Superbowl LV Makes History

by Raghav Raj

Super Bowl LV was the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 NFL season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers versed the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs. It took place on February 7, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the home stadium of the Buccaneers, marking the first time that a team played a Super Bowl in its home stadium. Country music singer Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan performed the national anthem, while the halftime show was headlined by Canadian singer The Weeknd. Due to COVID-19 protocols limiting the stadium's seating capacity to 25,000 fans, it was the least-attended Super Bowl. The game did not meet expectations and the hype many were expecting as the Buccaneers dismantled the Chiefs by the end of the first half, eventually going on to win comfortably 31-9.

The Buccaneers' victory was their second in franchise history and made them the only team other than the Baltimore Ravens to be undefeated in multiple Super Bowls. They finished the regular season with an 11–5 record and a wild card berth to advance to their second Super Bowl appearance through the guidance of several new acquisitions, most notably veteran quarterback Tom Brady in his first season away from the New England Patriots, who was the Super Bowl's oldest player at 43. The Chiefs, aided by their top ranked offense, finished the regular season with a league-best 14–2 record to advance to their fourth Super Bowl appearance and were the defending Super Bowl LIV champions, seeking to become the first repeat champions since the Patriots in 2004. Kansas City entered the game favored to win, but were undone by offensive struggles and costly penalties. For the first time under quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs failed to score a touchdown and lost by double-digits, making them the third Super Bowl team to not score a touchdown. They committed 11 penalties for 120 yards, including a record eight penalties for 95 yards in the first half, most of which were called against the defense. The Buccaneers capitalized on these mistakes to take a commanding 21–6 lead at halftime and dominated the remainder of the game. Brady, who also extended his player records for Super Bowl appearances at 10 and wins at seven, was named Super Bowl MVP for a record fifth time and was the first to receive the award with multiple franchises. He became the oldest player to receive the honor and win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback, breaking additional personal records, while Bruce Arians was the oldest head coach to win the Super Bowl at 68. If entire units could win Super Bowl MVP, however, this year's award would undoubtedly go to Todd Bowles' Buccaneers defense: The group limited Mahomes to 26-of-49 passing for 270 yards and pulled in two interceptions. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the Chiefs' leading rusher with 64 yards, while tight end Travis Kelce led all receivers with 10 receptions and 133 yards. Tyreek Hill caught seven passes for 67 yards. The Bucs' defense was fast and aggressive, attacking Mahomes in the backfield all night and sacking him three times for 27 yards in losses. It also allowed just three third-down conversions on 13 attempts, and only one of three fourth-down attempts.

Tom Brady wasn’t supposed to leave New England and win a Super Bowl in his first season with a new team. He wasn’t supposed to play this well at 43. He wasn’t supposed to blow out the defending champions with their young star of a quarterback. But he did. “We knew we were playing a great football team tonight and we got the job done,” Brady said. “You want to get this far, you gotta get the job done and we did it. I think everybody believed we could win.” Brady completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Another star Buccaneers player, Rob Grownkowski, caught the first touchdown of the game, which was his 13th career postseason touchdown pass from Brady and set a league record for the most postseason touchdowns for a quarterback-receiver duo. “It’s just an unbelievable story,” Gronkowski said. “There’s just so many storylines to this team this year, but I would say the most important storyline is just how everyone worked together. Everyone contributed. Everyone played their role. Just what a year it was playing with these guys. What a year. I can’t say that enough. Now it’s time to celebrate. Because we deserve it.” Overall, both teams navigated a strange NFL season, which started in the middle of a pandemic. There was limited travel and fans, regular testing for the virus, games canceled and rescheduled and players quarantined all the way up until the final days before the Super Bowl. On the field, the Bucs outperformed all expectations a year after going 7-9. Yet somehow the outcome is not surprising. When Brady left New England after two decades, nine Super Bowl appearances and six titles, he brought with him to Tampa Bay that feeling he’s cultivated throughout his career that anything is possible. In the end, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers demolished in a riveting win against the Chiefs that will forever go down in history in many different ways.