The Buccaneers and Chiefs both advanced to Super Bowl LV after an exciting Championship Sunday. The storylines are ample and — if Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes’ previous epic postseason showdown is any indication — we’re in store for a shoutout.
The Buccaneers will become the first team ever to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, meaning Brady and the Bucs are already lined up to make history on Super Bowl Sunday. Brady is no stranger to making history and he’ll be making plenty this week. Not only will this be Brady’s NFL-record 10th Super Bowl appearance, but he also just became only the second quarterback in NFL history to lead both an AFC team and an NFC to the big game (Craig Morton did it with the Cowboys and Broncos). If the Buccaneers can beat the Chiefs, Brady would become just the second quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl with multiple teams matching Peyton Manning, who did it with the Colts and Broncos.
The last time Brady and Mahomes faced each other in the playoffs came during the 2018 postseason when the Patriots beat the Chiefs 37-31 in the AFC title game. For this meeting, the stakes are much higher. Mahomes and the Chiefs will be trying to win their second straight Super Bowl, something no team has done since Brady’s Patriots repeated as champs by winning a Lombardi Trophy in both 2003 and 2004.
Mahomes and Brady also gave us a regular-season showdown back in Week 12 and if the Super Bowl is half as exciting as that game, then we should be in for a thriller. Back in November, the Chiefs jumped out to a 27-10 lead on the Buccaneers before holding on for a 27-24 win.
With that in mind, here’s the schedule for Super Bowl LV along with how we got here.
Super Bowl LV
Sunday, February 7
(1) Chiefs vs. (5) Buccaneers in Tampa, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
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Super Wild-Card Weekend
Saturday, January 9
(2) Bills 27-24 over (7) Colts: For the first time in 25 years, the Buffalo Bills have won a playoff game and they did it in dramatic fashion. The Bills jumped out to a 24-10 lead and then held on for dear life in the fourth quarter as the Colts rallied back. Josh Allen came up huge for Buffalo by accounting for 378 of the Bills’ 397 total yards. Allen threw for 324 yards and a TD while also rushing for 54 yards and another TD.
(6) Rams 30-20 over (3) Seahawks: We didn’t have to wait long for the first upset of the wild-card round and that’s because it happened in the second game of the weekend. The Rams were able to stun the favored Seahawks thanks to a defense that smothered Russell Wilson, holding him to 11 of 27 passing and sacking him five times. Offensively, Cam Akers carried the Rams with 131 yards and one touchdown.
(5) Buccaneers 31-23 over (4) Washington: His uniform might have changed, but Tom Brady’s ability to dominate in the playoffs didn’t. The Buccaneers quarterback threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns in the Tampa Bay win.
Sunday, January 10
(5) Ravens 20-13 over (4) Titans: It took three years, but Lamar Jackson finally got the playoff monkey off his back by earning his first postseason win ever. The Ravens quarterback definitely earned it as he threw for 179 yards while also rushing for 137 yards. Jackson also provided the most electrifying play of the game with a 48-yard TD run in the win.
(2) Saints 21-9 over (7) Bears: New Orleans won this game in a blowout and that was mostly thanks to a Saints defense that absolutely shut down Chicago’s offense. The Saints limited the Bears to just 239 yards of total offense, which set the franchise record for fewest yards allowed in a postseason game. The defense also got some help from Drew Brees, who threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns.
(6) Browns 48-37 over (3) Steelers: The Steelers had a total first-half meltdown that allowed the Browns to pick up their first playoff win since 1994. Not only did Ben Roethlisberger throw three interceptions during a brutal first half, but the Steelers also gave up a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage when the Browns recovered a fumble in the end zone after Maurkice Pouncey snapped the ball over Roethlisberger’s head. It was an ugly day for the Steelers, but a memorable win for the Browns.
Divisional Round
Saturday, January 16
(1) Packers 32-18 over (6) Rams: This was a one-score in the fourth quarter, but then Aaron Rodgers blew it open with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard that put Green Bay up two scores with just seven minutes left to play. The long scoring throw was part of a big game for Rodgers, who not only threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns, but he also rushed for another touchdown.
(2) Buffalo 17-3 over (6) Baltimore: The Bills are headed to their first AFC title game since 1993 and they have their defense to thank for that. Not only did they hold the high-powered Ravens to just three points, but Taron Johnson came up with the biggest play of the game when he picked off Lamar Jackson and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown in the second half.
Sunday, January 17
(1) Kansas City 22-17 over (6) Cleveland: The Chiefs jumped out to a 19-3 lead and then hung on for dear life in the second half after Patrick Mahomes went out with a concussion. With Mahomes out, the Chiefs turned to Chad Henne, who made several huge plays down the stretch, including a fourth-and-1 conversion from his own 48-yard line with just 80 seconds left that iced the game.
(5) Buccaneers 30-20 over (2) Saints: In what might have been the final game of Drew Brees’ storied career, the Saints quarterback played a game that definitely won’t be making it on to his career highlight reel. Brees threw three interceptions as the Saints turned the ball over four times in the 10-point loss.
Championship Sunday
Sunday, January 24
NFC Championship Game
(5) Buccaneers 31-26 over (1) Packers: After shooting out to a 28-10 lead, it looked like the Buccaneers were going to collapse, but Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t let that happen. Things got interesting in the second half after Tom Brady threw three interceptions in a span of seven plays, but the Packers weren’t really able to capitalize as they only managed six points on the three possessions. Although Brady struggled at times, he was good early, throwing three TD passes to help propel Tampa Bay to the win.
AFC Championship Game, 6:40 p.m. ET (CBS)
(1) Chiefs 38-21 over (2) Bills: The Chiefs spotted the Bills a 9-0 lead and then absolutely dominated after that. Patrick Mahomes had his way with the Bills defense, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. The Bills also had no answers for Chiefs’ stars Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, who both went off, combining for 290 receiving yards.
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