11/05/24
January 24, 2021
Tom Brady Leads Buccaneers to Super Bowl 0x37: After the Green Bay Packers kicked a field goal on fourth-and-goal to go down by 5 with 2:05 remaining, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers never gave the ball back in a 31-26 upset victory to advance to Super Bowl 0x37. Tom Brady had the Bucs up 28-10 in the third but threw three interceptions to give Aaron Rodgers a chance for a comeback. The Bucs will be playing the game at their home stadium in Tampa.
This has been Jerry Jones' long held dream - his own team playing for the title in his own stadium.
No one has said a ton about the Bucs 2020 rostering, but the people they've been continuously adding have paid off. Fournette, Antonio, Gronk, Brady. Before them it was folks like Suh and JPP. Not everyone can forge cohesive units out of assortments of established talent.
Whoops, almost forgot they grabbed Josh Rosen too.
Bucs are the designated home team. If they buy into the prior Pats / Broncos wisdom, they'll choose their road white uniforms and make the AFC team wear their dark home sets.
Brady did not look optimal executing Arians' insistence on the deep downfield ball - but he did throw the devastating TD to Scotty Miller at the end of the first half.
If the Bills win their game, they would be going back to Tampa 30 years after their first Super Bowl appearance.
posted by beaverboard at 08:00 PM on January 24, 2021
I thought the refs in the NFC game were horrible. "Letting them play" is ridiculous for a conference championship game as by the end there were multiple (uncalled) penalties on every play.
posted by billsaysthis at 08:17 PM on January 24, 2021
Tom Brady had built a nice narrative for blowing that game with the three late picks. It seems a little weird to be celebrating him now.
posted by rcade at 08:41 PM on January 24, 2021
Every year that the NFL threatens to become enjoyable ("Wow, three teams I don't hate made the semifinals, including the three best teams in the league this year! What could go wrong??), they snatch it back with some awful narrative-based shenanigans. Another Super Bowl I'll be skipping.
posted by Goyoucolts at 09:01 PM on January 24, 2021
That Fournette 20-yard touchdown was what the Jags expected to get picking him fourth overall. His playoff performance has been much better than I expected. He's been inferior to Ronald Jones throughout the regular season and seemed completely blind to holes opened up for him.
posted by rcade at 09:30 PM on January 24, 2021
Between the Lightning's Stanley Cup, the Rays' trip to the World Series, and now the Bay Buccaneers going to the Super Bowl (In their house!), it has been a truly exceptional year for sports in Tampa.
posted by bender at 10:01 AM on January 25, 2021
And the U. Tampa lacrosse teams are highly ranked in Division II. Men ranked #1 and women ranked in top 10.
posted by beaverboard at 10:35 AM on January 25, 2021
(Bay Lightning)
posted by NoMich at 11:08 AM on January 25, 2021
Still not buying the Bucs but they managed to do enough well against GB: got some huge running plays when they needed and focused their passing game on their best receivers (except Fournette who dropped twice as many balls as he caught). Limiting looks to Gronk, and Brown when he plays, is their best approach. I don't give them much chance against KC if Arians continues to let Brady toss up wounded ducks in a tight game. Will say that route and throw to end the first half was pretty, but for the most part any throw over 15 yards looked like a prayer for a pass interference call at best.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:17 AM on January 25, 2021
Following up: the Bucs managed to beat Washington (2), New Orleans(4), and Green Bay(9) with defensive rankings in (). That is crazy impressive. The Chiefs are ranked 16th with their rush defense being the weakest facet. Truly the key to beating the Chiefs is to run the ball and to keep Mahomes off the field. The Bills game provides evidence of what happens if you give the Chiefs, Mahomes, and Andy opportunities on offense.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:39 PM on January 25, 2021
The narrative that keeps crossing my mind is Brady looking across the field into the gleaming eyes of Chiefs' DC Spagnuolo. "So we meet again, compadre..."
For the amount of money KC is paying Frank Clark, Spags should sneak a little gunpowder into his coffee on game day to get their pass rush jacked up to its utmost.
Two notable things about the Chiefs' run to the title last year: 1) They replaced virtually the entire defensive coaching staff going into the season, from the DC on down 2) It took that staff a while to get their feet on the ground, and at one point the team was bumping along at 6-4. But after their bye week, their defense suddenly morphed into a high octane championship caliber unit.
Give Spagnuolo a couple of weeks to game plan and get his people motivated, and the KC defense might turn in a good showing against the Bucs.
posted by beaverboard at 10:33 AM on January 26, 2021
Brady is 2-0 in Championship games when he throws three picks. Checkmate, atheists.
posted by yerfatma at 08:05 PM on January 26, 2021
Ugh. Pewter and crimson in the Super Bowl? Boring *and* ugly. I was really looking forward to a green/gold vs red/gold. /sigh another boring Super Bowl to look at.