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy by the end of the night.
On defense they are led by All Pro Safety and team captain Tyrann Mathiew. He alone brings the energy, leadership and playmaking ability that sets the tone for the rest of the defense. Mathiew is always making a play on the ball wherever it goes. He was a great factor in last year's Super Bowl win, and I suspect he will have to play extremely well again if they want any shot at a repeat. The other stellar star on the defense is Defensive Tackle Chris Jones. Jones will be the one who will make Brady uncomfortable all game long. He is second to no one when it comes to interior pressure on the Quarterback. These two have seen and have played against Brady in New England, and they know how to get him out of his comfort zone and I assume they will aim to do it again.
To win a Super Bowl, you create and add to your NFL Legacy. In this matchup there is a lot on the line for many of these players. Lets begin with the G.O.A.T. If Tom Brady is able to come away with his 7th Super Bowl ring, it would place him amongst the Greatest Athletes of All Time. Seven Rings is unprecedented and is practically untouchable. It would solidify his career as the best in football and no one could ever touch him. If Mahomes loses this game his legacy will never be one greater than a Tom Brady’s. With a win, he would definitely be setting himself up to surpass Brady if he continues on his path of dominance. Andy Reid is already regarded as a Hall of Fame Coach, however a second ring would solidify his entry as a First Ballot nominee. Mike Evans and Antonio Brown have been some of the best receivers the league has seen the past ten years. If they are able to secure a ring this weekend, they will most likely find their names in Canton. Last but not least is Bruce Arians. If he can win a ring as a Head Coach it would place him in the upper echelons of the coaches in the NFL. For the Hall of Fame, he will probably need to win another ring. This game is make or break for so many players, and I expect they will give it their all on Sunday.
It's now time for my final NFL game prediction for the 2020/21 season. Before the Season started I totally predicted that these would be the two teams that would be playing in the Super Bowl. Way back in August I predicted that the Buccaneers would beat the Chiefs in this game. To this day, I am not backing off my game prediction. I expect this game to be a close one from start to finish with a good amount of scoring. Brady and Mahomes will both put up big numbers in this one, and I suspect it will come down to a game winning drive attempt for the Chiefs. In the postseason, there has been a recent trend where it is the belief that defense wins Championships. In my perspective I believe that Tampa has the better defense and will be able to make the necessary stops to seal up a victory for the Buccaneers.
In Super Bowl LV, I am going to be selecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win 35, 31 over the Kansas City Chiefs(-3). Tom Brady will be the Super Bowl MVP with over 300 yards passing and 3 touchdown passes.
I quickly want to thank everyone who has read and enjoyed the process of my NFL coverage of the season. Be on the lookout for NFL Draft articles post Super Bowl.
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