Through all the unpredictability and uncertainty of this NFL season and all sports seasons in general, a familiar face is once again at the top. Tom Brady, widely considered the greatest player in the history of football, did it again as he claimed his seventh Super Bowl victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in a dominant 31-9 win last Sunday. 

Brady left the perennially dominant New England Patriots and possibly the greatest coach of all time in Bill Belichick last March for the younger, less experienced Tampa Bay Buccaneers who went 7-9 the previous year with Jameis Winston at the helm. Even though he and the team as a whole got off to a  rocky start, Brady steered them in the right direction as they came into the playoff hot with an 11-5 record. After narrowly avoiding an upset to the Washington Football Team and their fourth string quarterback, the Bucs traveled to New Orleans to take on the Saints who they had already lost to twice during the regular season, including a humiliating 38-3 defeat at home. However, this contest went differently as Brady tossed two touchdowns and the Tampa Bay defense intercepted Drew Brees three times en route to a 30-20 victory. Now one game from the Super Bowl, the Bucs took on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, a notoriously difficult place to win during the postseason. However, the Buccaneers pulled it off once again as they got off to a hot start and held on for the 31-26 win, which cemented their date with Patrick Mahomes and the defending champs for Super Bowl LV in Tampa. 

The Chiefs entered as favorites for the game, but that did not stop the Bucs on the field. Brady threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, two to legendary former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and one to Pats cast off Antonio Brown. It’s safe to say it was somewhat of a bittersweet night for most New Englanders, as Brady was also crowned Super Bowl MVP.

Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones had efficient nights on the ground and a strong defense, harrassing Mahomes all game, which also contributed greatly to the winning effort. In fact, Mahomes was pressured on over half of his snaps and the Tampa Bay defense totaled 29 pressures throughout the course of the game, a Super Bowl record. This can be at least somewhat attributed to the lack of starters present on the Chiefs offensive line.

When asked what was the main reason the Chiefs were defeated, Hingham High School junior Billy Ebbs said, “I think the Chiefs missing a lot of their o-line really hurt them. They got a lot of penalties and couldn’t block well for Mahomes”. While Kansas City was missing much of its offensive line, credit must be given to the Bucs defense and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles who crafted a fantastic game plan to slow down Mahomes and the Chiefs.

With a seventh Super Bowl ring soon to be added to his collection, there is now virtually no argument that Tom Brady is the greatest player to ever play the game, if there was really still any argument. Brady now has more Super Bowl wins than not just ever player ever, but every franchise in NFL history. His fifth Super Bowl MVP award also extended his record in that department even further. The entire playoff run itself also adds to his legacy as at age 43, he defeated Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers on the road who are considered some of the greatest quarterbacks in league history as well as taking down Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl who will likely be up there with the greats if he keeps up his current pace.

Looking forward to next year, the Chiefs remain favorites for the Super Bowl despite their bad loss in this year’s game. Behind them are the Packers, Buccaneers, Ravens, and Bills in that order. When asked whether or not the Bucs could repeat next year, HHS junior Charlie Hallal said, “I think they can because they are retaining a lot of their key players who are willing to take pay cuts like Mike Evans, and Brady isn’t showing any signs of declining.”

NFL fans now must experience the frustrating but exciting time of the offseason. With the draft and free agency approaching, teams hope to find their next superstars, add current ones to their roster, or even both. Hopefully by the start of the next NFL season, the world will begin to return to some sense of normalcy and COVID scares and empty stadiums can start to become relics of the past. However, despite all the odd things that happened this year, the 2020-2021 NFL season will likely go down as one of the most memorable and exciting years in the history of the league.