Tom Brady defies it all. Age. The odds. Convention.
The quarterback’s legacy may never be topped. At 43, he just keeps adding to it. Brady led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a dominating 31-9 victory Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 — winning his seventh championship in 10 appearances.
This one came without Bill Belichick, the iconic coach Brady left almost a year earlier when he departed the New England Patriots for the Buccaneers. This one came against Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs quarterback who is seen as the heir to Brady’s throne. And this one came with 201 yards, three touchdowns and a 125.8 passer rating — a near-flawless performance that suggests Father Time is far from catching up to Brady.
Sunday’s matchup was highly anticipated in part because of the quarterback showdown. CBS analyst Tony Romo said the meeting was football’s equivalent of Michael Jordan squaring off against LeBron James, two of the greatest players in NBA history. Oddsmakers favored Mahomes, the dazzling signal-caller who won last year’s Super Bowl MVP.
But Brady had the upper hand from the get-go.
Tampa Bay raced out to a 14-3 lead thanks to a familiar connection. Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski — his former Patriots teammate — twice in the end zone for 8-yard and 17-yard scores. The two now hold the record for most touchdowns between a quarterback and receiver in postseason history with 14, surpassing Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.
Mahomes, meanwhile, was under consistent pressure from the Buccaneers’ defensive front. With the Chiefs missing their two top tackles due to injury, Mahomes used his legs to extend plays but had trouble hitting targets down the field. The Chiefs reached Tampa Bay territory twice in the first half, only to settle for field goals each time.
Self-inflicted mistakes didn’t help Kansas City, either. The Chiefs were called for eight penalties in the first half alone — none more costly than the pair of pass interference calls in the final minute. The last, an 8-yard interference on safety Tyrann Mathieu, put Tampa Bay at the 1-yard line. One play later, Brady hit wideout Antonio Brown for a touchdown, leading the Bucs into the half with a 21-6 lead.
Unlike last year’s Super Bowl, when Mahomes rallied the Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers, there would be no comeback this time. Brady and the Buccaneers kept their foot on the gas for one of the most convincing Super Bowl wins of recent history.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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