Super Bowl LV is just around the corner. Will the Kansas City Chiefs repeat themselves as champions or will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be the first NFL team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium?
Sunday’s title game has been one of the most anticipated Super Bowl games for quite some time. Enquirer staff take their Super Bowl LV picks before Sunday’s big game in Tampa Bay.
Super Bowl LV predictions:
Tyler Dragon’s Choice
Kansas City Chiefs 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26
Take kites: I chose the Chiefs to repeat as Super Bowl champions ahead of the season, not only because they have the best quarterback in the NFL and the most explosive offensive, but also because of that unparalleled season experience and understanding of what it takes to win a Lombardi Trophy should not be underestimated.
This game is billed as Patrick Mahomes versus Tom Brady, but it’s so much more than these two. Both teams have high-end talent on either side of the ball. However, the speed and explosiveness of Kansas City will create problems for Tampa Bay’s defense. The Bucs have to keep pressure on Mahomes if they want to win.
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Brady will get the football out of his hands quickly and the crafty veteran has the knowledge to dismantle the Chiefs’ defenses, but in the end Tampa Bay won’t have enough to knock the Chiefs off their throne.
Paul Daugherty’s choice
Kansas City Chiefs 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
Daugherty’s attitude: This is where Tom Brady’s fun run ends, and it may not even matter if the Chiefs can’t pressure him. They fired Brady only once in Week 12 and still won 27-24 in Tampa despite having committed 10 penalties and nearly taking a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.
Patrick Mahomes is too good. He can move and has better goals. Nobody can cover Travis Kelce or catch Tyreek Hill. Andy Reid with two weeks of preparation? Come on.
Lindsay Patterson’s choice
Kansas City Chiefs 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
Patterson’s attitude: If this game were on paper, I’d take the Bucs. They have the better squad compared to KC, but it’s tough to go up against the defending champions when they have the best quarterback in the NFL. I think offensive wins championships.
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Yes, the Chiefs offensive line will do without one of their best players against a strong defensive line. This game isn’t about Tom Brady, it’s about how the Bucs can stop Patrick Mahomes. I don’t think the Bucs can do that. The young QB is going to give Tampa Bay a beating.
A new dynasty is going on and every team will go into the off-season thinking, “How can we stop Patrick Mahomes?”
Charles Goldsmith’s choice
Kansas City Chiefs 35, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28 (overtime)
Goldsmiths take: The Chiefs and the Buccaneers are both models for proper roster construction in the modern NFL. Both teams targeted and invested heavily in specific quarterbacks. Both teams prioritized the area surrounding this quarterback with some of the most dynamic reception threats in the league and spent more than $ 30 million on their offensive lines.
In a matchup between two evenly-matched teams, wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce prove to be the crucial difference and help Kansas City achieve the game-winning touchdown ride in extra time.
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Jason Hoffman’s Choice:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 28
Hoffman’s attitude: While the NFL is no longer the league of defense-winning championships, it is a league with just enough defense-winning championships.
It’s a safe bet that both offenses will be in their bag of tricks, but give me the bucs who at the end of the game do just enough to help Tom Brady win his seventh title. My favorite pick for this game is the end (56) of the total score as all signs point to a shootout.
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