Ageless Bucs QB Tom Brady schools Chiefs, Mahomes and takes home fifth Super Bowl MVP
As he was receiving the Super Bowl MVP trophy after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-9 victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, Tom Brady said the words the home fans wanted to hear.
“Yeah, we’re coming back,” Brady announced.
Could the night get any better for the Bucs?
The team’s daring makeover delivered this sport’s biggest payoff. Coming off a 7-9 season, the Bucs signed Brady after his contract expired in New England. To see Brady in Buccaneers and not Patriots colors took some getting used to.
But the result — a Super Bowl championship — rang familiar to anyone who’s followed Brady’s illustrious career.
He won six championships with the Patriots, and now the 43-year-old Brady joins Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with two different teams.
Much of the defense was already in place for Tampa Bay. The offense needed a charge, so Brady talked pal Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to play tight end in Tampa. Along for the ride came free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Leonard Fournette.
The result was the organization’s second Super Bowl title, and now Brady, who signed a two-year deal in Tampa Bay, wants to return for another title shot and add to his credentials as the greatest to ever play the game.
He now owns seven Super Bowl championships, three more than Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. His 10 Super Bowl appearances are five more than John Elway. The MVP trophy he took home Sunday night was his fifth.
And few of those titles have come in more satisfying fashion. The winning margin was the greatest of any Brady-led championship team. The Bucs won three road playoff games before becoming the first to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Along the way, Brady’s teams collected victories over Drew Brees of the Saints, the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and now Patrick Mahomes.
“When you get this far, you want to get the job done,” Brady said.
The Buccaneers led 7-3 Sunday when the Chiefs had their best moment of the night. Linebacker Damien Wilson tackled Bucs running back Ronald Jones short of the goal line on fourth-and-1.
The Bucs were stopped. The Chiefs took over, and it looked for a moment like the momentum might’ve swung. But the Chiefs promptly gave the ball back to Brady, and the Bucs’ ensuing possession ended in his second touchdown pass of the evening to Gronkowski. Then Brady threw one to Brown just before halftime.
“We stepped up,” Brady said.
Brady stepped up most of all, because that’s what he does. No matter what uniform he’s wearing.