Tom Brady Throws Touchdown To Antonio Brown, Gets In Tyrann Mathieu's Face After Taking 21-6 Halftime Lead
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Kansas City defense gave Tampa Bay multiple extra chances to tack on points before halftime of Super Bowl LV. And when you give Tom Brady an extra chance to hurt you, he's going to take advantage every single time.
And so, with just 10 seconds left in the half and no timeouts left, Brady took a snap from under center at the 1-yard line, waited for Antonio Brown to get himself open with some fancy footwork, and delivered a low dart to the receiver. Brown managed to haul in the pass while falling to the turf, giving Tampa a critical touchdown before halftime.
Ryan Succop kicked the extra point, and the Bucs took a 21-6 lead into halftime.
The Bucs earned that opportunity thanks to a pair of penalties on the Chiefs. First, Bashaud Breeland clipped Mike Evans' foot on a deep shot on a first-and-10 from the Tampa 42-yard line. Brady hit Leonard Fournette over the middle for an easy gain on the next snap, and after rushing to the line, Brady threw out of the back of the end zone with a pass somewhat aimed for Evans in the end zone.
But Tyrann Mathieu has grabbed a hold of Evans, drawing yet another penalty flag for pass interference. That gave the Bucs the ball at the 1-yard line with 10 seconds left, giving Tampa one or two shots at the end zone before halftime. Brady took care of the score on the first try.
Brady and Mathieu ended up jawing back and forth after the touchdown, with Mathieu picking up a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
It was somewhat reminiscent to the NFC Championship Game, when Brady and the Bucs capitalized on the Packers playing man coverage before halftime, with Brady hitting Scotty Miller for a 39-yard touchdown to give Tampa a 21-10 lead in that game.
In the Super Bowl, Brady was 16-for-20 for 140 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions at halftime. On the other side, Patrick Mahomes was 9-for-19 for 67 yards with no touchdowns or picks. The Chiefs had been penalized eight times for 95 yards, compared to the Bucs' one penalty for five yards.
