SUPER BOWL LV PREVIEW: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

BY ADAM GREENE

We’ve reached the end of what has to be the strangest NFL seasons of our lifetimes, but one with shockingly predictable results. The Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions and the best team all season will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Tom Brady playing in his 10^th Super Bowl.

If you’d presented the case for this match up back in August, the worst you would have heard in response is, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (+3, O/U: 56)

Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

Kickoff: Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m. EST

Broadcast: CBS

THE HISTORY

This will just be the 14^th overall meeting between the Chiefs and Bucs, with Tampa holding a slight 7-6 edge. They previously met this very season, back on Nov. 29, with KC logging a 27-24 victory in Tampa.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Tyreek Hill caught 13 passes for 269 yards and all three of those TDs. The game should have been a route, with the Chiefs leading 17-0 after the first quarter.

But Tom Brady is gonna Tom Brady and while the Buccaneers came up short, it wasn’t for lack of trying as Brady threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns of his own to go with two interceptions. Rob Gronkowski caught six passes for 106 yards and Chris Godwin hauled in eight for 97 yards.

Outside of that, there’s a little more history at stake here. Mahomes can be the first QB to win back-to-back Super Bowls since some guy named Tom Brady did it in the 2003-04 and 2004-05. The Bucs are the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium and Brady, as already mentioned, is playing in his 10^th. Brady is the third QB to take a second franchise to the Super Bowl, with the other two being Kurt Warner (Rams and Cardinals) and Peyton Manning (Colts and Broncos). Manning is the only QB to win one for two separate teams. 

Tampa Bay is the first Wild Card team to play in a Super Bowl since the 2010-11 Green Bay Packers. They are the 11^th Wild Card team to make it. Six have won it, with the last Wild Card victor being those same Packers, who defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (16-2)

The Chiefs arrive in Tampa after doing what they do, falling behind in the AFC Championship game only to come back and win handily. A 21-point explosion in the second quarter pretty much told the tale as Kansas City downed the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in the AFC Championship.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Tyreek Hill caught nine passes for 172 yards and Travis Kelce had 13 catches for 188 yards and two scores. The defense sacked Josh Allen four times and picked him off once.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (14-5)

Tampa took the long road to the Super Bowl, ending Drew Brees’ career in the process and causing Aaron Rodgers to question his own future after a 31-26 final in the NFC Championship. Brady threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions against the Packers. Chris Godwin caught five passes for 110 yards. The Buccaneers defense sacked Rodgers five times and picked him off once. They also forced a fumble.

THE PICK

The Chiefs have been the best team in the league all season and as impressive a playoff run as Tampa Bay put up, that’s not going to change before Sunday. The three-point spread here is all about respect for Brady and the magic he can pull off on the NFL’s biggest stage and it’s much deserved, but Kansas City is simply the better squad. And for maybe the only time since his first in 2001-02, Brady walks onto the field of a Super Bowl where he’s not the best QB making the start. Chiefs 31, Bucs 23

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