Ads, defense and a seventh ring for Brady in Super Bowl LV

By Rachel Levin, Copy Editor

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers destroyed the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7. Despite hopes for a showdown between Chiefs’ upstart quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and veteran quarterback, Tom Brady, who was recently traded to the Buccaneers, the Buccs won 31-9, with an outstanding defense and some exceptional teamwork between a few former teammates.

The game started off strong for the Chiefs when they made the first field goal, but the tides soon turned as the Buccaneers’ tight end, Rob Gronkowski, scored two touchdowns before his opponents could score one—even fresh out of retirement. By halftime, the score was 21-6 for the Buccaneers, making it hard for the Chiefs to crawl back. The teamwork between former New England Patriots teammates Brady, Gronkowski and wide receiver Antonio Brown, who all traveled to Tampa Bay with Brady as he moved on from New England, was instrumental in bringing in many of their team’s points. Brady continued his victory streak as he became a seven-time Super Bowl champion, a record never before held by a single team, let alone one man.

Mahomes played his hardest, zipping down the field with the speed and control he’s known for, but it was not enough. The coordination of the Buccaneers’ defense foiled him before his team could make a single touchdown, a few times blocking passes from the one yard line. The rest of Mahomes’ teammates, however, did not come with the same tenacity as he did, failing to block the defense and letting Mahomes get taken down several times. The game had an unusual number of flags for unsportsmanlike conduct, the majority of which were against the Buccaneers, especially due to safety Tyrann Mathieu, who got in trouble with his coach for verbal jousts with Brady and physical altercations in play.

The Chiefs might have tried their hardest, but some people just don’t think they should have won. Samo football player, Marcos Gonzalez (’22), is of the opinion that the Buccaneers are just a better team.

“I think Chiefs’ fans can go cry about how they lost; they deserve it. They don’t realize that they got bailed in the Super Bowl last year because the refs were on their team. They also need to realize that now Patrick Mahomes will never be the G.O.A.T. as long as Tom Brady is alive,” Gonzalez said.

Besides the fact that Tampa was the first team in 54 years to have home field advantage during the Super Bowl, there was another notable first. Sarah Thomas refereed for Super Bowl LV, becoming the first female referee in the history of the NFL. She was not alone, as this year saw eight female NFL coaches, a record number. Although American football has always been known as a traditionally male sport, women are holding their own as the NFL’s precedents begin to change. This Super Bowl also saw an ad for the NFL’s anti-racism campaign, a decision subject to criticism, given it has 95 percent white management for majority players of color.

Anyone would be remiss not to mention the entertainment beyond just the game. The Weeknd’s performance at halftime was as lit up as the New York City skyline, which his sets imitated. This year’s ads were odd as ever, including a bona fide trailer for Scientology.tv, a streaming service run and funded by the Church of Scientology, as well as a new trailer for the highly anticipated Marvel TV show, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”

Football fans might have expected a bit more action on the field, but the Buccaneers reigned supreme under what their coach, Bruce Arians, admitted was Brady’s leadership and expertise.

“We came together at the right time,” Brady said in his speech during the awards ceremony.

Perhaps the fan that ran across the field in the third quarter was protesting the fact that the winner was practically confirmed before the fourth quarter even began. Regardless, America’s favorite sport forged on, even in a pandemic, putting on an epic show.

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