Chiefs vs. Buccaneers: Predicting The Outcome Of Super Bowl LV
TAMPA, Fla (KDKA) -- With the stage set for Super Bowl LV in Tampa, KDKA's Bob Pompeani and Rich Walsh put their heads together to predict the outcome of the big game.
Bob Pompeani's Prediction
For the first time ever, a team will play on its home field. Tampa Bay plays its home games at Raymond James Stadium, which has been good to them, except when they hosted the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year. That game was won by the Chiefs by a score of 27-24, which also happens to be the last time Tampa lost a game.
In that meeting in week 12, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs threw the ball 72% of the time against the Tampa defense. Combined, Mahomes (462 yards) and Tom Brady (345 yards) passed for 807 yards, the most combined passing yards between two opposing quarterbacks in a single game this year.
I look for Kansas City to try to do the same this Sunday, which means the Bucs need to do much better at getting to Mahomes. In their last meeting, he was able to withstand their great rush and find Tyreek Hill over the top for 269 yards and 3 touchdowns. They simply can not let that happen this time around.
I look for Sammy Watkins to have a big game, mostly because the Bucs will be so focused on both Hill and Travis Kelce, that Watkins, who has a knack for big games in the playoffs could break through.
As for Tampa, Tom Brady at 43, is still as good as he was at 37!! From 2013 through 2016, Brady had 122 TD passes and a 64% completion percentage.
From 2017 through 2020, Brady has 125 TD passes and a 65 % completion percentage. He is defying the aging process!!
Mahomes, meanwhile, is mature beyond his years. At age 25, He already has one Super Bowl and if he wins another this Sunday, He would become the youngest starting quarterback to win multiple Super Bowl titles and would join Brady as the only starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl in two of their first first career seasons.
This game should be a classic and for me, I am going with Kansas City to make it back-to-back even though their offensive line is missing Eric Fisher and is now comprised with a bunch of late round draft picks or free agents.
I am predicting Kansas City 33, Tampa Bay 27 ---and you've got the best seat in the house on KDKA-TV!
Rich Walsh's Prediction
I'm going with the home team and Tom Brady on Sunday night. It's hard to bet against Brady in the Super Bowl, especially as an underdog. He has won the Super Bowl six times -- and this will be his 10th appearance! Just last week, he told some of his teammates to stop crying after they won the NFC Championship and that there's one more game to go -- the most important game in the season.
I think it will be a close game. Kansas City is good and they are the defending champs, plus they already beat Brady and the Bucs this year.
I think this time around it will go a little but differently, however. The Bucs' run game is better now than it was when they last faced each other. Leonard Fournette has been running the ball well, which takes some pressure off of Brady.
More importantly, it helps keep Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense off of the field.
I think this will come down to the end, and in classic Brady fashion, he will put together a game-winning drive late in the 4th quarter to win his 7th Super Bowl championship.
Super Bowl LV is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, only on KDKA-TV!