Sweeter The 7th Time

There was no particular play that stood out. There wasn’t a specific moment that swung momentum one way or another. It was apparent right from the start which team had the perfect gameplan and it never changed. One of the most prolific offenses in recent memory didn’t score a single touchdown in the Super Bowl.

It wasn’t an exotic scheme by any stretch of the imagination. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply put constant pressure on Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. He ended up getting sacked 3 times in total, but was never comfortable in the pocket. It didn’t help that his LT Eric Fisher wasn’t available to play due to an achilles tear in the AFC Championship game against Buffalo. The shuffling of the offensive line became the story of the game, even if some want you to believe the referees helped set the tone in the first half by calling penalties on the Chiefs defense.

In reality, the Chiefs defense was outplayed and they had no answer for the Bucs offense. Tampa Bay’s defense could not be stopped and the Chiefs seemed to never adjust at any point after halftime.

QB Tom Brady won his 7th Super Bowl title and said afterwards that he was coming back next season. This shouldn’t surprise any of us who follow the NFL, but it did to see a guy at his age still playing at such a high level on the biggest stage.

This Tampa Bay team was basically the same team from a year ago. The only difference was having Tom Brady as their quarterback and bringing in the likes of RB Leonard Fournette and WR Antonio Brown. Their class of rookies ended up playing huge roles at key positions throughout the season. Bruce Arians gets his first title as a head coach and could get another if most stay put. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will eventually get another chance to be a head coach. That will be accelerated after the way the defense played in this Super Bowl.

The game itself wasn’t great, but we learned once again that even if we expect an offensive showcase by both teams, it really boils down to which team can put the opposing teams quarterback on the ground more often.

Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on winning their second Super Bowl title.