Super Bowl Lock
Chiefs (-3) vs. Buccaneers: O/U 56.5
Here we go. Super Bowl LV (that’s 55 for you non-Roman-numeral-literate folk). And what a matchup. The baby GOAT vs. the OG GOAT. Patrick Mahomes has now made back to back Super Bowls in just his 3rd season as a starter. And with the talent on this roster locked under contract for the foreseeable future, we could be seeing the start of a true dynasty. Speaking of dynasties… Tom Brady is a one-man dynasty at this point. He got a ton of credit for his role in carrying the Patriots dynasty for nearly 2 decades, and rightfully so. But there was always Bill Belichick there also getting a ton of credit (and also rightfully so). But the fact that Brady signed with the Buccaneers this season, a team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007 let alone contend for a Super Bowl, and Brady delivers them a Super Bowl appearance is absolutely remarkable.
As far as the other guys go… both rosters are stacked. The Chiefs two-man band of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce will carry much of their offensive attack. They’ve proven throughout their careers to be unstoppable, but never more than in this postseason run. They’ve both gone for over 100 receiving yards in each of their playoff games so far. And don’t sleep on this defense either. They can make plays at every level. The Buccaneers can match the Chiefs talent-wise, with 3 WRs in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown who can all be number 1 options on most teams. Oh, and then they also have Gronk, who has some Super Bowl experience to say the least. They’d be smart to ride Leonard Fournette a lot in this one, as a good formula to hanging tight with the Chiefs is pounding the rock. Defensively, they’re fast and explosive at every level.
I’m going with the Chiefs laying a field goal in this one. I saw enough last week from their offense against a very good Bills defense to believe that their offense can’t be stopped between the 20s. Hill and Kelce are too much for any defense, especially when Mahomes is the one throwing it. They’re going to move the ball. So then it comes down to the red zone, and I expect Mahomes to execute and get it done. The Buccaneers should put up points too. They do have Tom Brady. But there’s a world where the Buccaneers offense sputters. Brady could get pressured and turn the ball over. The Chiefs can shut down Fournette. I don’t think it’s possible to shut down Hill and Kelce, and the Chiefs don’t care about being balanced, nor do they need to. The dynasty has officially begun.
