Two of the league’s best quarterbacks- and perhaps two of the best ever- faced off on Sunday night in the Super Bowl. On one side was Tom Brady, a sure-fire Hall of Famer. On the other was Patrick Mahomes, a man that was well on his way toward that. He still could be, in truth, but a second Super Bowl win in a row would have aided that call tremendously. That wasn’t meant to be, however, as Brady and co. absolutely dominated the defending champions to win 31-9. That handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first championship since the 2002 season, taking advantage of the worst performance from Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in some time.
In fact, it was Mahomes’ worst showing ever in the league, with him completing just barely half (26 of 49) of his passes and throwing for two interceptions and no touchdowns. Brady, meanwhile, was fantastic as usual in these big game moments. The veteran was 21 of 29 through the air, leading his team with poise and confidence with three touchdowns. He was only sacked once in the game, showing that not only does he and the defense deserve credit but that his offensive line also deserves a great deal of applause as well. For his efforts, Brady was awarded a five Super Bowl MVP award and won his seventh ring in the process. That’s more than any franchise ever now, giving him a leg up on top teams like the Packers and former club Patriots. No one else has more than three MVPs (Joe Montana has three), so that right there says a ton. Rob Gronkowski, who had followed Brady to Tampa, caught the first two TD passes of the evening in their home stadium, capping off a remarkable season and underlining their personal history as well.
