SUPER BOWL
55
CHAMPIONS
FEBRUARY 8, 2021
Photo illustration by SEAN KRISTOFF-JONES | Times
SUPER BOWL 55
February 8, 2021
BOOM TIMES BUCS 31 // CHIEFS 9
GAME MVP TOM BRADY LEADS THE BUCS TO THE NFL’S PINNACLE.
DIRK SHADD | Times
SUPER BOWL
55
DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times
ROCKING THE STADIUM: B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers fly over Raymond James Stadium in Tampa before the start of the Super Bowl 55 game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
JAMES BORCHUCK | Times
CLOSE ENOUGH TO CHEER: Socially distant Kansas City Chiefs fans watch the Super Bowl on the Jumbotron at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg on Sunday.
DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times
STEPPING ON HOME TURF: Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa before taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55.
LUIS SANTANA | Times
NO MASKS, NO SOCIAL DISTANCING: Thousands of people gathered on 7th Ave in Ybor City on the eve of Super Bowl 55.Â
DIRK SHADD | Times
PLAYING TO A NOT-SO-FULL HOUSE: A real fan waits with thousands of cardboard cutouts of fans in the background before Super Bowl 55.
SUPER BOWL
55
MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times
EVERYBODY’S WORKING FOR THE WEEKND: Dancers fill the field as fireworks erupt during The Weeknd’s halftime performance for Super Bowl 55 in Tampa on Sunday.
HEROES OFF THE FIELD: A fan holds a sign thanking teachers for their front-line pandemic work during the halftime show for Super Bowl 55 in Tampa on Sunday night.
DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times
SHOWING THE SUPER SAILS: Fans and cardboard cutouts surround the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium just before Super Bowl 55 begins on Sunday.
IVY CEBALLO | Times
SOHO CELEBRATION: Football fans react to a play in the second quarter of Super Bowl 55 while partying at MacDinton’s Soho in Tampa on Sunday night.
OCTAVIO JONES | Special to the Times
FAN FRENZY: Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs fans react to their teams playing in Super Bowl 55 under the Wing House watch party tent near Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
SUPER BOWL 55
TITLETOWN BUCS BUCS31 31 //// CHIEFS CHIEFS99
E
SUPER BOWL 55
ON THE COVER
DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD
| Times
Quarterback Tom Brady holds aloft the Lombardi Trophy for the seventh time in his 21-year career after the Bucs rout the Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl 55.
DIRK SHADD | Times
Tight end Rob Gronkowski, right, celebrates a touchdown with guard Aaron Stinnie in the second quarter. Gronkowski, who has two touchdowns in the game, calls this season’s story “unbelievable.”
TITLE PROMISE FULFILLED Brady, buddy Robby G and stifling defense lead Bucs to second Super Bowl win. BY RICK STROUD
Times Staff Writer
TAMPA — He had found him in the end zone twice for touchdown passes in the biggest game of their lives. But after the confetti had fallen and he was nearly done with his last interview Sunday night, Tom Brady spotted Rob Gronkowski one more time. “Robby G! Robby G!” Brady yelled with a smile as bright as the Lombardi Trophy. Then he winked. “Congrats, baby! I’ll see ya later!” It may take some time to put into perspective what Brady, Gronkowski and the Bucs accomplished in beating the Chiefs 31-9 to win Super Bowl 55 at Raymond James Stadium. Brady talked the Pro Bowl tight end out of retirement in the offseason and convinced the Bucs to trade for his rights, and there they were again, together at the top of the NFL. By winning his seventh Super Bowl at age 43, in his first year with the Bucs, during a pandemic after leaving behind a 20-year career in New England, Brady’s legacy has now taken on Ruthian status. Brady beat the Saints’ Drew Brees, the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and the Chiefs’ wonderboy quarterback Patrick Mahomes in consecutive games in these play-
