Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Super Bowl LV Champions

Grand hopes for the Kansas City Chiefs of becoming the NFL's next dynasty were expunged emphatically by the one-man dynasty known as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A slow start for both squads transitioned to Brady and Todd Bowles' Bucs defense dominating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the latter's bid for a title repeat. Brady threw for three touchdowns and the Bucs' pass rush stymied Mahomes as the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs, 31-9, on Sunday in Super Bowl LV at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers became the first team to win a Super Bowl in their host stadium and Brady brought home his seventh Super Bowl title in his first season with Tampa Bay after six title runs with the New England Patriots.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9

1) The Greatest Of All Time wrote another chapter in his legendary career. Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl and fifth SB MVP award. TB12 connected with his old New England buddy, Rob Gronkowski, for two first-half TDs as the Bucs sprinted out to a double-digit lead they'd never relinquish. Behind a dominant offensive line, Brady was comfortable start to finish, getting the ball out quick and taking shots when needed. The 43-year-old completed 21-of-29 passes for 201 yards and three first-half touchdowns. Gronk, who unretired to join Brady for another Super Bowl run, exploded, gashing the Chiefs up the seam time and time again. The TE led the Bucs with six caches for 67 yards and the two TDs. Gronk's best two games this season came against K.C. (6/106 in Week 12). With Mike Evans (1/31) and Chris Godwin (2/9) slowed, it was Gronk that carried the passing load. The future Hall of Fame TE returned to chase a fourth Super Bowl ring. In the biggest game of the year, Gronk stole the spotlight. After a slow start to the season, the Bucs gelled down the stretch, as Brady teams often do. Winning three road playoff games earned the Bucs the chance to play a home Super Bowl game. In front of those home fans, the Bucs lifted their second franchise Lombardi Trophy.

2) Todd Bowles was the true MVP of Super Bowl LV. The Buccaneers defensive coordinator called a masterful game that had Patrick Mahomes scrambling for his life, holding the ball, and gave the Chiefs no deep shots. Bowles dropped safeties deep to negate Tyreek Hill's speed and funnel everything underneath. The Bucs were ready for Andy Reid's normal counter, sniffing out every screen K.C. tried. Devin White was a menace, discombobulating every snap. Lavonte David helped smother Travis Kelce. Blanketing the field deep, not allowing a completion of 20-plus air yards to an offense that feasts off such plays, the Bucs controlled the game. The most dominant aspect of the game came from Tampa's defensive front, which throttled an injured Chiefs O-line. The Bucs often were through the line a second after the snap, causing Mahomes to retreat on first step. Tampa destroyed backup Chiefs offensive tackles with Shaquil Barrett constantly in Mahomes' face. The Bucs pressured Mahomes on 32.7% of his snaps while only blitzing on five snaps, per Next Gen Stats. The Bucs held Mahomes to 114 yards through three quarters and kept the Chiefs out of the end zone, earning two INTs of the star QB. It was as thorough a beating as Mahomes has experienced, and the first double-digit loss of his NFL career.

3) The Chiefs offensive line struggled brutally. We knew entering with backup tackles on both the left and right sides would make life difficult on Mahomes. The extent to which they struggled, particularly Mike Remmers on the left side, can't be overstated. Mahomes was running for his life all game, needing a Herculean effort just to get the ball out. Some of the best plays of the game came from the Chiefs QB scrambling for his life to heave prayers that fell incomplete. Even the brilliance of Mahomes couldn't overcome the offensive line issues Sunday. Mahomes was forced to scramble on 28.6% of his snaps, per NGS, completing just five of 14 throws with an INT on such plays. Even when the QB appeared to have time, it was clear he didn't trust it would last long enough to sit tight in the pocket. It's the latest reminder that even with speed, talent and weapons for days, football is still a game won in the trenches.

