Photo Credit: NFL.com
Super Bowl LV marked the end of a truly strange and unforgettable season. Games were delayed, players were placed on COVID lists and teams were ravaged by injuries.
And who could forget the league’s attempts to make up for past misdoings in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement? As much as the NFL tried to support Black Lives Matter, no one can forget the fates of players like Colin Kaepernick. In fact, during the first game of the season, as players on the Chiefs and Texans met in the middle of the field for a moment of unity to show their support for Black Lives Matter, viewers watched as thousands of Chiefs fans in the stands were heard booing.
As Director of Athletics Gus Ornstein said, “[It was] incredible that they were actually able to play a full season when it seemed that would be an impossible task.” And yet, Fieldston students watched with their friends and family as some of the final storylines of the season were wrapped up.
One of these key narratives involves the 43-year-old Tom Brady. Despite the incredible resume of the three-time MVP, he still had a lot to prove in some eyes. People said that he was too old and that he only succeeded because he was the beneficiary of the great Patriots coach, Bill Belichick.
Brady went to the Buccaneers determined to prove his many critics wrong and cement his legacy as the greatest player of all time. Despite the slow start, the 11-5 Bucs were their best selves in the playoffs, beating the Washington Football Team, getting revenge on the New Orleans Saints (who won both of their matchups in the regular season) and defeating the number one seed Green Bay Packers en route to the Super Bowl.
Even with the Buccaneers being the first team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, this game was their biggest challenge yet since they had to play the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs had been nearly unstoppable this season. Much of their success can be attributed to their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. The 25-year-old has already won MVP and Super Bowl MVP, regularly making jaw-dropping throws and plays.
But Mahomes hasn’t brought the Chiefs success on his own. His team also includes other star players including Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Tyrann Mathieu and Chris Jones, along with their excellent coach Andy Reid. Throughout the entire season, the team was nearly impossible to beat.
The Chiefs and the Buccaneers had already played each other during Week 12 of the regular season. The Buccaneers defense struggled in that game, allowing Mahomes to throw for 462 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hill caught 13 passes for 269 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 203 of those yards in the first quarter.
With Hill’s elite performance, the Chiefs were able to go on a 17-0 run in the first quarter. But Tom Brady was going to score at some point. He ended the day with 345 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The final score of the game was 27-24, with the Chiefs winning.
But the Week 12 game was very different from this Super Bowl, having both teams had made noticeable changes since then. The Buccaneers’ offense had morphed into an almost unstoppable unit. As they drifted away from Coach Bruce Arians’ usual air raid offense and moved towards Brady’s preferred dink-and-dunk offense, which won’t usually force the ball downfield, all of their players shined.
The Chiefs also improved entering the Super Bowl. Although they were still winning, their opponents had learned how to slow them down by eliminating their deep passes. To fix this, they had worked on their short passing game, which was on full display in their divisive win over the Bills in the AFC championship game.
All of the Chiefs’ improvements, however, were put to the test in the Super Bowl. With their two starting tackles injured, they were left with a depleted offensive line. Mahomes also was plagued by a turf toe injury which was operated on days after the Super Bowl.
Although many hoped that the genius of Andy Reid and the incredible play of Patrick Mahomes would be able to “solve” Todd Bowles’ defense, nothing seemed to work. The Chiefs only scored three field goals in the entire game, the first time since Mahomes became their quarterback that they hadn’t scored a touchdown.
But the Chiefs’ struggles did not end on the defensive side of the ball. Penalties plagued the Chiefs’ defense, and when they were not getting called for penalties, they were getting methodically picked apart by Brady or run through by Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette. Ultimately, the Buccaneers scored 38 points and did not turn the ball over once.
This Super Bowl did not live up to fan’s expectations. Instead of an epic battle between two of the best players in the league, they saw Mahomes constantly under pressure and throwing to covered receivers. The game likely cemented Tom Brady’s legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time, especially considering that he has more super bowl trophies than any NFL Franchise. Mr. Ornstein was “completely blown away by the fact that Tom Brady went to a new team, did not have an off-season or mini-camps to properly prepare and then still lead his team to a Super Bowl”. He continues, “It is literally beyond belief what this guy has been able to do in his career.”
The future is bright for both of these teams. Even if the Buccaneers lose some of their talent to free agency, they will certainly make another deep playoff run next year. The Chiefs will also make another deep playoff run, although they should certainly consider spending their draft capital on wide receivers, linebackers and depth in the trenches.
Even though the football season is over, NFL fans have a lot to look forward to. With tons of talent heading into free agency and a guaranteed quarterback carousel, fans should expect one of the most exciting off-seasons in recent memory.
