Tom Brady has secured his legacy, but is still looking to prove even more in his matchup with the Chiefs.
Brady will be playing in his 10th Super Bowl.
He has 6 Super Bowl rings along with his former coach Bill Belichick.
But, now things are different.
He wants to prove that he can do it on his own.
But, he will have a tall task at hand with the defending Super Bowl champs and young superstar QB Patrick Mahomes.
"If anyone has the chance to catch what Tom Brady has done, it's Patrick Mahomes… This young man is the best player in NFL, hands down."@Brady_Quinn on who has the edge at quarterback in #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/IjlyGVlhw0
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 7, 2021
What will be the outcome?
Let’s take a look at our writer’s bold predictions for this Sunday’s matchup.
Writer: Pat Opperman
Well, it won’t be as good as another Cleveland Browns victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But it appears we’re set for a pretty good matchup tonight in Super Bowl LV.
Tampa Bay is the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
Tom Brady can put the icing on the cake of his first NFC season by leading the Buccaneers to one more victory.
Kansas City wants to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl Champion since… Tom Brady’s 2003-04 Patriots.
If that is not enough to motivate Brady, there is the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo.
“Spags” owns a 3-2 record against Brady including the New York Giants’ famous 17-14 upset of the 18-0 Patriots.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes own stellar records coming off bye weeks.
And without the usual distractions of Super Bowl Week, they’ll be primed to roll over an occasionally-stout Buccs defense.
It is hard to bet against either quarterback and Bruce Arians is no pushover as the opposing head coach, either.
Each team brings a full stable of weapons to the game.
But Tom Brady on a mission gets the nod over the young Mahomes.
My Prediction: Buccaneers 38, Chiefs 34
Writer: Wendi Oliveros
There are so many storylines in this game.
Here are just a few:
- Young successful quarterback vs. GOAT
- A genuine home field advantage
- Andy Reid vs. Tom Brady, Part 2
Unfortunately, the Chiefs had a distracting week.
Between the team barber who tested positive for COVID-19 and the tragic accident Britt Reid was involved in, it has to be hard to focus on the game.
Meanwhile, the Bucs have literally been at home doing their regular routine.
Bruce Arians is one of the last of his generation not to win the big game, and if his Bucs do it, he more than deserves the honor.
With all that being said, the Bucs are going to try to run the ball and use their explosive playmakers on offense.
The name of the game for the Chiefs is to elude the Bucs defense, and the Bucs have the problem all teams facing the Chiefs have:
Who requires more coverage: Mahomes, Kelce, or Hill?
In the end, the home team is going to prevail for the first time ever, and Tom Brady is going to win yet another Super Bowl Championship at 43 years of age in his first year after spending 20 years with the Patriots.
Only in a pandemic year can all of this craziness happen.
My Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Chiefs 21
Writer: Mark Bergin
One of the key determining factors of Super Bowl 55 will be how the Chiefs’ banged-up offensive line can hold up against the Buccaneers’ defensive line.
Chiefs offensive tackles Eric Fisher (Achilles) and Mitchell Schwartz (back) will not play on Sunday.
Even under normal circumstances, the Buccaneers’ pass rush of Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh would challenge the Chiefs.
Can the Chiefs’ offensive line keep quarterback Patrick Mahomes upright just long enough so he can distribute the football to the team’s offensive playmakers?
The Chiefs have won 25 of the past 26 games Mahomes has started.
Why anyone would expect a different outcome for the Chiefs?
Plus, the Chiefs already beat the Buccaneers on Nov. 29, 2020, at Raymond James Stadium.
The final score of 27-24 during the Week 12 game was not reflective of how the Chiefs controlled most of the game.
I understand how difficult it is to repeat as Super Bowl champions, but the Chiefs are playing a different sport offensively than everyone else in the league.
My Prediction: Chiefs 37, Buccaneers 20
Writer: Adam Lowenstein
We have two tremendous quarterbacks led by two coaches with strong accolades as well.
Tom Brady and his six Super Bowl rings are taking on defending champion Patrick Mahomes.
Bruce Arians, two-time NFL Coach of the Year award winner, takes on Andy Reid, 2002 Coach of the Year.
Reid has been the orchestrator of six consecutive double-digit win seasons for the Chiefs, who have dominated the NFL recently.
Speaking of coaches, a bright note for the Browns is that 2020 Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski was recognized for his own coaching achievement this year.
Heading into Super Bowl LV, the 14-2 Chiefs are not surprisingly favored.
Interestingly though, this is the first Super Bowl in history in which we will have a team playing in their own stadium.
The Buccaneers are “hosting” the Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium.
However, Tampa Bay showed their muscle on the road this season.
The Bucs went 5-3 at home and 6-2 on the road in 2020.
They went on to win their first three games of the postseason, all of which were on the road.
What a gauntlet it has been for Brady, as he has taken down Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
His next test is Mahomes, the current king of the AFC.
I do not see the 43-year Brady winning his seventh ring.
The Chiefs went 8-0 on the road during the regular season, including a 27-24 win at Raymond James Stadium in Week 12.
Kansas City does it again.
My Prediction: Chiefs 34, Buccaneers 31
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