An early analysis of Super Bowl 55
Sunday, Feb. 7, brought the sports world a sensational Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Kansas City Chiefs; Tom Brady, playing in his record 10th Super Bowl, hosted the young star and defending champion, Patrick Mahomes. This was noteworthy for several reasons, chief among them was the matchup between these two superhero-like quarterbacks. Understandably, much has been made of Mahomes and his potential for a sports dynasty in Kansas City. The Chiefs have enjoyed great success over the past two years, winning nearly every game, including Super Bowl 54. They were the favourites coming into Super Bowl 55 last Sunday. However, Tom Brady, widely respected as the best quarterback in NFL history, had something to say about that.
Brady’s Buccaneers put on an incredible performance. Tom Brady himself had a stunning first half, completing a staggering 80 per cent of his passes and throwing three touchdowns — two of them received by Rob Gronkowski, making them the record duo for playoff touchdowns with 13. The Buccaneers’ defence pitched a great game, holding the high-powered Chiefs offence to just nine points. The Bucs’ pressure seemed to stifle Mahomes, who traveled 468 yards behind the line of scrimmage on passing plays, while Tom Brady traveled just 37, per NFL stats analyst, Michael Lopez. Mahomes’ yards weren’t positive; rather, they were racked up as he ran for his life. The Buccaneers’ defence disrupted Mahomes’ ability to look down the field and make passes, while Brady remained poised, protected, and centered, moving minimally and delivering surgically accurate passes.
Defensive domination and offensive efficiency are ultimately why Tampa won and Brady has his seventh Super Bowl, while Mahomes’ dynasty will have to wait. For now, Tom Brady remains in control, having won three of his five matchups with Mahomes, and most importantly, Super Bowl 55.
