By Kyle Block
Two weeks from now, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing off against Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Both teams have been playing their best football at the right time. The five seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first team in the Super Bowl Era to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Although the number one seed Kansas City Chiefs will be playing in Tampa Bay’s stadium, the Chiefs’ players have proven to be unfazed by pressure seen in Super Bowl LIV. The Buccaneers offense is built around Tom Brady and consists of a very strong receiving core and below average run game, but one that has picked up in the playoffs. The Chiefs offense is similarly constructed with elite receiving weapons like Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill and with Patrick Mahomes at the helm. Tampa Bay has a slight edge on the defensive side of the ball due to their impressive front seven, but they will have to face the Chiefs’ offense which averages the most yards per game in the NFL. There is no doubt that this year’s Super Bowl will be exciting with its high scoring offenses, numerous playmakers, and history to be made.
The most impactful players for me in Super Bowl LV are Tyreek Hill and Tom Brady. Super Bowl LV will be a rematch of the week 12 Tampa Bay vs Kansas City game. In week 12, Tampa Bay simply could not guard Tyreek Hill who finished the game with 269 yard and 3 touchdowns. If the Buccaneers want to win the Super Bowl, their secondary will need to have a better scheme to guard him. I anticipate that Hill will be shadowed by safety coverage for the majority of snaps in Super Bowl LV, but the Buccaneer cannot over-commit on Hill as the Chiefs have proven to have many other playmakers as well. On the other side of the field, the Chiefs have to worry about Tom Brady. Brady is no stranger to the Superbowl as he is a 6 time champion. In the last matchup between the two teams, Brady and the Buccaneers’ offense started out the game slow, only scoring 10 points through the first 3 quarters. If the Buccaneers want to be Super Bowl champions, Brady will have to help his team score early and limit his turnovers. I believe that Brady will rise to the occasion as he has done in the past, but to be successful he will need to put lots of points on the board and keep the ball out of Patrick Mahomes hands, taking advantage of his many playmakers including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Both the Buccaneers and Chiefs have had remarkable postseasons thus far, but at the end of the day only one of the teams can be the Super Bowl LV champions. Currently, Las Vegas has the Chiefs as 3 point favorites and Patrick Mahomes as the Super Bowl MVP favorite. This Super Bowl will surely have all NFL fans watching as Patrick Mahomes tries to win his second Super Bowl in the beginning of his legacy while Brady tries to win his seventh Super Bowl and first without the Patriots.
Inside Sports Journal 