The road to Super Bowl LV

Super Bowl LV is set to take place on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida. CREDIT: PEXELS

JANAN SHOJA DOOST

When the 54th Super Bowl took place last February between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, nobody knew that the future of sports was about to change drastically due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the National Football League (NFL) has faced many challenges along the way, including major postponements of the 2020 football season, cancellation of international events, and COVID-19 outbreaks across certain teams.

Yet, spurred on by the fundamental principles of football — hard work and perseverance — NFL officials have been able to make every fan’s dream come true.

Yes, everything is on the right track – football season has never looked better, and Super Bowl LV is set to take place in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 7.

The 2020 football season was off to a late start when the season opener was rescheduled from early September to late October. Much work was done behind the scenes to make transition to live games as smooth and safe as possible for everyone involved, and thankfully, everything is now almost back to where it was pre-COVID.

Health and safety approaches taken by the NFL are rather interesting when it comes to how the league has decided to keep the notorious virus under control. Players are tested every day except on game days, while surprisingly fans are allowed into stadiums to cheer for their favourite teams as long as they maintain social distancing.

The teams themselves have been training hard – some underdogs came out on top this season, but only the best of the best get to battle each other for the prestigious Lombardi Trophy handed out every Super Bowl.

As usual, the teams from the National (NFC) and American Football Conferences (AFC) have faced off against each other in their own divisions to ultimately claim championship of their corresponding Conference. This year at Super Bowl LV, the NFC brought its best teams to fruition, as the newly-throned Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off against the former Super Bowl and current AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite major challenges faced by the league, the Buccaneers were off to a great start in 2020.

After major trades made with the New England Patriots to claim the iconic tight-end player Rob Gronkowski and legendary quarterback Tom Brady, it seemed like the team was essentially bulletproof against all challenges brought forward by opposing teams on the road to the NFC championships.

Moving forward, Tampa Bay need not have to worry about falling behind. Brady’s masterful strategizing has allowed the team to bounce back during critical moments of games in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Buccaneers are projected to be a huge favourite in the Super Bowl, as even though the exact game plan of the team is almost impossible to predict, the players will always deliver despite tough times and dangerous opponents.

The Kansas City Chiefs hold the key to success this season on many different levels – from being the reigning Super Bowl champions to having the talented quarterback and previous MVP Patrick Mahomes on their team, and holding the record for having had the score lead in 60 consecutive games.

Icons by Flaticon

The team has improved greatly since last season, diversifying their game plan through maintaining proper balance of offence and defence as opposed to favouring the latter like last year. Moreover, the toughness of the Chiefs extends beyond athleticism, as Mahomes suffered a major blow to the head during divisional games yet continued to play in subsequent games, leading the team in the best way possible.

Now, will Tom Brady show that he is the absolute greatest by adding another Super Bowl ring to his previous collection of four, or will the 25-year-old Patrick Mahomes prove to everybody that it is never too early to start building your football legacy? Regardless, we are all in for a treat – football has never looked better, and we are truly lucky to be witnessing such sports greatness during these challenging times.