In a pandemic season, where many speculated players wouldn’t even take the field, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved the doubters wrong, beating the Chiefs 31-9 and capturing their second Super Bowl win of the 21st century. With this win, Tom Brady is once again alone at the top of the football world, as the 43-year-old polished off his seventh Super Bowl win and further cemented his legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time.

This year’s big game was initially branded as a battle that was the greatest to ever do it versus the next generational superstar. Many expected this game to come down to the last play; however, the Buc’s dominated in all three facets of the game, making plays on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. The Chiefs were never really able to find their footing, being held to just nine points and suffering their first double-digit loss of the Patrick Mahomes era.

However, despite the hype surrounding these two offensive juggernauts, the Tampa Bay defense was the real story of the game, holding the 2019 MVP to just 270 yards passing and two interceptions. The Chiefs, whose offense looked unstoppable for much of the season, were held to zero touchdowns and were just 3/13 on third down, as despite Mahomes making some truly incredible throws, the Chiefs receivers caught a bad case of the drops. Much of this could be attributed to the loss of star offensive lineman Eric Fisher, as Mahomes, who was already dealing with turf toe, had All-Pros Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett chasing him around all game. Tampa Bay Defensive coordinator Tod Bowles ran a deep Cover 2 scheme for much of the game, stifling big play threats wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.

While the Bucs defense was lights out, their offense was equally lethal. Much to Patriot fans’ dismay, we saw the revival of the Brady-Gronk connection, as Rob Gronkowski’s end zone spike gave every football fan a rush of nostalgia for Super Bowls of the past. Running back Leonard “Playoff Lenny” Fournette added to his already impressive postseason totals with another Touchdown and 85 yards rushing. The Bucs often found themselves starting drives with great field position due to Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend’s shanked punts, which allowed them to score three of their first half drives with ease. The Chiefs’ defense didn’t do themselves any favors by giving up over 120 yards on penalties, either. This isn’t uncommon, as the Chiefs run a very physical style of defense, forcing referees to decide whether or not to throw the flag. Penalties paired with efficient offense allowed the Bucs to jump out to any early lead and keep it, with their stellar defensive play stagnating the Chiefs’ potent offense.

Overall, this game came down to preparation, as the Bucs clearly made more adjustments than the Chiefs following the two teams regular season meeting last November. It was as if the Chiefs took a right hook to the chin and never recovered. While the Chiefs will undoubtedly be back in the Super Bowl conversation next year, the only question remaining is that of whether or not Brady can continue to beat time.