Tom Brady made his seventh Super Bowl title look familiar — despite moving South to a new team and conference during a pandemic.
Brady threw two touchdown passes to old friend Rob Gronkowski and one to good pal Antonio Brown, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City 31-9 on their home field in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.
Brady extended his Super Bowl titles’ record in his 10th appearance, his first without Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The 43-year-old Brady broke his own mark for oldest player to win a Super Bowl and joins Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to win one with multiple franchises.
The Buccaneers (15-5) won their second NFL title and first in 18 years while becoming 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 team to reach the Super Bowl.
Tampa’s victory prevented Mahomes and the Chiefs (16-3) from becoming the first repeat champions since Brady’s Patriots did it in 2003-04.
Here is how they scored:
Super Bowl 55 opened with Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting the first possession.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
FIRST QUARTER
1Q, 5:14 — The Kansas City Chiefs scored first.
Harrison Butker kicked a 49-yard field goal on Kansas City’s second drive to give the Chiefs a 3-0 lead over Tampa Bay.
Mahomes missed a deep pass to Tyreek Hill on third down to lead to the kick. Mahomes is just 1 for 6 for 3 yards early in the game. He has rushed for 24 yards and two first downs for the most yards rushing for a QB in the first quarter of the Super Bowl since Steve Young had 36 for the 49ers 26 years ago.
The Buccaneers punted on their first two possessions.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
1Q, 0:37 — Brady has his first touchdown pass in the first quarter in his 10 career Super Bowls.
Brady hooked up with former Patriots teammate Gronkowski for an 8-yard touchdown to put Tampa Bay up 7-3 over the Kansas City Chiefs with 37 seconds left in the first quarter.
It was the 13th time Brady and Gronk have hooked up for a postseason touchdown. That breaks the record they shared with Jerry Rice and Joe Montana.
Brady’s nine Super Bowl teams in New England produced just three points total in the first quarter. That came on a field goal in the Patriots’ 41-33 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl 52.
The Buccaneers punted on their first two possessions before Brady engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive.
SECOND QUARTER
2Q, 6:05 — Brady and Gronkowski have connected on another TD pass.
Brady’s second touchdown pass to Gronkowski in the first half gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 14-3 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter of the Super Bowl.
The two combined on their 13th career playoff touchdown in the first quarter that broke the record for most playoff TD passes for a duo that had been held by Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.
The latest TD came after a potential interception was wiped out by a holding call on Charvarius Ward. The drive was extended again when Antonio Hamilton lined up offside on a field goal. Brady threw the TD pass on the next play.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2Q, 1:04 — Butker kicks a 34-yard field goal for Kansas City to make the score 14-6.
2Q, 0:06 — The Chiefs are beating themselves as much as the Buccaneers are beating them as Tampa Bay leads 21-6 at halftime in the Super Bowl.
Bashaud Breeland’s defensive holding penalty was the first big mistake. It helped the Buccaneers march downfield on a 75-yard drive that Tom Brady finished with a touchdown pass to old Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski.
Two series later, the Chiefs had an interception by Tyrann Mathieu wiped out by Chavarius Ward’s holding penalty. When they held the Buccaneers to a field goal, Antonio Hamilton and Mecole Hardman were lined up offsides, giving Tampa Bay a fresh set of down. Brady again finished the drive with a TD pass to Gronkowski.
Finally, Breeland put an exclamation mark on his dreadful half when got called for pass interference on Mike Evans, who had beaten him deep in the final minute.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
When Mathieu got called for interfering with Evans in the end zone, Brady hit Antonio Brown on the next play with 6 seconds left to give Tampa Bay a 21-6 lead at halftime.
After the score Mathieu and Brady jawed at each other and Mathieu was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo walked over to an irate Mathieu on the bench and spoke to the safety briefly.
THIRD QUARTER
3Q, 11:41 — The Kansas City Chiefs got another field goal to start the second half but are still seeking their first touchdown of the Super Bowl.
Harrison Butker kicked a 52-yard field goal to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-9. The long kick came after Patrick Mahomes couldn’t connect with Travis Kelce on third and 8.
Mahomes is 0 for 6 passing on third down in the game with Kansas City’s only conversion coming on his run. He led the NFL in the regular season with 47% of his third-down passes going for first downs.
Butker also connected from 49 and 34 yards in the first half and has made all six attempts this season from at least 50 yards.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
3Q, 7:45 — Leonard Fournette ran untouched 27 yards for a touchdown to give Tampa Bay a 28-9 lead after Kansas City had opened the second half with a drive to its third field goal.
Brady has led the Buccaneers to touchdowns on four of their past five drives after punting on the first two possessions.
Fournette joins Terrell Davis (1997 season) and Larry Fitzgerald (2008) as the only players to score in four playoff games in a single postseason. Fournette has his sixth straight playoff game with at least one TD and 50 yards rushing.
3Q, 2:50 — Ryan Succop extends the Buccaneers’ lead to 31-9 with a 52-yard field goal following interception by Buccaneers strong safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
FOURTH QUARTER
Neither team added points. Final score, 31-9.
