Matthew Cotter
On Sunday 7th February, the spectacle of the NFL’s Super Bowl will once again unfold on our screens. The match-up sees the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by 6-time winner Tom Brady, face off against last year’s winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, with The Weeknd headlining the famous half-time show. The event will kick off at 11.30pm GMT and can be watched in the UK on both Sky and BBC One.
For the first time in Super Bowl history, a participating team will play in their home stadium. Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium is set to host Sunday’s big game, with a reduced attendance of 22,000 fans. More history is set to be broken as Sarah Thomas will become the first female to officiate in a Super Bowl.
Alongside Brady, the team made other moves in the off-season including trading for Brady’s long-time teammate Rob Gronkowski
All eyes are set to be upon the Quarterbacks in this clash as the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Bucs’ Tom Brady both ranked in the Top 3 for Passing Yards per Game. This game is likely to be won through the air.
Tampa Bay
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2020 NFL Season was a gamble. One that has, up until this point, paid off. Back in March, it was announced the team was signing 42-year-old Quarterback Tom Brady. It was unknown whether he would be able to replicate the success he saw whilst in New England as for the first time in his 21-year long career he would be without Head Coach Bill Belichick. Alongside Brady, the team made other moves in the off-season including trading for Brady’s long-time teammate Rob Gronkowski and drafting Tackle Tristan Wirfs and Safety Antoine Winfield Jr, both of whom made the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team.
These additions coupled with the experience of 68-year-old Head Coach Bruce Arians meant the Bucs dramatically improved on their 7-win season in 2019. Winning 11 out of 16 games this time around, the Buccaneers transformed themselves into a top 10 team in both Offensive and Defensive statistics. Winning a dramatic 31-26 game against the much-favoured Green Bay Packers sealed their spot in this year’s big game. It is likely that Tampa Bay will once again rely on the experience of Quarterback Tom Brady, who will be competing in his 10th Super Bowl.
Kansas City
After winning it all last year, Kansas City will want to become only the eighth team to win back to back Championships. Unlike the Buccaneers, the Chiefs made minimal movements during the off- season. No big-name signings were made and the only significant outgoings being Defensive End Emmanuel Ogbah to Miami and Cornerback Kendall Fuller returning to Washington. The biggest move was signing star Quarterback Patrick Mahomes II to a 10-year contract extension worth a potential $503m. He again will be the one to watch come Sunday, having been voted the MVP in last year’s showdown with San Francisco.
The Chiefs come into this game on the back of another phenomenal season. Having only lost two games all season, they wrapped up the playoff’s number one seed with ease. A top-five team in both Offense and Defence, Kansas City are a tough outfit who are committed to not let complacency slip into their performance on the back of last year’s win.
When these two teams met earlier in the season, the Chiefs triumphed in a tight 27-24 game. It can be expected that this one will be a similar affair
Predictions
As the returning Champions, the Chiefs are the favoured team with the bookies. When these two teams met earlier in the season, the Chiefs triumphed in a tight 27-24 game. It can be expected that this one will be a similar affair. Mahomes easily has the star quality to bring home his second Lombardi Trophy, but the experience of the League’s most winningest player, Tom Brady, will pose a formidable obstacle for the young gunslinger.
Writer’s Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Matthew Cotter
Featured image used courtesy of Parker Anderson via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image use license here.
In article image 1 courtesy of @buccaneers via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @chiefs via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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