offs. But asking Brady to compare his Super Bowl victories is like asking him to pick his favorite child. “I think they’re all special,” he said. But Gronkowski didn’t have any trouble describing where in NFL lore he ranks Brady’s transformation of a Bucs team that had not reached the playoffs in more than a dozen years into Super Bowl champions. “It’s hands down one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history,” Gronkowski said. “I’m not going to say it’s the greatest, but it’s up there, for sure. Come down here to Tampa, come to an organization that was ready to win. They’re all fantastic players. Great guys. The story is unbelievable.” Brady has had better performances in the Super Bowl. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, two to Gronkowski and the other to ex-Patriot Antonio Brown, whom he lobbied hard for the Bucs to sign following Brown’s eight-game suspension to start this season for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy. (The suspension stemmed from his arrest in January 2020, when he was accused of attacking the driver of a moving van at
his Hollywood, Fla., home.) Brady was named the most valuable player of Super Bowl 55. But in truth, he should share it with defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and the entire defense. Bowles had a better plan this time for Mahomes and receiver Tyreek Hill, who burned the Bucs with 13 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 27-24 win at Raymond James Stadium in November. Using predominately a fourman rush that chased Mahomes all over the field and sacked him three times while keeping the safeties deep, the Bucs did not allow the Chiefs into the end zone. “All the talk, all the outside noise, all the things the media was saying all week, they never paid attention to us,” cornerback Carlton Davis said. “We knew who we were. “It was never about Tyreek Hill. He’s a really good player. Very talented. It was about us. It was never about them.” The Bucs really put the game away with a last-minute drive for a touchdown, much like they did in the NFC Championship Game at Green Bay. In Green Bay, the drive ended with a deep ball to receiver Scotty Miller. This time it was a 1-yarder to Brown with
six seconds left in the first half to make it 21-6. The Chiefs hurt themselves with penalties, particularly on defense. They were flagged 11 times for 120 yards, most of them on the secondary for holding or pass interference. One negated an interception by Tyrann Mathieu, who wagged a finger in Brady’s face after the touchdown throw to Brown, and a shoving match between them ensued. Mahomes couldn’t get anything going in the second half, either. The game essentially ended with Bucs linebacker Devin White intercepting a pass in the end zone with 1:40 left. Pump the brakes on the baby GOAT talk. Mahomes finished 26-of-49 for 270 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. “They stepped up to the challenge, and you go up against a guy like Pat, he’s an incredible player and Aaron (Rodgers), an MVP,” Brady said of the defense. “They played incredible. They stepped up. They rose to the occasion. We played some incredibly talented offenses, but we all came to play (Sunday).” Brady will receive the credit for the Bucs’ Super Bowl championship. Rightfully so. But this was also for 68-year-
old coach Bruce Arians, who credited his coaches and players, saying “I didn’t do a damn thing.” This was for players like linebacker Lavonte David, who has spent all nine years of his NFL career with the Bucs and had never experienced a postseason until this year. This was for Mike Evans, one of the best receivers in football in his seventh season, who had enjoyed only two winning seasons. This was for general manager Jason Licht, who got it right when he talked Arians out of retirement to join the Bucs in 2019 and then led the recruitment of Brady. “When Tom came to Tampa, I looked at the team, too,” Gronkowski said. “I saw the players they had. I saw the talent, and I was really shocked they didn’t go to the playoffs the year before with what they had. It was cool to see how much talent there was on the team, and they were ready to win.” Who knows how many more rings Brady can win? He’s running out of fingers to wear them on. “Yeah, we’re coming back (next season),” Brady said. “You already know that.” “It took a lot for us to get to this point. I think everybody should be celebrating tonight.”
