The Guardian

Brady or Mahomes? Our predictions for the Chiefs v Buccaneers Tremendous Bowl

Will Tampa Bay grow to be the primary group to win a championship in their very own dwelling stadium? Or will the reigning champions retain their title? This yr’s Tremendous Bowl options among the NFL’s high expertise together with, clockwise from left, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Composite: Reuters, Getty, AP What the Chiefs have to do to win … Be the Chiefs. That will sound flippant, however no group offers extra credit score to the ‘flip the swap’ principle than this season’s Chiefs. Once they’re totally engaged, after they’re at their full Chiefs-ness, there’s not a lot every other group within the league can do to cease them. There are flaws on protection, however in some unspecified time in the future, Patrick Mahomes may have the ball. Even with a superb protection, Tampa may have a tough time slowing down the Mahomes-Hill-Kelce triumvirate. OC With their high two offensive tackles seemingly out of this matchup, it figures to be robust sledding for the Chiefs on the sting. Search for Andy Reid to dial up loads of display screen passes to capitalize on the pace and shiftiness of his backs and receivers – Tyreek Hill’s particularly. AL Win the battle of the turnovers. Brady threw three interceptions towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers, however the Packers may solely rating on one of many ensuing possessions. If the Bucs do this towards KC, this recreation may very well be over shortly. HF Get rid of the deep ball. Maintain two safeties on the sector so the Bucs are pressured to run. You can not play rooster with Brady just like the Packers did – it solely ends a technique. Nicely, until the offense explodes as nicely it could. Reid will want an additional splash of trickery to flummox Tampa. That or dump it off to Hill. GS What the Bucs have to do to win … Shorten the sport. The Bucs have confirmed they will swap between a lot of types this season. They will win with their distinctive protection. They will depend on Tom Brady to hold in a shootout. Towards the Chiefs, although it gained’t be as entertaining, they should depend on the run-game to increase drives towards a weak-ish Chiefs entrance with a purpose to comprise the scoreline. Get Brady to the ultimate drive with an opportunity to win the sport, that ought to be the plan. OC Sic Jason Pierre-Paul, William Gholston and Ndamukong Suh on the Chiefs’ backup tackles. Combine it up a bit on first down. (The handoffs to Leonard Fournette & Co are so predictable.) And capitalize on each alternative to attach with receivers downfield, some extent of emphasis for Bruce Arians all season. If Antonio Brown is searching for a time to shine, that is it. AL Brady’s doesn’t need to get right into a throwing contest with Mahomes at this level of his profession. His edge will lie in his expertise. He doesn’t need to be a pure game-manager right here, he’s going to have to attach on a couple of long-balls to win, but when he focuses on making the precise play over attempting for the large play, his group have a stable likelihood. HF Tampa should play to their strengths and blitz early and infrequently. They’ve the pedigree – 9 sacks and two wins towards Rodgers this season – and may decelerate Mahomes by attacking an offensive line lacking each its beginning tackles. You run the chance of dying by a thousand Tyreek and Travis-shaped cuts however Todd Bowles have to be courageous to restrict Kansas Metropolis’s scoring. GS Key participant for the Chiefs … Patrick Mahomes. In fact it’s Mahomes. Going with anybody else could be a hipster selection. The Bucs may run the right gameplan. They might play in addition to conceivable on each side of the ball. But if Mahomes turns up and performs at his finest, there’s nothing anybody can do to cease him. OC Apart from the apparent? Let’s go along with Tyrann Mathieu, whose powers of anticipation and interruption give off main Ed Reed vibes. He, not Mahomes, is Tom Brady’s true opponent – and the Honey Badger will make the GOAT pay for all these 50-50 balls he likes to throw up a lot. Mathieu intercepted Brady on a tipped ball of their Week 12 matchup. AL Travis Kelce. We speak about Brady v Mahomes, however what about Kelce v Gronkowski? Since Gronkowski’s (non permanent) retirement, Kelce has been combating to surpass him because the league’s finest tight finish ever. A Tremendous Bowl win over a diminished Gronk could be extra of a symbolic touchstone, nevertheless it wouldn’t damage his case. HF Tyrann Mathieu. We could be positive Brady goes to take dangers by way of the air so Mathieu’s potential to diagnose and demolish receiver routes will have to be firing to disrupt Tampa’s passing assault. Placing Brady underneath stress to second guess whether or not Mathieu will soar a route constantly may frustrate the veteran into making expensive errors. GS Key participant for the Bucs … Todd Bowles. Not a participant, however the Bucs’ defensive coordinator. Tampa’s protection has performed at a championship stage all season. There aren’t many schematic fireworks. As an alternative, Bowles depends on a core group of performs and his gamers all enjoying on the highest attainable stage. Towards Mahomes, he’s going to want a few wrinkles or contemporary appears to be like with a purpose to create a damaging play or two. OC Lavonte David, one of many best linebackers the sport has ever seen. His potential to shut on ballcarriers and cease and even generally reverse their momentum ought to show particularly helpful towards a Chiefs expert unit adept at piling on massive yards after the catch. His sideline-to-sideline vary will likely be key to sustaining coordinator Todd Bowles’s bend-but-don’t-break rules. AL Leonard Fournette. Fournette was lower by the Jaguars and got here in as Tampa Bay’s backup working again. Now he’s placing his finest work of the season within the playoffs, together with an astonishing landing run towards Inexperienced Bay. One other landing or two could be good, but when he can choose up loads of yardage on first downs, it is going to open the playbook huge open for Brady. HF A shootout beckons regardless of the cannons falling silent at Raymond James Stadium (couldn’t the cannons have fired for the Chiefs as nicely? Why do I care a lot in regards to the cannons?). The Bucs can bully the Chiefs’ protection utilizing the superior measurement and power of Mike Evans within the redzone. The additional consideration he receives may also create holes for others to rack up factors. GS One daring prediction … The Weeknd has a couple of music. I imply, significantly? The Weeknd? For the Tremendous Bowl? Am I outdated now? OC Somebody’s gonna pull out a trick play. Both the Chiefs construct on the enduring “4 Tops” they sprang on the 49ers final yr, or Arians dials up a nervy retort. Both approach, you’ll love the soccer love language. AL How a few scoreless first quarter? After all of the speak about this being an offensive showdown, possibly each side get efficiency anxiousness proper off the gate and we see quite a lot of three-and-outs, some offensive miscues and even a missed subject aim within the first quarter-hour. HF Tony Romo spots Invoice Belichick within the crowd sporting a Jack Sparrow masks as a disguise. Naturally, Romo can’t comprise his pleasure and orchestrates a joyous on-field reunion after Brady lifts a Lombardi with out his one-time mentor. “That’s my boy,” Belichick will say. GS The ultimate rating will likely be … Chiefs 31-24 Buccaneers. The mixture of Brady and Bowles is about pretty much as good as you’ll be able to hope for in attempting to knock the Chiefs off their perch. Nobody is able to stopping the Chiefs, however all of the Bucs require is a protection that slows Mahomes-Andy Reid machine down, even for a possession or two. Tampa have the expertise and employees to have the ability to pull off such a plan. I’ve the Bucs giving Brady an opportunity on the ultimate possession however arising simply brief. The Chiefs’ offensive energy, even with all of the Bowles goodness, is simply too overwhelming. And even when performs break down, no person is healthier off-script than Mahomes. The Chiefs go back-to-back and Mahomes takes dwelling a second successive MVP. OC Chiefs 30-29 Buccaneers. As uncovered as Mahomes figures to be on the sting, one may simply see the Bucs protection forgetting in regards to the QB’s wheels till it’s too late. Whether or not it’s by selecting up chunk yardage or shopping for time to fireplace darts to Cheetah & Co, finally, Mahomes will take their coronary heart. AL Chiefs 34-17 Buccaneers. Search for the groups to maintain it shut for some time however by the fourth quarter, the Chiefs may have the lead and salt it approach with a kind of Mahomes bursts the place he rattles off two touchdowns within the blink of a watch. HF Chiefs 30-33 Buccaneers. I mentioned it mid-season and I’ll say it once more, Tom Brady and the Bucs will win the Tremendous Bowl. Choosing towards Brady is a idiot’s errand particularly now he’s an underdog. Six titles and your group not being favorite is testomony to how good the Chiefs are however Brady may have the final phrase within the recreation with a last-minute drive and probably on which QB is really the best. Similar time subsequent yr, Tom. GS