by Ryan Mercier
Brady Goes to His 10th Super Bowl
The headline says it all. Yes, Tom Brady has not played great for two straight playoff games. However, if anyone is nitpicking his career at this point or picks any other human as the greatest quarterback of all-time, stop being friends with that person immediately. They have zero credibility when it comes to talking football.
Before this season, Tampa Bay had not won a playoff game since 2002, when the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. Brady shows up and suddenly they’re in the Super Bowl again. It’s not a coincidence.
Specifically for this NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers, though, it was the defense which sealed the victory. Green Bay came up with an interception on Brady three drives in a row but the drive chart looked like this:
TB – Interception, GB – Touchdown
TB – Interception, GB – Punt
TB – Interception, GB – Punt.
On the two drives which ended in a punt, the Packers gained -5 yards. Then, on the following drive for Green Bay, head coach Matt LaFleur made one of the absolute worst decisions in the history of championship games. With just over two minutes remaining and down by eight points, LaFleur elected to kick a field goal on 4th & Goal. It was one of those decisions that is so terrible because, at the time, it felt there was no decision to be made. You go for the TD there 10 out of 10 times.
While we see what the future holds for eventual league MVP Aaron Rodgers, the Bucs will be the first team in history to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Chiefs, Mahomes Look for Two in a Row
Stop comparing Patrick Mahomes to Josh Allen, they aren’t even in the same universe. This was proven out on the field of the AFC championship game as the Chiefs made it look easy against the Buffalo Bills.
It wasn’t easy from the start, though, as the Bills jumped on an early 9-0 lead following a muffed punt by Mecole Hardman. Hardman made up for it soon after, scoring Kansas City’s first touchdown of the game. The Chiefs did their normal scoring blitz from there, putting up 21 points in a hurry. The more KC got into the end zone, the more it seemed Bills head coach Sean McDermott had a fetish for kicking field goals. Ultimately, it turns out Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are better players than placekicker Tyler Bass.
Mahomes has lost one playoff game in his young career so far, an overtime thriller in the AFC championship versus Tom Brady. Brady began his career 10-0 as a starting QB in the postseason with three SB victories before losing to the Denver Broncos in 2005. Mahomes now has a chance to be 6-1 with two rings if the Chiefs beat the Bucs.
Even more, Mahomes has something Brady never had and never will: a flair and unique athletic style which is absolutely electric. He is the Steph Curry of the NFL, doing things never before seen in their respective sports. This year’s Super Bowl will be Curry vs. a Michael Jordan/LeBron James hybrid. Tremendous.
Struggling Actor Sports 