What they’re saying “Things that would’ve sounded really weird five years ago: Tom Brady, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski are making big plays for the Bucs in the Super Bowl.” CBS Sports Twitter account “Do the Bucs have any more Patriots they can make stars of this game?” Darren Rovell, reporter and executive for the betting app the Action Network, on Twitter “It’s very unusual to see the Super Bowl called significantly tighter in the passing game than the way it’s been called in the regular season. But there is no question that was true (in) the first half.” Terry McAulay, retired NFL referee, NBC rules analyst, on Twitter “Chiefs cannot blame this first half on the refs. When you punch guys in the face after the play, line up offside, and get beat deep and flail at receivers penalties are going to get called.” Tony Dungy, on Twitter “It was always Brady. Not Belichick.” Andrew Fillipponi, Pittsburgh sports talk radio host, on Twitter
“Congrats, Buccaneers! Thanks for the birthday present.” Steven Stamkos, Lightning captain who turned 31 Sunday, on Twitter “Tom gonna win his 7th ring at 43 and I can barely put my socks on.” Roberto Luongo, 41-year-old former NHL goaltender who retired in 2019 after 19 seasons, on Twitter “One of the great runs of the night, I will say that.” CBS’s Jim Nantz, commenting during the broadcast after a fan ran onto the field late in the game “That Bucs D. Imagine shutting down Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes in three consecutive playoff games.” Pierre LeBrun, NHL writer for Canada’s TSN TV network and the website the Athletic, on Twitter “A lot of pressure on the Toronto/Tampa Raptors!” LeBrun “It’s OVER, everyone. (Chiefs) defense couldn’t stop anything (Tom Brady) threw at them. And (Bucs) defense was ELITE. No more talk about Mahomes being the GOAT. He’s getting BLOWN OUT in the Super Bowl. Receivers can’t get open; he can’t throw them open. It’s over!” Stephen A. Smith, ESPN commentator, on Twitter
“Congrats Buccaneers!! Incredible! What a time!!!” Kevin Kiermaier, Rays outfielder, on Twitter “The WHOLE defense should get the MVP of the game!!! #Facts” LeBron James, Lakers small forward, on Twitter “Tom Brady just launched his second dynasty, this one in Tompa Bay. Eat your heart out, Belichick, if you have one.” Skip Bayless, on Twitter “Boat parade 2.0??” Blake Coleman, Lightning forward, on Twitter “Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their #SuperBowl victory — a team whose season was a story of resilience, reinvention, and grit.’’ President Joe Biden, on Twitter “Super Bowl Champs! Unbelievable year for #TampaBay sports! #TompaBay #champabay” Austin Meadows, Rays outfielder, on Twitter “Greatest to ever do it” Shane McClanahan, Rays pitcher, on Twitter
KC
TB
FIRST DOWNS 22 26 Rushing 7 8 Passing 12 12 Penalty 3 6 THIRD DOWN EFF 3-13 4-12 FOURTH DOWN EFF 1-3 0-1 TOTAL NET YARDS 350 340 Total Plays 69 63 Avg Gain 5.1 5.4 NET YARDS RUSHING 107 145 Rushes 17 33 Avg per rush 6.3 4.4 NET YARDS PASSING 243 195 Sacked-Yds lost 3-27 1-6 Gross-Yds passing 270 201 Completed-Att. 26-49 21-29 Had Intercepted 2 0 Yards-Pass Play 4.7 6.5 KICKOFFS-EndZone-TB 4-2-1 6-6-3 PUNTS-Avg. 3-35.7 4-37.5 Punts blocked 0 0 FGs-PATs blocked 0-0 0-0 TOTAL RETURN YARDAGE 87 75 Punt Returns 1-0 0-0 Kickoff Returns 3-87 3-75 Interceptions 0-0 2-0 PENALTIES-Yds 11-120 4-39 FUMBLES-Lost 1-0 1-0 TIME OF POSSESSION 28:37 31:23 Kansas City 3 3 3 0 — 9 Tampa Bay 7 14 10 0 — 31
FIRST QUARTER
KC—FG Butker 49, 5:10. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:23. Kansas City 3, Tampa Bay 0. TB—Gronkowski 8 pass from Brady (Succop kick), :37. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:33. Tampa Bay 7, Kansas City 3.
SECOND QUARTER
TB—Gronkowski 17 pass from Brady (Succop kick), 6:05. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 2:58. Tampa Bay 14, Kansas City 3. KC—FG Butker 34, 1:01. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 5:04. Tampa Bay 14, Kansas City 6. TB—Brown 1 pass from Brady (Succop kick), :06. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 00:55. Tampa Bay 21, Kansas City 6.
