The Brady Bowl - Buccaneers star vaults Tampa Bay to crushing victory over Kansas City Chiefs

TAMPA, Florida (AP):

Tom Brady made the Buccaneers, their fans, and their city believe from the moment he arrived in Tampa Bay.

With help from old friend Rob Gronkowski and a ferocious defence, Brady and the Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions.

Brady threw two touchdown passes to Gronkowski and one to good pal Antonio Brown, and the Buccaneers routed Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City 31-9 on their home field in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday.

“You get this far and you wanna get the job done and we did it,” Brady said. “We just believed. I”m so proud of the guys.”

Despite moving south to a new team and conference during a pandemic, Brady didn’t slow down at age 43.

The GOAT (greatest of all time) earned his fifth Super Bowl MVP Award and extended his Super Bowl titles’ record in his 10th appearance, nine with New England. Brady broke his own mark for oldest player to win a Super Bowl and joined Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to win one with multiple franchises.

“I think they’re all special,” Brady said. “I’m not making any comparisons. Experiencing it with this group of guys is amazing.”

EASY VICTORY

Stunningly, it was easier than any of his previous Super Bowl victories, which came by an average margin of five points. Mahomes lost by double digits for the first time in his four-year career.

The Buccaneers (15-5) took their second NFL title and first in 18 years as the first team to play the big game at home, capping an unusual and challenging season played through the novel coronavirus. They won three road games as a wild card to reach the Super Bowl, and joined the NHL’s Lightning as a 2020 season champion. The Rays also went to the World Series, but lost to the Dodgers.

Mahomes and the Chiefs (16-3) failed to become the first repeat champions since Brady’s Patriots in 2003-04.

“I didn’t see it coming at all,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I thought we were going to come in and play these guys just like we’ve been playing teams, and it didn’t happen that way. I give them credit on that.”

The NFL completed its 269-game season on time without any cancellations, a remarkable accomplishment that required nearly one million COVID-19 tests for players and team personnel.

Brady’s Super Bowl statistics

• 2002 – New England Patriots (defeated St Louis Rams 20-17)

• 2004 – New England Patriots (defeated Carolina Panthers 32-29)

• 2005 – New England Patriots (defeated Philadelphia Eagles 24-21)

• 2008 – New England Patriots (lost to New York Giants 17-14)

• 2012 – New England Patriots (lost to New York Giants 21-17)

• 2015 – New England Patriots (defeated Seattle Seahawks 28-24)

• 2017 – New England Patriots (defeated Atlanta Falcons 34-28 OT)

• 2018 – New England Patriots (lost to Philadelphia Eagles 41-33)

• 2019 – New England Patriots (defeated Los Angeles Rams 13-3)

• 2021 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (defeated Kansas City Chiefs 31-9)