4) While the K.C. offensive line struggled, the Bucs' hogs dictated the contest from start to finish. The Tampa offensive line opened up holes for a churning rushing attack that milked the clock late and allowed Leonard Fournette to scamper untouched to the end zone. Ryan Jensen, Tristan Wirfs, Ali Marpet, Donovan Smith and Aaron Stinnie deserve praise for controlling the contest. Brady was sacked midway through the first quarter. The Chiefs rush barely touched him from thereon. When K.C. tried to dial up pressure, it was for naught, as the Bucs blockers, occasionally with help from Gronk, sealed the pocket. Brady was sacked just once and hit twice the entire game. The Bucs gave up pressure on just four snaps, per Next Gen Stats (compare that to Mahomes under pressure on 14 snaps). When the GOAT is given that sort of time, he's free to thrash the defense. 

New England Patriots: Super Bowl LIII Champions

ATLANTA -- Tom Brady led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to lift New England over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, with the 13-3 final standing as the lowest outcome in Super Bowl history. Here's what we learned as the Patriots tied the Pittsburgh Steelers for most ever Lombardi Trophies (6):

1. With apologies to connoisseurs of prodigious punting displays, nobody tunes into the biggest stage in American sports to watch defensive coordinators locked in a battle of gridiron chess for three hours. Both quarterbacks struggled from the outset, with Tom Brady's perennial first-quarter Super Bowl woes growing infectious. The Rams were shut out at halftime for the first time in the Sean McVay era. The six points combined were the fewest after three quarters in Super Bowl history.

Pining for points with just under 10 minutes remaining, a crowd heavily slanted toward the Patriots began a "Brady, Brady, Brady" chant as their hero took the field at the 31-yard line. The greatest quarterback of all time proceeded to unfurl his two best throws of the night, dialing up a Canton connection with Rob Gronkowski for gorgeous plays of 18 and 29 yards. The latter of the two gems put New England on the doorstep of the end zone, giving Sony Michel an easy scoring opportunity and the go-ahead touchdown. The Rams were driving for the answer when Stephon Gilmore stepped in front of Brandin Cooks near the right pylon to intercept the potential tying score.


"You know it was an unbelievable year," Brady told CBS after the game. "We just fought through it more so than anything. It's unbelievable to win this game. They played so well, the Rams' defense they played their butts off. What a great defense, they had a great plan. They made it tough on every play. We just kept fighting and finally got a touchdown. The [Patriots] defense played the best game of the year."

2. Awarded Super Bowl LIII Most Valuable Player honors, slot receiver Julian Edelman is starting to inspire Hall of Fame discussions himself. A chain-moving machine, Edelman bedeviled Wade Phillips' otherwise impressive defense with eight first downs en route to 141 yards on 10 receptions. For the first 50 minutes of game time, he was the only weapon firing on either offense. It's a credit not only to his mind meld with Brady on option routes, but also to his rare mix of agility, toughness and run-after-catch elusiveness. After passing Hall of Famer Michael Irvin in the second quarter, Edelman now stands second only to San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice with 1,412 receiving yards in the postseason. Gronkowski, meanwhile, ranks first among tight ends in postseason receptions (81), yards (1,163) and touchdowns (12).

3. Miami Dolphins faithful must be excited at the prospect of stealing linebackers coach Brian Flores away from the AFC East end boss. Teaming with defensive mastermind Bill Belichick, Flores put on a game-planning and play-calling clinic in the postseason, confusing opposing passers with line stunts, timely blitzes and an interchangeable cadre of pass rushers. The Patriots are the first team since the iconic 1985 Chicago Bears to hold their opponents to a total of seven points or fewer in the first halves of three consecutive playoff games.