THIRD QUARTER
KC—FG Butker 52, 11:26. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 3:34. Tampa Bay 21, Kansas City 9. TB—Fournette 27 run (Succop kick), 7:45. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 3:41. Tampa Bay 28, Kansas City 9. TB—FG Succop 52, 2:46. Drive: 8 plays, 11 yards, 3:34. Tampa Bay 31, Kansas City 9. A—24,835. INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS PASSING Kansas City C/Att Patrick Mahomes 26/49 Tampa Bay C/Att Tom Brady 21/29
Yds 270 Yds 201
RUSHING Kansas City Clyde Edwards-Helaire Patrick Mahomes Tyreek Hill Darrel Williams Totals Tampa Bay Leonard Fournette Ronald Jones II Tom Brady Scotty Miller Totals
Avg TD 5.5 0 Avg TD 6.9 3
Att 9 5 1 2 17 Att 16 12 4 1 33
Yds 64 33 5 5 107 Yds 89 61 -2 -3 145
Int Sck Rtg 2 3-27 52.3 Int Sck Rtg 0 1-6 125.8 Avg 7.1 6.6 5.0 2.5 6.3 Avg 5.6 5.1 -0.5 -3.0 4.4
TD Long 0 26 0 11 0 5 0 3 0 26 TD Long 1 27 0 13 0 0 0 -3 1 27
RECEIVING Kansas City Travis Kelce Tyreek Hill Clyde Edwards-Helaire Sammy Watkins Demarcus Robinson Darrel Williams Mecole Hardman Byron Pringle Totals
No Yds Avg 10 133 13.3 7 73 10.4 2 23 11.5 1 13 13.0 1 11 11.0 2 10 5.0 2 4 2.0 1 3 3.0 26 270 10.4
TD Long Tgts 0 33 15 0 23 10 0 18 3 0 13 1 0 11 2 0 9 7 0 4 6 0 3 2 0 33 46
Tampa Bay Rob Gronkowski Leonard Fournette Mike Evans Cameron Brate Antonio Brown Chris Godwin Tyler Johnson Joe Haeg Tanner Hudson Ronald Jones II Totals
No Yds Avg. 6 67 11.2 4 46 11.5 1 31 31.0 3 26 8.7 5 22 4.4 2 9 4.5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 21 201 9.6
TD Long Tgts 2 25 7 0 15 4 0 31 1 0 15 3 1 16 6 0 8 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 31 29
PUNTING Kansas City Tommy Townsend Tampa Bay Bradley Pinion
No 3 No 4
TD In 20 1 0 TD In 20 0 1
Yds 107 Yds 150
Avg 35.7 Avg 37.5
LG 51 LG 40
TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS— Kansas City, Wilson 6-4-0, Niemann 4-5-0, Sorensen 3-3-0, Jones 3-2-0, C.Ward 3-2-0, Breeland 3-1-0, Clark 2-2-1, Kpassagnon 2-1-0, Mathieu 2-1-0, Sneed 2-1-0, Nnadi 1-4-0, Thornhill 1-00, Wharton 0-2-0, Danna 0-1-0, Hitchens 0-1-0, Okafor 0-1-0. Tampa Bay, White 8-4-0, David 6-0-0, Winfield 4-2-0, Dean 4-0-0, Murphy-Bunting 3-3-0, Pierre-Paul 3-0-0, C.Davis 2-2-0, Edwards 2-2-0, Whitehead 2-0-0, Suh 1-1-1.5, Barrett 1-0-1, McLendon 1-0-0, Vea 1-0-0, Gill 0-1-.5. INTERCEPTIONS— Kansas City, None. Tampa Bay, White 1-0, Winfield 1-0. PUNT RETURNS—Kansas City, Hill 1-0. Tampa Bay, None. KICKOFF RETURNS—Kansas City, Pringle 3-87. Tampa Bay, Mickens 3-75. MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.
P Tampa Bay Times | Wednesday, February 10, 2021 |
7
SUPER BOWL
55
DIRK SHADD | Times
The Bucs’ Bruce Arians, 68, celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy, the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl. And his 95-year-old mother gets to be there at Raymond James Stadium to enjoy it.
