Brady vs Mahomes: A Superbowl to Watch
Written by Megan Armitage
Superbowl LV kicks off this Sunday with a line-up for the history books.
The 55th Superbowl matches the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the Kansas City Chiefs. Brady vs Mahomes. Legend vs Legend.
In 2020, Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to victory in Superbowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers, winning with a score of 31-20. However, in 2019, Tom Brady also took home the title of Superbowl Champion with his previous team the New England Patriots, beating the Los Angels Rams 13-3.
With Brady’s shock transfer to the Buccaneers at the start of the 20/21 season, we see both reigning Superbowl Quarterbacks go head-to-head in a battle that is sure to be good.
A pretty unexpected clash, the line-up means that the Buccaneers will be the first ever team to play a Superbowl on their home turf, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, with COVID-19 measures still in place, the usual ‘Superbowl effect’ isn’t exactly in play this year.
Although the 20/21 season has faced little disrupt, the effects of COVID-19 have still caused multiple game delays and roster changes. Nevertheless, the fact that Superbowl LV is still going ahead on the scheduled first Sunday in February is a testament to the way the NFL League has been handled. Hopefully, the PPE and safety measures in place will allow the residents of Tampa to be reassured that the 25,000 person attendance will not cause a break-out of the virus.
Aside from the Quarterbacks, both teams still have strong starters. For the Chiefs, Tight End Travis Kelce has been a record setting player this season, with 11 Touchdowns and 1,416 yards. And you can’t mention the Chiefs without picking out Tyrann ‘Honeybadger’ Mathieu, the First-Team All-Pro who just doesn’t stop, even when you wish he did.
On the other side, Buccaneer Mike Evans has totalled an impressive 1000+ yards in seven straight seasons during his career. His receiving game, alongside the defensive dynamic duo of Pierre-Paul and Barrett, is sure to give put pressure on the Chiefs from both ends.
If the sport itself is confusing you, no worry, the iconic Half-Time Show is still going ahead this year with The Weeknd performing. These shows often bring about surprise moments and appearances, and if the Weeknd’s apparent $8 million spending spree for the half an hour performance is anything to go by, we can hope that it will be a little more than him just singing ‘Blinding Lights’.
For the University of Leicester’s American Football team, this year’s Superbowl party is slightly different. Instead of the usual Loaded Dog celebration, the Longhorns are moving onto Microsoft Teams to watch the game together and have a few drinks.
Tom Grimley, Vice-Captain of the Longhorns, stated his predictions for the game: “I personally think the Chiefs offense is too good for the Bucs defence to handle. It’ll be a high scoring game but ultimately Tom Brady won’t be able to get the job done and the Chiefs will win.”
At a time where there isn’t much going on, the Superbowl is a great opportunity to have late night drinks and a takeaway with friends. After all, any celebration is a celebration.
You can watch the Superbowl at 11.30pm on Sunday 7th February on BBC One.
Megan Armitage is a final year English student and the Swim Captain at the University of Leicester. She is currently interested in pursuing a career in Sports Journalism.
Image by Tim L, from Unsplash.
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