New England Patriots: Super Bowl LI Champions

HOUSTON -- The greatest quarterback of all time capped off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, leading an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession of the first Super Bowl overtime ever played. Here's what we learned in Super Bowl LI:

1. After throwing a second-quarter pick-six to put his team in a seemingly insurmountable 21-0 hole, Tom Brady bounced back in the most dramatic fashion possible, earning Super Bowl MVP honors for an unprecedented fourth time. En route to a Super Bowl-record 466 passing yards, Brady erased a 25-point second-half deficit by orchestrating four touchdown drives and a field goal in New England's final five series. Thumbing his nose at Father Time in the last game of his thirties, Brady completed 27 of 34 passes (79.4 percent) for 302 yards (8.9 YPA), two touchdowns and a 123.3 passer rating on those five legacy-cementing possessions from the middle of the third quarter through James White's game-ending touchdown run.


"There were a lot of plays," Brady told Terry Bradshaw during the presentation of the Lombardi Trophy. "Coach talks about how you never know which play it's going to be in the Super Bowl. There were probably 30 of them tonight. Any one of those would have been different, the outcome would have been different."

2. If the quarterback position wasn't the most uniquely important in all of professional sports, White would have been the runaway choice as MVP. The shifty scatback authored the most brilliant performance of his career on the game's brightest stage, hauling in a Super Bowl-record 14 receptions for 110 yards while adding three touchdowns and a clutch two-point conversion. From Kevin Faulk to Danny Woodhead to Shane Vereen and, now, to White, no quarterback utilizes pass-catching "satellite" backs to greater effect than Brady.

3. Nine years later, the Patriots extracted a decent payback for David Tyree's miraculous "Helmet Catch," instrumental in the Giants' Super Bowl XLII upset. Facing an eight-point deficit with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, Brady unfurled an ill-advised pass over the middle into double coverage. Although the ball was tipped by Robert Alford as two other defenders arrived, the cornerback's leg prevented it from falling incomplete. Julian Edelman plucked the ball off of Alford's ankle, bobbled it for a second and somehow hung on without allowing it to hit the turf. Edelman's "Ankle Catch" is New England's answer to the circus-catch antics of Tyree and Seahawks wideout Jermaine Kearse.

"I couldn't believe it," Brady said after the game. "One of the greatest catches. You know we've been on the other end of a few of those catches."

4. If the prolate spheroid had bounced differently in the second half, the Falcons could have turned Super Bowl LI into a lopsided laugher. Reminiscent of the Seahawks' lopsided Super Bowl XLVIII victory, when Dan Quinn's Seattle defense dominated Denver's record-breaking offense, the Falcons simply outclassed the Patriots in terms of speed and athleticism for the first 40 minutes of Sunday's ultimate affair. Atlanta jumped out to a forbidding 28-3 lead, with fleet-footed middle linebacker Deion Jones setting the tone as a true sideline-to-sideline force on defense and big-play tailback Devonta Freeman shredding New England's defense on the other side of the ball.


Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff cut his teeth in the Patriots front office, learning how to construct a successful organization from team-building master Bill Belichick. When Dimitroff was afforded the chance to run his own operation in Atlanta, he parted ways with his mentor in one key area: Whereas Belichick emphasized size and power, Dimitroff coined the phrase "urgent athleticism" to describe his own draft philosophy. That difference played out in stark terms for one half at NRG Stadium Sunday evening. Despite the heartbreaking loss, the talented young roster compiled by Dimitroff, Quinn and Scott Pioli is poised to remain an NFC powerhouse for the next few years.

5. That said, Quinn and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will battle persistent nightmares over an ultimately decisive sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter. After Julio Jones tight-roped the sideline for one of the most acrobatic catches in postseason history, the Falcons simply had to call three straight runs that would have forced the Patriots to use their timeouts. They would then have the opportunity for a field-goal attempt of roughly 40 yards, extending the lead to 31-20 with less than four minutes remaining. Instead, Trey Flowers sacked Matt Ryan for a third time, turning a three-point opportunity into a punting situation. It's hard to crush play-callers for remaining aggressive, but this was a costly miscalculation for the Falcons.

