Super Bowl LV: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Live! | Sport

Patrick Mahomes‘arm looks decent in the warm-up before the game.

How good is Mahomes? Our NFL columnist Oliver Connolly thinks Chiefs fullback Jordan is chasing rather than Brady:

“Mahomes chases that rare space that puts an athlete at the center of pop culture; It makes them both indivisible from the sport they play, but allows them to take a step away, just as Jordan still hovers over everything in the NBA. Jordan has not played in the NBA for 17 years. But the NBA economy – from debate culture to documentaries, shoe offerings to marketing to ownership groups – still runs on Michael Jordan.

‘Placing Mahomes so close to that class so early in his career may sound hyperbolic or blasphemous, but think about it: no quarter in NFL history has had the same kind of start to a career as Mahomes. And no single position has such a place in the American sports landscape as that of a starting NFL quarterback. ”

Sidenote, his teammate Travis Kelce thought a lot about his wardrobe today:

“Naand, Tom,” sent an email to Matt Dony. ‘I do not tend to follow American football, but like to watch almost any sport if it is played well. Most years I stay up and watch the Super Bowl (or at least mostly) because it’s such an ‘event’. This year, however, it coincides awkwardly with an English cricket match being broadcast on rural television in the UK from the early hours of the morning. So, my problem is: do I stay up late and watch it? Or go to bed, and get up early to watch cricket? I’m really blunt … ”

Hmmmm. I will probably look into both and sleep through tomorrow.

Raymond James Stadium today will have a third of its capacity, with a third of the tickets given to health workers acknowledging their tireless and important work during the pandemic.

Unlike the stadium, the bars of Tampa will be crowded today, despite the pandemic. They will be allowed to work at 100% capacity, provided customers are seated and masked. You can read more about the city’s preparations for the match here:

The Buccaneers have a home field advantage today and the most successful quarterback of all time, but they are up against a terrifyingly dangerous attack, led by arguably the most talented NFL player of all time. How do they win? Our authors give their thoughts:

Shorten the game. The Bucs have proven they can switch between a number of styles this season. They can win with their exceptional defense. They can count on Tom Brady hanging in a shootout. Against the Chiefs, though it will not be as entertaining, they will have to rely on the game to extend their drive against a weak Chiefs front to limit the score. Get Brady to the last ride with a chance to win the game, that should be the plan. Oliver Connolly

Sic Jason Pierre-Paul, William Gholston and Ndamukong Suh on the Chiefs’ backup approach. Mix it up a bit at first. (The handovers to Leonard Fournette & Co are so predictable.) And take every opportunity to connect with the receivers in the field, a highlight for Bruce Arians throughout the season. If Antonio Brown is looking for a time to shine, this is it. Andrew Lawrence

Brady’s does not want to enter a throwing match with Mahomes at this stage of his career. His advantage lies in his experience. He does not want to be a pure game manager here, he will have to join some long balls to win, but if he focuses on playing the right game, he tries for the big play, his team has a good chance . Hunter feels

Tampa needs to play to their strengths and flash early and often. They have the pedigree – nine bags and two wins against Rodgers this season – and could slow Mahomes down by attacking an attacking line, both missing his starting lineup. You run the risk of death with a thousand tracks from Tyreek and Travis, but Todd Bowles must be brave to limit the score of Kansas City. Graham Searles

You can read more game predictions here:

Little known 576-year-old quarter Tom Brady starts today for the Buccaneers, so we asked another hall of fame, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to write about playing until the 40s (OK, Brady is 43). These are the fantastic results:

“I was 42 when I retired from the Lakers. After 20 seasons, I had a lot of NBA records and little hair. Some of these records have since been broken, and some still need to be broken at a time to be decided. I did learn lessons about a middle-aged athlete in a league where the average age is 26, which is also the age of the average NFL player. Some of the lessons were about playing, others being a player – two very different things.

‘Playing at a professional level against well-trained athletes 20 years younger is a challenge. The court looks much longer, the legs look heavier, the ring looks smaller. This is when you come face to face with what philosophers call the mind-body problem: the relationship between the consciousness of the mind and the stubborn bag of flesh that is your body. ”

You can read Kareem’s full column here:

Joe Biden was interviewed by CBS about the Super Bowl. The president is asked if he thinks we will be able to watch next year’s match in front of a full stadium.

