By: Liam Cooney | Staff Writer
There has been too little to celebrate, and too much to be concerned with over the past year. Sports, however, have been a bright light in all of this turmoil and confusion. The ability of sports leagues to pull off full seasons and championships during the Covid-19 pandemic has been remarkable to witness, and has given us all something to cheer for (and something to entertain ourselves, because there is hardly anything to do nowadays).
There have been times where COVID-19 infection and contact tracing has decimated team rosters, like the New Orleans Saints in early January, or the Cleveland Browns who played (and won) their first playoff game in 20 years without their first year HC Kevin Stefanski. A shutdown of the league’s season never occurred however: a testament to the commitment and willingness of the players, coaches, team doctors, and staff to play and complete this season under extraordinary circumstances.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for Super Bowl LV this year. I’m a lifelong Giants fan, so in terms of football it’s been a tough couple of seasons. I do, however, love good competition, and this is the exact matchup I wanted to see when the NFL postseason began. Patrick Mahomes and the defending world champions the Kansas City Chiefs, taking on Tom Brady and his new squad, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: a franchise that before this season had not made a postseason appearance since 2007. The present and future of the league (Mahomes) square off against the past and present (Brady).
I love watching people be at the top of their sport for decades on end. I mean, c’mon… he’s only got 6 rings, what’s one more?
I have enjoyed watching Tom Brady reinvent himself in his new South Florida home. Like I said, I am a lifelong Giants fan, and I will always hold the bragging rights of having my Giants steal two rings away from the GOAT himself, TB12. That doesn’t mean I’m not a Tom Brady fan – I most certainly am- and I think my heart is almost rooting for Brady in this game. I love watching people be at the top of their sport for decades on end. I mean, c’mon… he’s only got 6 rings, what’s one more?
Kickoff from Raymond James Stadium is set for 6:30ET, this Sunday, February 7th. History will be made, as the Buccaneers will be the first team in league history to play a Super Bowl in their own home stadium. The 14-2 Chiefs are currently 3-point favorites over the 11-5 home team Buccaneers, while the O/U is set at 56.5 points.
My prediction is going to be with the Kansas City Chiefs, picking them to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Neither team has looked dominant throughout all 17 weeks of the regular season, instead going through a stretch of miraculous highs, and unfulfilling lows. Don’t let the Chiefs’ record fool you: there were times where their offense looked stagnant and disengaged. Is this because they got bored? I don’t know, maybe it is, and if that’s the case they better not get bored in the biggest game in the world.
As for Tampa Bay, I’m not quite sure they have the athletes defensively on the perimeter and at the skill positions to contend with the firepower Kansas City has shown to have at times. If the Chiefs can turn this into a “track meet,” and potentially exploit the Buccaneers inexperienced secondary, QB Patrick Mahomes could put up some serious passing numbers in this game.
Approximately 7,500 of these actual real-life people will be health care and front line workers, as well as first responders, who were given free tickets to the game by the NFL.
My official score prediction is 35-24 Kansas City, and if I was a betting man, I’d take the over. As for the threads, the Bucs (as the designated home team) have opted to wear the same white jerseys and pewter grey pants they wore against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. The Chiefs will wear their traditionally home red jerseys and white bottoms.
The stadium itself will be filled with a reduced number of about 25,000 spectators, plus 30,000 cardboard cutouts (yes you heard that right). Approximately 7,500 of these actual real-life people will be health care and front line workers, as well as first responders, who were given free tickets to the game by the NFL.
In terms of potential ratings and viewership, past Super Bowls have done very well when stars are involved in the game. That may be the case here, specifically for the Quarterbacks, Brady and Mahomes. Even if you cannot stand Tom Brady being in the big game every other year of his 20 year career (unless you’re from New England, or now Tampa Bay), you tune in to witness greatness. Watching Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady could amass a pretty massive audience, especially during Covid-19. And again, it’s not like most people have much else going on.
Enjoy the game this Sunday!
Cover Image: “Kansas City Cheifs v Jacksonville Jaguars – Chiefs plays – 2016” by Dis da fi we is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