6. Atlanta's epic second-half collapse will effectively circumvent wall-to-wall post-Super Bowl coverage of an offense that ranks among the greatest in NFL history. Had the Falcons held on for the win, they would have recorded the most points in a season by a Super Bowl champion, featuring an MVP quarterback fresh off the hottest playoff streak of all time. Extending his own record of 120-plus passer ratings to seven games, Ryan finished the postseason completing 70 of 98 passes (71.4) for 1,014 yards (10.4 YPA), nine touchdowns and a staggering 135.3 passer rating. His eight completions of 15 or more yards tied Carolina's Jake Delhomme (Super Bowl XXXVIII, also in Houston versus the Patriots) for the most in one Super Bowl game.


Considering the inflated, offense-friendly environment in which they shined, the 2016 Falcons won't quite stack up to the era-adjusted dominance of the 2007 Patriots, 2000 Rams, 1998 Vikings, 1994 49ers, 1983 Redskins and 1950 Rams.

7. When Julio Jones' Hall of Fame bust is unveiled in Canton 10-15 years from now, they will run a loop of highlights from his spectacular 2017 postseason run, played through a painful toe injury. Double- and even triple-teamed at times, Jones made the most of his four targets, hauling in all four for 87 yards. His balletic, leaping sideline grab over Eric Rowe is perhaps the best example of aerial acrobatics since the Flying Wallendas made big-top magic -- or at least since Lynn Swann's sensational Super Bowl X leap.

8. Flowers, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive end Chris Long were the standouts for a Patriots defense that buckled down in the second half. After going 20 consecutive possessions without a three-and-out sequence this postseason, the Falcons were forced into a pair of quick punts twice in three third-quarter sequences as New England chipped away at the lead. Hightower hit Ryan's arm in motion, forcing and recovering a fumble that put the ball in Brady's hands at Atlanta's 25-yard line. Brady found Danny Amendola for a six-yard touchdown five plays later, trimming the lead to one score in the middle of the fourth quarter.

9. Dwight Freeney isn't ready to make a decision on retirement after a fantastic performance in which he and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett dominated the Patriots' offensive line for three quarters. "I don't know what the story will be for me after this," Freeney told reporters after the game. "I don't know if I'll return next year." Freeney, 36, is no stranger to languishing on the open market until he finds the right fit with a Super Bowl contender.

New England Patriots: Super Bowl XLIX Champions

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Ten years removed from his last Super Bowl win, Tom Brady wasn't letting this one slip away.

Sure, the brilliant Brady needed a huge play by an undrafted rookie to preserve New England's 28-24 Super Bowl victory over Seattle on Sunday night. But Brady's imprint was all over the Patriots' sensational fourth-quarter rally for their fourth NFL championship of the Brady-Bill Belichick era.

"You know, whatever it takes," the record-setting Brady said after throwing for four touchdowns, including a 3-yarder to Julian Edelman with 2:02 remaining as New England rallied from a 10-point deficit. "Every team has a journey and a lot of people lost faith in us ... but we held strong, we held together, and it's a great feeling."

The Patriots (15-4) had to survive a last-ditch drive by the Seahawks (14-5), who got to the 1, helped by a spectacular juggling catch by Jermaine Kearse. Then Malcolm Butler stepped in front of Ricardo Lockette to pick off Russell Wilson's pass and complete one of the wildest Super Bowl finishes.

Brady leaped for joy on the Patriots sideline after Butler's first career interception.

"It wasn't the way we drew it up," said Brady, who won his third Super Bowl MVP award. "It was a lot of mental toughness. Our team has had it all year. We never doubted each other, so that's what it took."

Brady surpassed Joe Montana's mark of 11 Super Bowl touchdown passes with a 4-yarder to Danny Amendola to bring the Patriots within three points.

Seattle, seeking to become the first repeat NFL champion since New England a decade ago, was outplayed for the first half, yet tied at 14. The Seahawks scored the only 10 points of the third period, but the NFL-leading defense couldn't slow the brilliant Brady when it counted most.

"He's Tom Brady," Edelman said. "He's the greatest quarterback on the planet."

