Zach Short
Kansas City Chiefs 40-38
My two sincere hopes for this game are for an offensive spectacle and for another championship to my home state. If that does not happen, compound my disappointment by the fact that I earnestly expect it to happen too. Since the very moment that Brady announced his move to Tampa Bay, I have prayed for this Super Bowl to occur; the AFC showdowns between these two quarterbacks have given me some of the most incredible games I have ever had the pleasure to watch to date. Now, with the magic of these two exponentially increased by the stakes of a Super Bowl, I feel nearly beside myself with joy. Brady looks as great as he ever has, and Mahomes only gets better as the season continues. Ultimately, I predict this game to come down to the Chiefs getting one more stop than the Bucs and winning by a field goal (I even tried to account for a missed PAT by Butker). These two quarterbacks know how to score and will certainly do so quite a bit in this Super Bowl, but, at the end of the day, the best quarterback will win. Patrick Mahomes is simply the better quarterback.
Ethan Worley
Kansas City Chiefs 35-28
The Chiefs offense has been unstoppable all season and the Buccaneers defense doesn’t look like it can change that fact. When the Chiefs met the Buccaneers in Week 12, Tyreek Hill had 7 catches for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns by the end of the first quarter. The Buccaneers sole hope will be double-teaming Tyreek Hill all game, which gives Travis Kelce the opportunity to have a big game. Tom Brady struggled last week, throwing three interceptions, and if Brady gives the Chiefs’ offense opportunities like that next week, then a narrow win in a shootout is a best case scenario for the Bucs, and they could be looking at a blowout. While Brady has experience, and the Bucs have gone on a winning streak recently, it should be realized that 5 of those wins were against teams that finished below .500. The Chiefs have shown season-long consistency, with only one loss when Mahomes started, and in that loss they still scored 32 points. While the passing games of both teams will be the primary point of conversation, the rushing games could be the difference, especially if the Buccaneers over-commit to stop the pass. The Chiefs have a rushing game that is 16th in yards per game while the Buccaneers are near the bottom of the league at 28th for rushing yards per game. With three running backs that consistently contribute, as well as Mahomes running ability, on top of their league-leading passing game, the weapons that the Chiefs have will be too much for the Buccaneers defense.
Zachary Sabel
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-26
This Superbowl will be a rematch of an earlier game from the season, in which the Chiefs came out on top by a field goal, but the Bucs gave a good fight. This is a Tampa team that has gotten better and better as the season progressed, while the Chiefs, in contrast to their previous campaign, looked fairly beatable up until the postseason started when they looked more like the vintage Chiefs we have come to know. I expect a tight game, and like their previous matchup, I think it will be decided by a field goal. In the end, I think the dark magic that is propelling a Bucs team led by a 43-year-old tom Brady will be too much for the young Chiefs squad. Couple this with a home-field advantage, a still solid Gronk, and an extremely deep receiving core going up against an average Chiefs secondary, it feels like destiny for Tom brady. The Chiefs also have an amazing receiving core, but lack the defense to match the Bucs.This Bucs team has defensive guns like Devin White and Ndamukong Suh that could exploit Mahomes’ tendency to drop further back than the normal QB, weakening his blockers ability to protect him.
Tommy Reid
Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs finished the season with the best record in the AFC East and won their first Super Bowl since 1970. In the same season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the season with a record of 7-9, coming in third place out of the four teams in the NFC South. This year sees the Chiefs back in the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year and playing for their third title, while also having the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2003, playing for their second title. Tom Brady’s offseason move to Tampa Bay brought the Buccaneers into Super Bowl contention, and he has demonstrated throughout the season that he still has the ability to win a Super Bowl despite his move from New England to Tampa Bay. Patrick Mahomes has likewise demonstrated that he has the ability to win the Super Bowl once again, as his statistics this year for completions, percentage, passing yards and touchdowns were better than last season and the Chiefs have a better overall record than they did last year. While both teams have had an excellent season this year, only one can walk away as the champions of Super Bowl LV. Despite the Super Bowl being played in the home stadium of the Buccaneers, since the Chiefs have been the better team this season, I believe they will win their second consecutive Super Bowl championship.
