Super Bowl LV Recap
By: Michael Sewell
This past Sunday was a historic Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team ever to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Legendary quarterback Tom Brady was also playing in his 10th career Super Bowl and searching for his 7th championship ring. Their opponents were none other than Patrick Mahomes and the defending champions, The Kansas City Chiefs. Most viewed this matchup as a passing of the torch from the veteran Brady to the new Mahomes looking to dominate the league for the next decade. Tom Brady was not quite ready to do so.
In the opening quarter, both teams started off sluggish and traded punts, showing rust from their 2 week layoff. Midway through the first quarter the Chiefs opened the scoring with a field goal taking the lead 3-0. Immediately after, Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette led the Bucs downfield, where two former Super Bowl teammates, Brady and Rob Gronkowski, turned back the clock and hooked up for a touchdown, giving them a 7-3 lead.
The Bucs continued to drive all the way down the field in the 2nd quarter. They made it all the way down to the goal line before getting stuffed on 4th and goal, keeping the score 7-3. An untimely drop by the usually consistent Travis Kelce halted the Chiefs offense, and a shanked punt gave the Bucs the ball back with great field position.
A would be interception was called back extending the Bucs drive.Tom Brady took full advantage of the opportunity and again connected with Gronkowski for their second touchdown of the game, giving the Bucs a 14-3 lead before kicking it back to the Chiefs. With the ball back the Chiefs finally drove and got into the red zone. However, the Bucs pressure became too much for Mahomes and forced a field goal attempt. The Bucs looked to answer back with a score and were helped by a couple of penalties. The penalties set up prime field position for Tom Brady with 10 seconds left in the half. From the 1 yard line, Brady was able to connect with Antonio Brown to give the Bucs a 21-6 halftime lead.
Starting half number 2, the Chiefs looked to ignite their offense. A strong drive again came up short and they settled for another field goal, shortening the lead to 21-9. With the ball back, the Bucs looked to extend their lead. Another solid drive fueled by a mixed attack led to a 27 yard rushing touchdown for Leonard Fournette. The defending champs now had to comeback down 28-9. Defensive pressure came through once again and led to a Mahomes interception on a desperation pass attempt on a 3rd and 14 heave. The Bucs did not have to go far for 3 more points making it a 31-9 game.
The Chiefs began the 4th quarter with a strong drive. However, the Bucs defensive pressure became too much for the Chiefs offensive line once again and led to a failed 4th down attempt. With a large lead, the Bucs ran a clock killing drive before punting the ball back. A blend of preventative defense and sacks led to another possession change with 3 minutes left on the clock. One last effort by the Chiefs led to an interception for the Bucs who then ran the clock out. The game ended with a victory for the Bucs who rewarded coach Bruce Arians with a gatorade bath.
The game concluded 31-9 and was a very lopsided victory for the Buccaneers. Brady secured another Super Bowl MVP Award and his 7th Ring. Even at age 43 he continues to defy time and is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks we have ever seen.