It didn't matter how much air was in the balls, Brady was unstoppable when the pressure was strongest. While pushing aside the controversy over air pressure in the footballs stemming from the AFC title game, the Patriots moved the ball easily in the final 12 minutes.

Seattle didn't quit -- it never does -- and Kearse's 33-yard catch with 1:06 remaining got it to the 5. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 4 yards, then backup cornerback Butler, who was victimized on Kearse's reception, made the biggest play of his first NFL season with 20 seconds remaining.

"I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true," Butler said. "I'm just blessed. I can't explain it right now. It's crazy."

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin was ejected in the final seconds for instigating a near-brawl, delaying the celebration for the Patriots.

Soon they were mobbing one another on the same field where their 2007 unbeaten season was ruined in the Super Bowl by the Giants. They also fell to the Giants for the 2011 title.

But thanks to superstar Brady and the obscure Butler, they are champions again.

"Malcolm, what a play," Brady said. "I mean, for a rookie to make a play like that in a Super Bowl and win us the game, it was unbelievable."

Brady has equaled Montana with four Lombardi Trophies and three Super Bowl MVPs. He stands alone with 13 Super Bowl touchdown passes. He was 37 for 50 for 328 yards against the NFL's top-ranked defense.

He also was picked off twice; Brady was intercepted a total of two times in his previous five Super Bowls.

Yet, he picked apart the Seahawks on fourth-quarter drives of 68 and 64 yards, solidifying his championship legacy.

His heroics offset those of Chris Matthews, one of Seattle's least-used players before the postseason. Matthews recovered the onside kick that helped the Seahawks beat Green Bay in overtime for the NFC crown, and had a breakout performance Sunday.

Having never caught a pass in the NFL, Matthews grabbed four for 109 yards and a touchdown. Lynch ran for 102 yards, but didn't get the ball at the 1 on the decisive play -- a decision the Seahawks will rue forever.

"For it to come down to a play like that, I hate that we have to live with that," coach Pete Carroll said, "because we did everything right to win the football game."

The teams got down to football under the open retractable roof at University of Phoenix Stadium -- the first venue to host an indoor and an outdoor Super Bowl -- after dealing with distractions far beyond the typical Super Bowl hype. The Patriots are still being investigated for using under-inflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game.

It was a game of spurts by both teams before a crowd of 70,288 that was clearly pro-Seattle.

Jeremy Lane made the first big play to negate a nearly eight-minute drive by the Patriots with a leaping interception at the goal line late in the first quarter. Lane made his first pro interception, but left with a wrist injury after being tackled by Julian Edelman.

His replacement, Tharold Simon, got torched by Brady the rest of the way.

Wilson didn't get off a pass in the first quarter. When Brady completed his record 50th postseason TD throw, 11 yards to Brandon LaFell against Simon, it was 7-0.

Seattle went to its bench to help tie it.

Matthews' first career catch, a reaching 44-yarder over Kyle Arrington and by far the longest first-half play for Seattle, led to Lynch's bruising 3-yard TD run to make it 7-7.

But Brady to Rob Gronkowski made it 14-7 and seemed to finish off a dominant first half for the Patriots. Except no one told the resilient Seahawks.

A dormant offense turned dangerous in a span of 29 seconds, covering 80 yards in five plays, including a late gamble. Lockette caught a 23-yard pass and Arrington was flagged for a facemask, putting Seattle at the 10 with :06 remaining. Carroll went for it and the new Seahawks star, Matthews, grabbed Wilson's pass in the left corner of the end zone.

It was the most lopsided halftime tie imaginable.

Then Seattle stormed to a 24-14 lead in the third quarter on Steven Hauschka's 27-yard field goal and Doug Baldwin's 3-yard TD reception. New England was stumbling -- until Brady once again stepped up.

"I've been at it for 15 years and we've had a couple of tough losses in this game," Brady said. "This one came down to the end, and this time, we made the plays."

Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press