TAMPA, FL — A home underdog against whom many preordained as the NFL’s next G.O.A.T. 18 years his junior. Thanks to Tampa Bay’s 31-9 upset win in Super Bowl LV over Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Tom Brady secured arguably his sweetest victory yet.
After leading the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl wins in his two decades up in Foxboro, Brady decided to channel his inner LeBron and bring his talents to the 813 in an effort to prove that he could still play at a high level despite being 42.
Dismissed as too old, a mere product of Bill Belichick and ‘The Patriot Way’, many were quick to doubt that Brady would succeed outside of New England. In playing for a new coach in Bruce Arians, new offensive system under Byron Leftwich and in a new conference in the NFC, Brady had a lot of odds stacked against him.
That, along with having to hear and see about the so-called “new” G.O.A.T. and “face of the league” in Mahomes surely added some fuel to the always competitive Brady’s fire. Things didn’t start off according to plan in losing to on the road in Chicago—and the new meme-worthy image of Brady holding four fingers up, thinking he had a fourth down—and getting blown out at home by long-time nemesis Drew Brees.
At 7-5, and losing 27-24 to the forementioned Mahomes, highlighted by WR Tyreke Hill exploding for 209 yards in the first quarter—and doing a backflip into the endzone in mocking the Buccaneers—a change had to be made.
Seemingly overnight, Arians’ risk it-no biscuit vertical offense transformed into the familiar play-action, quick and sharp passing attack that many rivals of Brady over the years quickly recognized, and the Bucs got out and rolled into the postseason as a wildcard at 11-5.
The words TB12 and wildcard don’t even belong in the same sentence, let alone the same universe, let alone planet. But—as I mentioned months ago here, that a highly motivated Brady with a chip on his shoulder is a dangerous one.
In road wins at Washington, New Orleans and Green Bay, Brady became the first modern-day quarterback to defeat NFL MVP’s and Super Bowl champions in the forementioned Brees and Aaron Rodgers in back-to-back weeks as a visitor.
Still too old, huh? Mahomes is the man, the Chiefs are gonna run it back, right?
Too bad for Chiefs Kingdom and all the many Mahomes uber-apologists that The Krewe has different ideas.
Thanks to a fired-up and stifling defense led by Shaquill Barrett, Devon White, Lavonte David, Vita Vea and Antoine Winfield Jr. Mahomes looked more like the NFL LVP instead of the so-called savior of the NFL to the tune of 29 pressures, a passer rating of 52.3.
While many will cry and whine about the numerous penalties on the Chiefs in the first half—and ultimately the game—a real team doesn’t allow the referees to decide the outcome, let alone self-destruct and have such a proverbial meltdown the way that the Chiefs did.
No. It’s not Brady’s fault that the Chiefs drew eight penalties for 95 yards in the first half.
No. It’s not brady’s fault that Mahomes was exposed for the over-hyped fraud and by product of Andy Reid under the bright lights for the third time in five meetings.
No. Its not Brady’s fault that the Chiefs looked, acted and played like a glorified JV team against a state champion squad full of upper classmen.
Stop the hate. Kiss Brady’s SEVENTH ring, and go on with your life, dude.
It’s not Brady’s fault that Mahomes spent much of his night running for his life, as if his Head & Shoulders-esque hair was on fire. It’s called a pass rush. You might wanna Google it. The way things looked down at Raymond James, the Chiefs were going to run BACK to Missouri, instead of running it back, as they so loudly and arrogantly proclaimed for much of the season.
With Brady and Co. now basking in triumph and playfully tossing the Lombardi across their boats, Brady can revel in shutting up the many haters, naysayers and bitter trolls in counting his rings on both his hands, while Mahomes can only count his on one finger.