This year’s Super Bowl was played in Tampa Bay, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Led by NFL legend Tom Brady, the Bucs beat out the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, for their 2nd championship ever.

Patrick Mahomes, coming off a Super Bowl win from the previous year, couldn’t get anything going for the Chiefs. Scrambling all over the field, the Chiefs’ offensive line was unable to protect Mahomes from the Tampa Bay pass rush. Intense pressure from Tampa Bay defensemen such as linebacker Devin White and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh put Mahomes in a constant state of movement. White amassed 12 total tackles, while Suh had 1.5 sacks.

Kansas City’s offensive line was simply unable to keep Tampa Bay’s defensive forces out of the backfield, making it extremely difficult for Mahomes to get anything going. Even as the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, Mahomes was only able to accumulate 270 yards, throwing no touchdowns and 2 interceptions, as well as being forced to scramble almost 500 yards in the backfield. The Chiefs’ were the 3rd team ever to not score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

On the other side of the football, Brady efficiently tore through the Kansas City defense, using a play-action heavy game plan. Brady passed for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns, aided by a strong ground game from his two running backs, Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones. The two combined for 150 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Fournette, known as Playoff Lenny, lived up to his nickname, rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown as well as gathering another 46 receiving yards.

The Bucs’ star tight end Rob Gronkowski connected with his former teammate Tom Brady for two touchdowns on 6 receptions and 67 yards. Brady’s efficiency and ability to consistently drive the ball down the field helped Tampa Bay put 31 points on the scoreboard. The Bucs’ effective offensive combined with their disruptive defense was able to shut down and blow out the Chiefs, one of the most explosive teams in the NFL.

This year’s Super Bowl outcome was a surprise to football fans everywhere, as the Chiefs were expected to win.

Jayden Freedman ’24 said, “Although nobody likes seeing Brady win for the 7th time, seeing him win as an underdog on a new team was exciting.”

Fans are excited to see what comes next in Brady’s long-lasting career, as well as which teams will dominate the NFL and make it to the Super Bowl next year.

Sources:

Fox 13 News- Tampa Bay