The Super Bowl that few thought would happen about six months ago is actually going to take place on Sunday.
And we have a classic matchup as the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs will be challenged by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Speaking of matchups, how does the quarterback matchup of Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs versus Tom Brady of the Bucs sound?
The quarterback matchup is actually a battle between generations as Brady is about the same age of Mahomes’ mother. Brady is also widely recognized as the greatest signal caller of all time while Mahomes is widely considered the best quarterback currently in the game. While watching these two quarterbacks square off, we should recognize and realize that we are seeing history.
This Super Bowl will mark the fifth time that Brady and Mahomes have met on the field, Thus far, they are 2-2 against each other. Game five on Sunday is easily the most important to date.
The two teams met back in Week 12 with Kansas City eking out a 27-24 victory. Most expect another close game this time around. Why you ask? Perhaps because the Chiefs have outscored Brady’s teams 121-120 in those four encounters.
Some may think that Tampa has an edge since this season’s Super Bowl is being played in Tampa Bay. I do not feel this will be a factor as Mahomes seems to play better away from home. Over the course of his career, Mahomes is 21-4 on the road and those four losses weren’t due to his lack of production as the Chiefs averaged 38.5 points per game. In the 2020 season alone, the Chiefs went 8-0 on the road and averaged 31.6 points in those games.
This is where I am going to give you my pick of Kansas City. I just do not see the Bucs stopping Mahomes’ and the Chiefs’ passing game. They did not do this back in Week 12 as KC receiver Tyreek Hill went well over 200 receiving yards. Most of his output came in the first quarter when the Chiefs opened up a big lead.
I keep reading that Tampa Bay will win because of its pass rush. I do not see it as Mahomes is at his best when he sees pass rush pressure and makes plays out of the pocket.
Here is something you may not have read or heard about this week. Kansas City’s defensive coordinator is Steve Spagnuolo. The same Steve Spagnuola who was the New York Giants defensive coordinator in 2007 when New York shocked Brady’s undefeated New England Patriots 17-14. If anyone can devise a defense to shut down Brady, it’s Spagnuolo, who has a 3-2 career record against Brady. And those two losses came by four total points. Spagnuolo also has been great in the playoffs. In 11 games as a DC, he’s gone 9-2, including 5-0 with Kansas City.
Here is another interesting stat I found out this week. I told you last week that Brady will be playing in his 10th Super Bowl. Did you know that he has never led his team to a touchdown in the first quarter of a Super Bowl? If that trend continues, the Chiefs will likely have an early double-digit lead.
Let me add another stat that favors Kansas City. In his 22-year coaching career, Andy Reid is 26-5 when he has two weeks to prepare his team for a game.
I like the Chiefs for these reasons, and that I feel the Chiefs are going to score a lot of points and I’m not sure the Buccaneers are going to be able to keep up. A Kansas City victory will enable it to become the NFL’s first repeat champion in 16 years.
More history.
