TAMPA, Fla. – Tom Brady still does not pass the torch.
Brady, the 43-year-old quarterback who went to Tampa Bay for the final chapter in his Hall of Fame career for the first time, proved he is still the most dominant quarterback in the league by scoring 201 yards and three touchdowns throw and earn his fifth. The Super Bowl MVP award and the seventh series as the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 for their first Super Bowl victory since 2003.
With the win, Brady has more Super Bowl titles (7) than any franchise in NFL history, on top of the six each won by the Steelers and Patriots. Brady also made history with his fifth MVP award and becomes the only player with five. Joe Montana is second with three.
“This team is world champions forever, you can not take it away from us,” Brady said after the game.
When asked if he would return next season, he added: “We’ll be back.”
Brady joked with Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill in July that he would go to his seventh ring after Hill promised a Chiefs dynasty with seven of their own. With the win, Brady is 3-2 against Patrick Mahomes. His first two wins were in games in which he built up a double-digit lead by half and maintained a furious Chiefs return.
This time, however, there will be no return.
There would only be Brady and the talented teammates he lured to Tampa Bay as he headed south to prove he was more than a piece in a Bill Belichick dynasty. The victory shows that he is the kind of superior player that does not need one specific organization to build a dynasty. He can do it anytime, anywhere in any uniform.
He did it Sunday with Rob Gronkowski, a longtime Patriots teammate he convinced to retire with promises of sunshine and another Super Bowl ring – and Leonard Fournette, who he convinced to play in Tampa Bay sign after the former first cut round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And he did it with Antonio Brown, the tough wide receiver who wanted another shot in the NFL and was given refuge by a quarterback who wanted another talent in an offense that had almost everything.
Gronkowski followed his friend to Florida and was rewarded with the first two touches of the evening. His few scores, one on an option, playing 8 yards from the goal line and the other a 17-yard reception, pushed the Buccaneers so far ahead of the Chiefs that the Kansas City field goal scorers were not enough.
“It’s great to see big players play big times,” Brady said. “Just love what they did, what they added to the team. Gronk is an incredible player, teammate, talent, work ethic, dedication. And AB is just because he came here, he did everything the right way So impressed by him Proud of him.
“It takes a lot of people to get to this point, and we all have excellent support systems in place, and I think everyone should celebrate that tonight.”
In a game considered to be the changing of guard between Brady, the original BOK, and Mahomes, the future BOK, the veteran full-back was lethal as he effectively selected the Chiefs’ defense apart. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 90 yards with three touchdowns in the first half, two for Gronkowski and one for Brown with less than a minute left until halftime.
In the third quarter, Brady completed just 4 of 6 attempts for 55 yards, but his 25-year completion to Gronkowski in the third quarter set up a 27-year-old Fournette finish later.
While Tampa Bay’s young and tough defense hurt Mahomes, the Buccaneers’ offensive line kept Brady in the bag almost intact. Chiefs defense chief Frank Clark scored the only bag from Brady that came in the first quarter.
Although younger superstar backs are on the verge of taking over the league, Brady defied the trend during the regular season, and he did not stop until he had completed his seventh Super Bowl ring in his new home stadium. by fans who embraced the quarterback as their own.