This Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take to their home field, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, to take on the Kansas City Chiefs for Super Bowl LV.
The Chiefs are the current holders of the Lombardi Trophy after beating the San Francisco 49ers in last year’s final. They will defend that title against the team that was put together specifically to try and win a Super Bowl in the next two years.
Bruce Arians knows his experienced Tampa Bay team, led by 43-year old veteran quarterback Tom Brady, only has this year and possibly next before players will become too old to sustain performance levels. It is a gamble that appears to have paid off for the Bucs thus far.
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With punters around the world also ready to enjoy a wager on one of the world’s biggest sporting events, let’s now preview the game itself, looking at the performances of the two teams over the course of the season before we give you the verdict on which team should earn that elusive Super Bowl victory.
Super Bowl LV Preview
NFC Champions – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Stats Breakdown
- 2nd in the NFC South (11-5 regular season record)
- 5th Seed in the NFC Playoffs
- Wildcard Weekend – @ Washington Football Team – Won 31-23
- Divisional Round – @ New Orleans Saints – Won 30-20
- NFC Championship – @ Green Bay Packers – Won 31-26
- Head Coach – Bruce Arians
- Star Players – Tom Brady (Quarterback), Rob Gronkowski (Tight End), Leonard Fournette (Running Back), Chris Godwin, Mike Evans (Wide Receiver), Ndamukong Suh (Tackle), Jason Pierre-Paul, Devin White (Linebacker).
- Offense Ranking – 5th
- Defense Ranking – 9th
- Special Teams Ranking – 26th
- Previous Super Bowl Victories – 1 (2003)
Tampa Bay Offense – Bio
Tom Brady and his expensively assembled veteran cast on offense have produced the goods in the
post-season. Three road wins means the Bucs will be the first team to contest the Super Bowl on their home field.
Brady’s offense is explosive and dynamic but did show signs of weakness against Green Bay that the Chiefs defense will hope to exploit. If Brady has time, he can pick apart any defense and this Bucs team can put up points on any team.
Tampa Bay Defense – Bio
I was surprised to find the Bucs defense ranked only 9th in the NFL this season as their play in the playoffs has been that of a top 5 defense. Experience clearly counts with the likes of Pierre-Paul and Suh leading the defense well. Pressuring the quarterback has been key in Tampa’s post-season wins so far and they’ll need to do that but also get to Patrick Mahomes if they to stand a chance of landing a Super Bowl win on home soil.
Tampa Bay Special Teams – Bio
Although their play has improved in the post-season games, Tampa Bay’s issues on Special Teams are a valid concern for Bucs fans. When you consider the Chiefs unit were ranked the best Special Teams outfit over the regular season, the 26th ranked Bucs do let the occasional key play slip.
Against a Chiefs explosive special teams, that could well be one of the defining factors in this game.
AFC Champions – Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Stats Breakdown
- 1st in the AFC West (14-2 regular season record)
- 1st Seed in the AFC Playoffs
- Wildcard Weekend – Bye
- Divisional Round – V Cleveland Browns – Won 22-17
- NFC Championship – V Buffalo Bills – Won 38-24
- Head Coach – Andy Reid
- Star Players – Patrick Mahomes (Quarterback), Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman (Wide Receivers), Travis Kelce (Tight End), Tyrann Mathieu (Safety), Chris Jones (Tackle), Damien Williams (Running Back).
- Offense Ranking – 1st
- Defense Ranking – 10th
- Special Teams Ranking – 1st
- Previous Super Bowl Victories – 2 (1970, 2020 – Current Holders)
Kansas City Offense – Bio
Perhaps the best offensive team since the Rams “Greatest Show on Turf”, this Chiefs offense is built
around Patrick Mahomes incredible skill set. Ably supported by a stellar cast of receivers and running backs, not to mention an excellent offensive line. The problem for teams with the Chiefs is if they sit back, Mahomes picks you off with his passing. Rush him and he can escape from you with his feet. No team has yet reliably worked out how to stop this. Not even the best defenses in the NFL over the past two seasons. Tampa Bay need to be the first if they are to stop this Chiefs offense.
Kansas City Defense – Bio
The Chiefs defense is a top-10 ranked unit, but it is a bend rather than break defense. You can put up points on the Chiefs early on in games. It is holding onto that lead against their power offense that is the issue. However, the Chiefs do have players who can make huge plays, namely Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu, but others have stepped up in the past too. This is a tough unit that does enough to ensure that Chiefs offense can come on sparkle.
Kansas City Special Teams – Bio
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two teams. The Chiefs special teams unit is the leagues best with some explosive returners and a reliable kicker. In a game that could be tight, it could well be the play on special teams that decides the outcome of the Super Bowl and if that is the case, the Chiefs look pretty stacked in this particular part of the team.
Chiefs V Buccaneers – Score Preview And Tips
There’s so much to love about Super Bowl LV. It is the Greatest of All Time, Tom Brady against the player many feel may inherit that title at the end of his career, Patrick Mahomes. The game sees two explosive offenses against two talented and hardworking defenses. One head coach is a coach who risked it all for immediate success,against another who built a team based on young talent.
In games between Brady and Mahomes so far, it is 2-1 between the two with Brady having the advantage having won the first two matches between the two. The teams haven’t met this season and their last game was Kansas City’s win back in December 2019.
This could be a cracking game and I do feel plenty of points will be scored however, I just can’t see that Tampa Bay offense being able to keep pace with the Chiefs.
Score Prediction – Kansas City Chiefs 38-27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Our Pick Of The Bets to back
- Spread – Chiefs to win (-3.0) – 5/6
- Total Points – Over 56.5 – 10/11
- Money Line – Chiefs to win – 10/17
- Super Bowl LV MVP Winner – Patrick Mahomes (15/8)
*All odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport as of Monday 1st February 2020.
