Super Bowl LV – Chiefs vs. Buccaneers

Tom Brady has done it yet again; making the 10th Super Bowl in his NFL career, but this time, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the offseason, Brady decided to part ways with the Patriots and try his luck in the NFC with the Bucs. Although there were hordes of doubters insisting that Brady would not be able to get the Bucs to the Super Bowl, he was able to shut them up while beating players like Drew Brees & the NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers on his way to the big game. Pats fan, Brady fan, both, or neither, you have to love seeing this greatness continue.

Well enough talking about the GOAT.. The Kansas City Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl last year, will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. This is the first time a home team has played in their home stadium for the Super Bowl, which is pretty cool to see. The Chiefs will look to go back to back in Super Bowl wins today which has not happened since 2003 (New England Patriots) while Tom Brady would like to add another ring to his second hand and prove to the world that he was not just a system QB under Bill Belichick.

This is probably the greatest QB matchup in Super Bowl history. You have arguably the greatest QB of all time in Brady on one side, then a QB in Mahomes that is looking to take the throne as the best player in the NFL on the other side. I am betting the over on this game all day! Both Brady and Mahomes should have great games, as both are accompanied by fantastic weapons on both sides of the ball. As for their offensive lines, the Bucs have an edge over the Chiefs as they rank 5th overall in the NFL (per Pro Football Focus), while the Chiefs rank in the middle of the pack at 11. I would not look too much into this as Mahomes does not need a top tier line to win games, which we have seen the last few seasons.

Cheetah said the Chiefs are chasing MJ’s Bulls…but Tom Brady is closer to 7 rings 😳 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/TwuGs90NKh
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 7, 2021

Each team’s success in the playoffs has come through the air, so I would expect bigger games out of the WRs and TEs than the RBs in this one. The Bucs have the number 1 ranked defensive line in the NFL for the second year in a row, so Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Darrell Williams, & Le’Veon Bell might find a hard time being able to rack up yards against them. Although the Bucs’ secondary has taken a large step from last season and continue to improve weekly, they are going to have their hands full against Tyreek Hill & Travis Kelce. Both players are matchup proof, and the young, middle-of-the-pack Bucs’ secondary is not a great match against them. Sammy Watkins is going to play today after missing the last few weeks with injuries, and say what you want about the player, but he only improves the offense. A sneaky player to watch in this one is Mecole Hardman, who we saw last week lose a crucial fumble, but come back in a massive way with a 50 yard TD run.

On the other side, the Bucs have arguably the best WR corps in the entire NFL, especially with Antonio Brown back. Chris Godwin & Mike Evans have played great in the playoffs and should be able to continue to do so in this game. The one problem the Bucs have had lately are the drops by Chris Godwin in the playoffs. He has been able to make up for his drops with big plays, but I am not sure this is the game to continue to do that. If Godwin continues to struggle with drops, it could be the reason the Bucs lose this game. Also, Tyrann Mathieu is a ball hawk and is known for taking advantage of those dropped/tipped balls. If he is on Godwin and he continues to drop those easy ones, Mathieu should be able to take full advantage and take one to the house.

Rob Gronkowski has been used as more of a blocker than anything to end the season and in the playoffs, but it is only helping the team and players like Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones. The biggest weakness for the KC defense is covering the opposing TE, so do not be surprised if Brady and Gronk have been working all week to take advantage of that factor and come up with some big plays today. As for the running backs for the Bucs, we should see almost an even split between Fournette and Jones like we have seen in the playoffs and last week, but Fournette is favored heavily in the passing game, so he should be the better back if you are doing a DraftKings or FanDuel lineup today. With this being a high scoring game, I would think Fournette will see the field more than Jones.

I just want to talk about fantasy factors and implications in this game. Sure, fantasy seasons are over, but we need to start looking at next season and see where players in today’s game will rank next year. Players like Mahomes, Brady, Hill, Kelce, and Evans are most likely not going to affect their draft stock regardless of how they play, but some others could rise or fall depending on this game. CEH is a big name to look at as he was probably the top rookie pick in fantasy last season, but overall, he was a bust. He needs to show he has something in the tank on the big stage, but if he will be splitting time with Williams and/or Bell, his draft stock will plummet. Chris Godwin’s performance will not affect his stock as of right now, but with him being a free agent after today and already linked to the Patriots and other teams, he could be playing for that next contract. Fournette is likely in the same boat as he wants to prove he is still an every down back in the NFL and will look to run over Ronald Jones to prove so.

Overall, we have one of the greatest Super Bowl matchups of all time. Will the GOAT be able to pull out another one or will Mahomes take his throne in this new era of the NFL? I am rooting for the Bucs and Brady, but I know it could go either way as both teams are hot right now. The Chiefs are favored by 3 and the over/under is at 56 points, so we should have a shootout!