Once upon a time, there was this team … TAMPA — Clear the dusty books off the shelf and tear yesterday’s posters from your wall. Here is the football tale that will top all those that came before it in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions. If you lived JOHN through the ROMANO j o k e s a n d jromano@ heartaches of tampabay.com so many disappointing seasons, you know how preposterous that sounds. A generation has passed since the last time Tampa Bay danced on Super Bowl Sunday. Eighteen years and a half-dozen coaches between postseason victories and somehow, today, that cost doesn’t seem so high. The Bucs crushed the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl 55 behind a feisty Tom Brady and a relentless pass rush to become just the fourth wild-card team to win three road games on the way to an NFL championship. And to complete the fairy tale, they did it as a 3-point underdog in front of a pandemic-sized crowd at Raymond James Stadium as the first hometown Super Bowl host. “We came out and proved the world wrong,” linebacker Lavonte David said. In retrospect, the entire season seems like a fantasy. A preposterous plot performed by an unlikely cast. Tom Brady? Rob
Gronkowski? Antonio Brown? Leonard Fournette? Ndamukong Suh? These were stars in somebody else’s orbit. The story of how they found themselves together in Tampa Bay will be told by parents to children on a thousand Sundays to come. “It is hands down one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history,” Gronkowski said. If the Bucs’ previous win in a Super Bowl in the 2002 season was a reward for years of anticipation and near-misses, this one felt like finding a winning lottery ticket on the ground. Someone threw away a Tom Brady? Yeah, sure, we’ll cash that sucker in. This doesn’t happen here. Tampa Bay is the place that usually misplaces Super Bowl quarterbacks. The Bucs are the team that whiffs on gifted opportunities. And yet everything coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht has touched in the past 24 months has turned gold. Or, considering the Lombardi Trophy that Arians held aloft Sunday night, maybe that should be silver. “When you start by adding Tom, then Robby, and Leonard went to the championship game, AB has been in playoffs. They brought that confidence to all our guys,” Arians said. “We are a very talented football team. Nobody wants to give us credit for that. We just needed to believe. The hardest thing is to build a culture where people believe. “We started believing pretty early in the season. … All we had
to do was get in the playoffs.” The night was unbelievably brilliant in Tampa Bay and so was the Bucs’ game plan, on both sides of the ball. The team with an array of pass-catching options, pounded the Chiefs with an old-school attack. After a pair of aborted drives early in the first quarter, Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich committed himself to the ground game. Three consecutive runs began the next drive, followed by three consecutive play-action passes set up by the run. As they moved down the field, Brady remained under center for the first eight plays of the drive. And the first time the Bucs went to the shotgun, Brady hit his tight end Gronkowski on a crossing route on his way to the end zone. It was the beginning of a one-two combo that Kansas City could not stop. Fournette kept the Chiefs honest with punishing runs between the tackles, then Brady burned the secondary with play-action throws. The Tampa Bay defense, meanwhile, hounded Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes like no one has done in ages. Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles dialed up some blitzes early in the game, but Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, Vita Vea and Suh were getting enough pressure with a fourman rush that the Bucs were able to flood the secondary with defenders. All for a team that, less than two months ago, looked rud-
derless with a 7-5 record and little hope of winning a division crown. Teams do not just arrive in the Super Bowl after wandering a decade in the wasteland. Typically, the drums begin banging years in advance. Only four teams have won a Super Bowl while coming off a losing season, and the common factor is usually a Hall of Fame quarterback. The 49ers went from 6-10 to world champions when Joe Montana replaced Steve DeBerg. The Rams went from 4-12 to a Super Bowl title when Kurt Warner replaced Tony Banks. And the Patriots won their first Super Bowl after going 5-11 and switching from Drew Bledsoe to Brady. And now Brady has done it again. Even more remarkably, 19 years after he first pulled it off. “We’ve been grinding pretty hard, so I haven’t had a lot of time to think about things like that,” Brady, 43, said. “I’m just blessed, and grateful for my teammates.” The victory was so overwhelming, the tears began to fall long before the confetti on the Tampa Bay sideline. Arians, who began the day pushing his 2-year-old grandson on a swing in the backyard, had his headset off and was blowing kisses to his 95-year-old mother on the stadium’s club level as Brady was still killing the clock on the field. A little over two years ago, Arians was retired and working in the broadcast booth. Now, at 68, he is the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl.
