On Sunday, Feb. 7, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted Super Bowl LV in their home stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs. This was the first time in Super Bowl history where a team played in its home stadium. 

The Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers in the previous playoff rounds, and the Chiefs faced off against the Browns and Bills to secure their place in the big game.

Even with home field advantage, the game started off slow for the Buccaneers with quarterback Tom Brady completing one of two throws and a short rush, forcing Tampa Bay to punt. The next drive started with the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing a three yard pass, and then an incomplete ball, creating a third and seven situation. Luckily for the Chiefs, they got the first down, but they weren’t able to keep the momentum going. Kansas City was forced to punt on the next set of chains. The next drive began with promise, as Tampa Bay got a first down. Shortly after, they lost yards on two plays and were forced to punt yet again.

Mahomes started the drive with several short passes, as his team got three first downs, reaching field goal range. The Buccaneers were able to stop the Chiefs, but Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker knocked down a 49-yard field goal. Tampa Bay began the next drive with Brady passing for two six-yard plays. After this first down, they were able to secure four more and a touchdown by tight end Rob Gronkowski ending the first quarter.

In a post game interview, Buccaneer cornerback Carlton Davis stated “Our goal was to play top down coverage in the first quarter, and we were able to take away the deep ball and interrupt their big plays early on. The media made it seem like stopping Tyreek Hill was the whole game plan, but it was never about him. It was about us taking down the Chiefs offense as a whole, which we did in the end.”

The second quarter began with the Chiefs getting stopped once again by Tampa Bay and giving the Buccaneers a chance to put even more points on the board. After two first downs, Brady passed to wide receiver Mike Evans for 31 yards, giving the Buccaneers a first and goal on the six. After three short plays, Brady and his offense pushed the ball as far as they could and weren’t able to score on a fourth and one, giving the Chiefs the ball back. The Chiefs once again could not get more than one first down and were forced to punt, giving Tampa Bay a good field position on their own 44-yard line.

The next drive started fast with Tampa Bay moving the chains twice in under two minutes. Following the first down, the Buccaneers were unable to score and tried for a field goal on the 40-yard line. During the attempt, there was a penalty on the defense which gave the Buccaneers the ball back on a first and ten. On the next play, Brady threw a pass to Gronkowski, once again for a 17-yard touchdown. With six minutes left in the quarter, the Chiefs were showing promise getting several first downs, making an effort to stay in the game. They eventually got tripped up and were stopped, securing a field goal for a 14-6 lead by Tampa Bay. This left 55 seconds left on the clock and created a hurry up Buccaneers offense. Brady was able to complete several passes and a defensive penalty occurred. Tampa Bay was then able to complete a one-yard pass just in time, to wide receiver Antonio Brown, for a touchdown that ended the quarter.

In a post game interview, Gronkowski said “Whoever got the ball got the ball. We were all happy for each other no matter what happened, and we knew we had to play and work together to win the game. We have so many superstars on this team, and throughout the game, no one got selfish, which motivated us all to play better team ball.”

The second half started with Mahomes throwing for two first downs, then getting stopped on a third and seven. Fortunately for Kansas City, Butker was able to hit a 52 yard field goal and lower Tampa Bay’s lead to 11 points. Although the Chiefs offense was able to knock down a field goal, lessening the lead, the defense lacked the same potential, allowing the Buccaneers to move the chains several times. On a first and ten on Tampa’s own 27-yard line, running back Leonard Fournette was able to break a tackle and get a 27-yard rushing touchdown. Following this drive, the pressure was high on Mahomes to make something happen. He threw a ball out of place, and Buccaneer safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was able to get an interception.

Following the pic, the Buccaneers were in great field position and were able to get two first downs before getting stopped. They knocked down a field goal, and the score was 31-9 Buccaneers lead. After the field goal, the Chiefs were able to gain momentum and get five first downs before the end of the third quarter. 

In a post game interview, Mahomes said “After I threw the interception in the third quarter, I knew that it would be difficult for us to come back in the game. Even though we were down, we battled until the end as a team, and we were able to make up some ground in third. They were the better team today, but I am proud that my team left it all out on the field tonight.”

The fourth quarter began with the Chiefs maintaining possession of the ball on the Tampa Bay 11-yard line. They went four and out, even after a timeout and a turnover on downs occurred. The Buccaneer drive that followed began like the past five with them showing promise. Brady was able to pass for three first downs, and on a fourth and one, Buccaneer coach Bruce Arians decided to punt the ball away. Mahomes was back in action with the ball on his own 8-yard line. After a few quick plays, he was able to bring the ball to almost the 50. Continuing, on a first and ten there was an offensive penalty that moved the chains to first and 20. This was difficult for the Chiefs offense, and they were only able to get ten yards back, before turning the ball over to Tampa Bay.

The next drive began with the Chiefs defense stepping up, and holding the Buccaneers to six yards in two plays. This was just enough room to stop Tampa from getting a first, and force a punt. The next Kansas City drive started with Mahomes passing for three first downs, and getting a second and six situation on the Tampa Bay ten yard line. These plays were followed by a no huddle shotgun pass by Mahomes. His pass was intended for tight end Travis Kelce but got intercepted by Buccaneer Linebacker Devin White. This ultimately ended the game, with Tampa Bay kneeling three times to run out the clock.

In a post game interview, Brady said “I’m so proud of all these guys out here, everything we’ve dealt with we’ve done it together. Our confidence really made our team come together to win this, and we believed in ourselves and that we could bring home a win.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and got the title of Super Bowl LV winners. Although the Chiefs weren’t able to make it out with a win, there’s always next year. Along with this, Brady was able to secure the sixth superbowl ring of his career.