Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs – 23:30GMT Sunday 7^th February,

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After 268 games in a remarkably smooth season considering the circumstances, it is finally Super Bowl weekend.

Following their Conference round victories two weeks ago, current champions Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the winners lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy for the second time in their respective histories.

Super Bowl LV takes place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs becoming the first team to reach a Super Bowl played in their own stadium. Despite the limited capacity, they face reigning Super Bowl Champions the Chiefs, who have only lost two games this season.

So, how have both teams made it to the final and who is likely to be ending the night as champions?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Wild card round	Washington Football Team (4)	23-31	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5)
Divisional round	New Orleans Saints (2)	20-30	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5)
Conference round	Green Bay Packers (1)	26-31	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5)

Tampa Bay became the first fifth seed since the New York Giants in 2007 to reach the Super Bowl, winning all three games on the road.

Entering the playoffs with an 11-5 record, they travelled to the Washington Football Team, who reached the Play-Offs despite a 7-9 record. Out of the three games, they surprisingly posed the biggest challenge to the Bucs postseason.

Washington’s defence made it uncomfortable for the Bucs but they prevailed 31-23 in the Wild card round. Victory at the FedExField saw the Bucs progress to the Divisional round, facing off against NFC South rivals, New Orleans Saints.

In spite of losing twice in the regular season, including a 38-3 demolition at the Superdome, the Bucs avenged those earlier defeats with a 30-20 triumph.

The Bucs then travelled to Lambeau Field to face hot favourite Green Bay Packers. Tampa Bay controlled much of the game but the Packers threatened to peg them back.

Tampa Bay survived three consecutive interception throws, and the Packers electing to not attempt on a 4^th and goal on the 2-yard line, to run out 31-26 winners. The Packer’s decision was particularly baffling considering the Bucks only had 5 point lead at the point in the game.

Kansas City Chiefs

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Divisional round	Kansas City Chiefs (1)	22-17	Cleveland Browns (6)
Conference round	Kansas City Chiefs (1)	38-24	Buffalo Bills (2)

The Chiefs finished the regular season 14-2 and enjoyed the privilege of a Bye Week from the Wild Card round as first seeds in the AFC. Though it wasn’t a convincing performance in the Divisional round, where Chiefs edged past a spirited Cleveland Browns side 22-17 at the Arrowhead Stadium.

The reigning Super Bowl Champions returned a week later with home advantage against a resurgent Buffalo Bills in the Conference round.

They went 9-0 down against the Bills but rallied back in the second quarter with 21 points without response, contributing to Kansas City’s 38-24 victory and a chance to defend their Super Bowl winner’s title.

What factor will decide the game?

There is only one answer to this question, Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes.

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If 43-year-old Brady secured another victory he will add to his record six Super Bowl triumphs and extend his record as the oldest Quarterback to win the Super Bowl.

Whilst his counterpart, Mahomes, could become the youngest player to win multiple Super Bowl MVP trophies and become the youngest quarterback to win two Super Bowls and a league MVP at just 25 years and 143 days old.

The Kansas City Chiefs could become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles since the Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Mahomes is a catalyst of the teams current prowess in the NFL, finishing the regular season with a 66.3 completion percentage, 4,740 passing yards and 38 touchdowns. Patrick added a further 580 yards and 4 touchdowns in the two games against the Browns and Bills.

Brady will be making his tenth career Super Bowl appearance on Sunday.

He finished the regular season with a 65.7 completion percentage, 4,633 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. The six-time winner added another 7 touchdown passes and over 800 passing yards in the Bucs victories against Washington, Saints and the Packers.

In their four games against each other, it’s 2-a-piece with Mahomes coming out on top in the last two games.

Neither were won by more than 7 points so expect it to be another tight game on Sunday night, but this is a golden opportunity to witness the greatest quarterback in NFL history compete against a player capable of challenging the very title in years to come.

Injury list

Buccaneers:

Jason Pierre-Paul (Outside Linebacker) – knee, did not practice
Antonio Brown (Wide Receiver) – knee, limited practice
Lavonte David (Inside Linebacker) – hamstring, limited practice
Mike Evans (Wide Receiver) – knee, full practice
Chris Godwin (Wide Receiver) – elbow, full practice
Jordan Whitehead (Safety) – shoulder, limited practice
Antoine Winfield Jr. (Safety) – ankle, limited practice

Chiefs:

Eric Fisher (Offensive Tackle) – Achilles, did not practice
Willie Gay Jr. (Linebacker) – knee/ankle, did not practice
Le’Veon Bell (Running Back) – knee, limited practice
Sammy Watkins (Wide Receiver) – calf, limited practice
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Running Back) – ankle/hip, full practice
Rashad Fenton (Cornerback) – foot, full practice
Patrick Mahomes (Quarterback) – toe, full practice
Mike Remmers (Offensive Tackle) – groin, full practice
L’Jarius Sneed (Cornerback) – concussion, full practice
Andrew Wylie (Guard) – ankle, full practice

The Buccaneers and Chiefs have pretty similar injury lists to their Conference round victories two weeks ago. Bucs fans will be alarmed to see WR Antonio Brown (knee) only completing limited practice. Linebacker Lavonte David (hamstring), and safeties Jordan Whitehead (shoulder) and Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle) were also limited whilst OL Pierre-Paul’s knee injury continues to keep him from practice.

Kansas City will be buoyed by a number of players, including star QB Patrick Mahomes, enjoying full training on Wednesday. Fisher, Remmers, Sneed and Wylie are additional names to the list, but only Fisher failed to complete practice out of those four. LB Willie Gay Jr. is the Chiefs’ only other absentee from training as he continues to struggle with knee and ankle issues.

Recent match-ups

Date	Home	Score	Visitors
29/11/2020	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	24-27	Kansas City Chiefs
20/11/2016	Kansas City Chiefs	17-19	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14/10/2012	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	38-10	Kansas City Chiefs
02/11/2008	Kansas City Chiefs	27-30 (O/T)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
07/11/2004	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	34-31	Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs and Buccaneers rarely meet due to being in separate conferences, meaning they only play once every four years in the regular season, meeting 13 times since 1976, with Sunday night being their first meet postseason, let alone a Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay have won 7 meetings between the two, including four of the last five, but Kansas City edged the regular season game back in November.

The lack of head to heads makes this an incredibly difficult game to predict.

Not only did I write both of these teams off in the Conference round, but I underestimated the Bucs chances against the Saints in the Divisional round. So, it’s fair to say take any prediction with a huge pinch of salt.

Sunday night really comes down to Brady vs Mahomes, a repeat of his third quarter wobble would be particularly costly for Brady and the Buccaneers, especially against a team in such good form that looked back to their best against the Bills.

The two previous occasions where the Super Bowl was played on February 7^th, Super Bowl XLIV (2010) and Super Bowl 50 (2016), saw NFC South teams feature in both. Omens aren’t favouring the Bucs as both the Saints and Panthers lost, but they certainly have a chance to change this Sunday.

Weighing up the fact the Bucs are playing their first Super Bowl for nearly two decades, and in their home stadium whilst playing on the road in all their postseason games, I can see the Chiefs capitalising on early nerves to take the victory.

The Chiefs were victorious last year against a San Francisco 49ers team who on paper seemed much stronger than what the Bucs pose this season, with the added bonus of beating the Buccaneers earlier this season.