Tale of two seasons The Bucs went 1-3 in the regular season against three of their playoff opponents (they didn’t play Washington) and, truth be told, really weren’t that competitive in the losses. But in the postseason … REGULAR SEASON
POSTSEASON
Week 1: at Saints 34-23 L Week 6: vs. Packers 38-10 W Week 9: vs. Saints 38-3 L Week 12: vs. Chiefs 27-24 L
NFC division round: at Saints 30-20 W NFC championship: at Packers 31-26 W Super Bowl 55: vs. Chiefs 31-9 W
“I would have been smoking something illegal to really imagine this,” Arians said. Every close call went Tampa Bay’s way. Even some calls that probably shouldn’t have. And, of course, the world will insist that the NFL cooked the books for Brady and the Bucs. The proper response to such accusations? A subtle heeheehee. Followed by a louder hahahaha! Tampa Bay has seen a lifetime of crappy calls and unfortunate breaks. There will be no apologizing for yellow flags, homefield advantage or substitute tackles on Kansas City’s offensive line. “Nine years of grinding, I’m finally here,” said David, who was drafted by the Bucs in 2012 and played 137 regular-season games before his first playoff game last month. “I see why this is a special moment, and I wouldn’t want to enjoy it with any other football team. Through the hard times, I was able to keep my head held high, understanding those moments wouldn’t last. “To finally be here and all the hard work paid off. I’m a world
champion. You have to put that next to my name: world champion Lavonte David.” Of the 32 teams in the NFL, none have ever lost a greater percentage of their games than the Bucs. For the better part of 45 years, they have boomeranged between ridicule and disregard. Yet now they are one of 14 teams to have won multiple Super Bowls. They have won more than the Eagles and Bears. More than the Rams and Jets. They might not be the darlings of Madison Avenue, but they have got more bling than bluster. So let the rest of the world cackle at Florida Man. All I know is Lord Stanley’s Cup lives here now. And the Rays brought the American League pennant home to Tampa Bay, too. Now, you can clear space on the trophy shelf for another Lombardi Trophy. And start thinking about how you’ll tell this story again and again and again. John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
By the numbers
1 1
3 5
2 2 3
8 8 14 15
Touchdown in the first quarter for Tom Brady in his 10 Super Bowls, breaking the ice with his 8-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski on Sunday. Team to win three games against former Super Bowl MVPs in the same postseason. The Bucs beat Drew Brees and the Saints, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Quarterbacks with at least 10 career passing touchdowns in Super Bowl history, Brady (21) and Joe Montana (11). Players with multiple receiving touchdowns in multiple Super Bowls, Gronkowski (Super Bowls 52 and 55) and Jerry Rice (24 and 29) Players to score a touchdown in four playoff games in one postseason, with the Bucs’ Leonard Fournette joining the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald (2008) and the Broncos’ Terrell Davis (1997). Stops on four fourth-and-goal tries in Super Bowl history. The only player to score: Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith in Super Bowl 28. Teams were 9-for-9 when going for it on fourth and 1 against the Chiefs this season until the Bucs failed in the second quarter.
3
Teams that didn’t score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs joining the Dolphins in Super Bowl 6 and the Rams in 53. Times Brady and Gronkowski have connected for a Super Bowl touchdown, the most by a QBreceiver duo in Super Bowl history, bettering the four of the 49ers’ Joe Montana and Jerry Rice Penalties against the Chiefs in the first half versus the six points they scored. Rushing touchdowns in seven career postseason games by Fournette. Touchdown connections for Gronkowski and Brady in their careers, surpassing Montana and Rice (12) for most in playoff history. Points, the Bucs’ halftime lead, the biggest lead a Brady team has had in a Super Bowl. The previous high was 11 points, 14-3, in Super Bowl 36, Patriots versus Rams. Venues in which Brady has played a postseason game, with Raymond James Stadium joining the club Sunday. Next most: 14 for Rod Woodson and Adam Vinatieri.
17
62
Straight games in which the Chiefs have held a lead at some point. Kansas City scored first in Super Bowl 55, on a Harrison Butker 49-yard field goal. Age of Bruce Arians, in years and days, making him the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl. He breaks the record held by Bill Belichick at 66 years, 293 days. Both achieved the record with Brady as their quarterback. Receiving yards (and zero touchdowns) for Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill on Sunday. Career receiving touchdowns for Gronkowski (regular season and playoffs combined). Receiving yards for Hill (and three touchdowns) in the Chiefs’ first meeting with the Bucs on Nov. 29. Yards of scrambling by Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes before his passes/sacks Sunday, the most prethrow/presack yards run by a quarterback in a game this season, according the NFL.
68/127 73 100 269 497
DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is sacked by linebacker Shaquil Barrett as defensive end Ndamukong Suh stands ready to help.