That group kept Mahomes boxed into the pocket and off-kilter for most of the night. Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh and Steve McClendon put on a thunderous performance, thanks in large part to the play-calling of Bowles, who consistently put them in a position to succeed. If an MVP can be awarded to an entire unit, Tampa Bay's defensive front deserves it. Gronk, Fournette, and Cameron Brate, meanwhile, combined for 13 receptions for 139 yards - nearly two-thirds of Brady's total. The Bucs picked on Kansas City's linebackers in coverage and the run game, repeatedly getting Fournette to the second level where he could work against overmatched, undersized defenders. While Brady took home the Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time in his career, Tampa Bay's coordinators were masterful.īyron Leftwich's offensive game plan was fantastic, and he had some particularly fun designs on screens and red zone plays. In the strangest NFL season of all time, the league's greatest player found a way to win it all yet again. Both sides fancied the living legend as a catalyst that would lead Tampa Bay to a championship, and they turned out to be right. In the end, the Bucs made good on the idea of what they could become with Brady at the helm. That group also cleared the way for Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones to combine for 150 yards rushing on 28 carries, including Fournette's 27-yard touchdown run that broke the game open for good in the third quarter. The frustrations were notable on both sides of the ball for KC, which committed 10 penalties for 100 yards in the game with many miscues coming in key situations that cost the Chiefs on the scoreboard.īrady, meanwhile, had the good fortune of being well protected throughout the game, a testament to the offensive line the Buccaneers built in front of him. Hill and the rest of the wideouts were completely removed from the game. Travis Kelce was a bit more productive, but it didn't much matter. After torching the Bucs for 269 yards and three touchdowns in the first matchup, Chiefs explosive WR Tyreek Hill recorded only seven grabs for 73 yards, making a relatively muted impact. Tampa's defensive backs and linebackers deserve their plaudits as well after rebounding from a disastrous Week 12 performance against this same Kansas City team. It was also the first double-digit loss of Mahomes' career. He ended the night with 270 yards passing, much of which came in garbage time, while being held without a touchdown for just the second time in 56 games since taking over KC's starting job in 2018. Even those figures undersell the degree to which the Bucs made his life miserable. Mahomes took three sacks and threw two interceptions on tipped passes. Mahomes was under siege all night, alternately firing the ball into the ground and having to tuck and scamper away from the relentless pressure. The Bucs forced the Chiefs into their worst offensive performance of the Patrick Mahomes era as Tampa Bay's defensive front completely controlled the line of scrimmage through all four quarters. Brady and Gronk now have 14 postseason scoring connections in their legendary careers. He calmly distributed the ball to his cadre of pass catchers and was especially successful over the middle. The future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to his long-time favorite target in tight end Rob Gronkowski and another to wide receiver Antonio Brown. Quarterback Tom Brady secured his seventh Lombardi Trophy, two more than any player in NFL history and one more than any entire NFL franchise has achieved.īrady's performance at age 43 was nearly flawless, and the suffocating pressure of Todd Bowles' defense was a perfect compliment to the offense's effort. In dominating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, the Bucs won their second Super Bowl and became the first team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl LV champions after completing a victory that exceeded expectations and made all kinds of history on Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
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