‘It’s my hope and expectation … that we’ll be able to watch the Super Bowl with a full stadium [in 2022]. He also advises people not to go to Super Bowl parties this year: “If you look, be careful,” he says.

He is also asked if he prefers to go to Mahomes or Brady (Biden was a recipient at the time). He opts for Mahomes who, according to him, has some ‘potential’, a slight understatement. Then Biden remembers that he is a politician and says that they are “both great backs”. A change from his predecessor who would probably name himself as the greatest player of all time.

The build up of this game is overshadowed by a horrible car accident involving Britts Reid, coach of Chiefs’ lineouts it left a child in a serious condition. And the latest news is not good:

Britt Reid is the son of Andy Reid, Chiefs coach of Chiefs, so who knows how he must feel now (and that’s before we touch the parents of the injured child).

Britt Reid is also in hospital with unspecified injuries and according to a police report said he drank two or three drinks on the night of the accident.

Do you miss the day when players could smoke on the sidelines? (LEGAL NOTE: The Guardian does not endorse smoking, not even the low tar.) Then walk through our gallery with Super Bowls (also with the Giants dressed as Shirley Temple, which is as scary as it sounds):

Kansas City Sink Travis Kelce appeared on CBS and talked about his offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy.

“I think it’s contemptuous that he’s not got a head coach job yet,” Kelce said. “But I’ll take advantage of the fact that he’s here every year, and we’ll just keep making the Super Bowl as long as we get him.”

Bieniemy was one of the masterminds of one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history. And yet, despite the lack of coaches of color in a league where most players are black, Bieniemy could not get a head coach position, while MANY guys who look like Sean McVay are in charge of teams.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is being asked about the lack of NFL black coaches. He says he takes the issue ‘very seriously’ and admits that the league ‘did not do as well as we wanted’. It’s easy to put the blame on Goodell and the league office – and there’s enough to blame the commissioner! – but the fact is that the white billionaires who own NFL teams are the ones who do not employ black coaches.

Andrew Lawrence has more about the coaching situation in the NFL below:

Hello and welcome to the coverage of [checks Roman numerals] Super Bowl 55, between reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs and hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the first team to play in their own stadium in Super Bowl history). Usually the Guardian was in the stadium, but with the pandemic this year, the NFL could only promise us a desk in the media center in the stadium parking lot, so we’ll also be in front of the TV. No matter, let’s be honest, the NFL is better on TV than live anyway.

The most obvious question is: who is going to win? Four of our writers have expressed their opinions, and their thoughts are below:

Chiefs 31-24 Buccaneers. The combination of Brady and Bowles is about as good as you can hope to knock the Chiefs off their seat. No one is able to stop the Chiefs, but all the Bucs need is a defense that slows down Mahomes-Andy Reid machine, even for a possession or two. Tampa has the talent and staff to come up with such a plan. I have the Bucs that give Brady a chance on the final possession, but only come short. The offensive power of the Chiefs, even if it’s good with the Bowles, is just too overwhelming. And even if plays fail, no one is better than Mahomes. The Chiefs go in a row and Mahomes takes home a second consecutive MVP. Oliver Connolly

Chiefs 30-29 Buccaneers. As exposed as Mahomes stands on the point, one can easily see the Bucs defense forgetting about the QB’s wheels until it’s too late. Whether it’s picking up pieces or buying time to fire arrows at Cheetah & Co, eventually Mahomes will take their heart. Andrew Lawrence

Chiefs 34-17 Buccaneers. Look for the teams to keep it close for a while, but by the fourth quarter the Chiefs will have the lead and it will salt out with one of the Mahomes bursts where he knocks down two touchdowns in the blink of an eye. Hunter feels

Chiefs 30-33 Buccaneers. I said it in the middle of the season and I will say it again, Tom Brady and the Bucs will win the Super Bowl. Choosing against Brady is a fool’s errand, especially now that he’s an underdog. Six titles and your team not being favorites is proof of how good the Chiefs are, but Brady will have the last word in the game with a last-minute ride and possibly on which QB is the best. Same time next year, Tom. Graham Searles

You can read the predictions below in full: