Super Bowl LV: Kansas City Chiefs 9-31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – as it happened (2024)

Final thoughts

Well, the game could have been more exciting, the whole thing basically turned into a coronation by the fourth quarter, but you can’t say that it wasn’t eventful. There’s a lot to say about today’s game and we’ll be talking about it over the next few days here at the Guardian. This is, however, the end of our live coverage of Super Bowl LV. For a succinct summary of Super Bowl LV, be sure to read through the Guardian’s game report linked at the bottom of this update. Thanks to everybody who followed along with our coverage today, particularly those who contributed. Ciao!

Tom Brady wins MVP

And here we have the trophy presentation. We go through the owners and head coach Bruce Arinas, but we all know who the man of the hour is.

Tom Brady is up and, in the least shocking moment of the day, is awarded his fifth Super Bowl MVP award.

Okay, there was absolutely no way I wasn’t going to post that Onion tweet. To be serious for a second, it should be reminded that this actually isn’t all about Tom Brady. The Buccaneers were able to lure Brady away from the Patriots and they built a whole team around him to maximize what they could get out of the veteran. In excahge, they won the second Super Bowl in team history.

True. Being rich is essential a superpower.

Patrick Mahomes

In the battle between youth and experience, experience was the clear victory. Despite a few thrilling moments, Mahomes wasn’t his usual self and he was the victim of a few slips by his receivers. A lot of this has to do with the Tampa Bay defense, obviously, but you could definitely see that Brady’s calm, methodicaly approach was the difference between the two quarterbacks.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady probably didn’t need another ring to solidify his status as the best quarterback of all time, but it does pretty much quiet all arguments for the time being. The fact that he could do it as his age and in his first year with a new team was even more impressive.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, FINAL

And that will do it, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haved defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV!

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 1:40, 4^th quarter

Mahomes’s throw is intercepted by Duke White and that is going to do it here.

Brady will now have more championship rings than the New England Patriots. That’s going to be the next argument: can the Patriots win without Brady?

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 2:00, 4^th quarter

The Chiefs are methodically going up the field but it’s basically a long march to nowhere at this point. The Chiefs get to the Tampa Bay 25 right before we hit the two minute warning.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 3:41, 4^th quarter

The Chiefs are here and they’re really just playing for pride/to possibly screw up betting lines.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 3:41, 4^th quarter

The Buccaneers go three and out. Why is that important? Honestly it’s not, really.

The analysis here from the commentators is that eight Super Bowl wins are different from seven.

Thanks for that.

Are the Chiefs really going to be held touchdown-less here? Who had that in their pool?

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 4:08, 4^th quarter

And Mahomes takes a huge hit from Suh on 2^nd & 20. It’s 3^rd & 33 now and that’s far from ideal. Hill goes on a long run but he’s still ten yards short. 4^th & 33, Mahomes tries to connect on a long one but Tampa Bay breaks up the play. There’s a taunting call here on Tampa Bay but it doesn’t really matter because it’s still a turnover on downs.

We are basically done here.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 5:09, 4^th quarter

It’s 1^st and 10 for the Chiefs. Nope, sorry, make that 1^st & 20 after a holding penalty. Mahomes tires to find Kelce again but the long throw is incomplete. They’re at the Tampa Bay 37 here.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 5:43, 4^th quarter

Here’s a roughing the passer penalty on the Bucs, so the Chiefs have a first down here. He goes to Kelce, his most reliable target right now, who gives him 12 yards. They’re at the Tampa Bay 40. Mahomes throws two more incompletions. On 3^rd and 1, Mahomes gets Hill for a first down, but the hourglass is running out of sand.

Roger Kirkby:

The only way the chiefs can win this is if CBS cut away from the game and stick the Heidi movie on.

Quite possibly.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 7:44, 4^th quarter

Here’s Ndamukong Suh making an appearance by sacking Mahomes for a loss of eight yards. If he thought the defense was going to let up here because of the lopsided score, he’s got another thing coming.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 8:06, 4^th quarter

The punt’s a fairly good one, pinning the Chiefs to their own 7 yard line. Mahomes finds Kelce for a 33 yard gain.

Another take on Tom Brady, who is this much closer to a thoroughly untouchable record.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 8:06, 4^th quarter

This is certainly smart football albeit not really entertaining football. Fournette picks up four yards and then Brady gets it to Brate for another six yards. That’s yet another first down, he’s picked up a ridiculous number of them. Fournette picks up an additional yard. It’s 3^rd and 1 and Brady throws to Gronk and finally, finally it’s a fourth down situation for the Bucs. They, of course, will punt.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 10:59, 4^th quarter

1^st & 10, it’s Jones again for eight more yards. They’re going to start devouring clock right about now. 2^nd & 2, Jones gives them four. The longer their on the field the better, they don’t want to give Mahomes a single extra second.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 13:00, 4^th quarter

Here is the time for the Bucs running backs to shine. It’s 1^st & 10 at their own 12. Jones picks up four yards on first down and another seven that will take them to the Tampa Bay 23 and, more importantly, will give them another first down to play around with.

Email from Gary J Byrne:

Evening Hunter,

Is it safe for Tom Brady to go to Disney World during a deadly global pandemic?

Cheers,Gary

It’s probably open but lord knows that I wouldn’t do it if I were him.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 13:32, 4^th quarter

4^th and 9 and Mahomes almost makes a spectacular play. He scrambles for a long while and then lets it fly while he’s in the process of falling and, my lord, Williams almost, ALMOST, caught the darn thing. One of the most impressive incompletions you’ll see in your life but it only results in a turnover on downs.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 13:43, 4^th quarter

Mahomes finds Kelce for a 17 yard gain that takes them to the Tampa Bay 12. Kansas City has something brewing here. Edwards-Helaire grabs another yard. It’s 2^nd and 9 for Kansas City. Mahomes throws two straight incompletions. 4^th and 9 at the Tampa Bay 11 and the Chiefs definitely have to go for it here to have any hope of winning this game. Chiefs take a timeout.

Email from Yas K:

Title: Fourth quarter Chiefs

Last year Chiefs won last quarter 21-0 though 10 adrift. Mahomes will spring to life.

Well, that’s what you’re hoping for here if you’re the Chiefs. While it’s not dark yet, it’s getting there.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, end of the 3^rd quarter

Mahomes throws incomplete. 2^nd & 15. Time for a big play here and Mahomes gets it, getting the ball to Hill for a 21-yard gain. Another first down which takes them to the Tampa Bay 29 which is where they will start the fourth quarter, after another incompletion.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 1:25, 3^rd quarter

Mahomes gets the ball to Edwards-Helaire, a gain of five yard. 2^nd & 5, the combo try it again. It’s a 7 yard gain and another first down. Then the Chiefs commit another penaty, this one’s a false start that will push them back five more yards.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 2:35, 3^rd quarter

There’s less than three minutes left in the third quarter and the Chiefs have yet to score a single touchdown. This is very, very unexpected. Pinion’s kick goes into te end zone for a touchdown. On the next play, Mahomes tries to remedy the touchdown system right away, it’s a long throw to nowhere but he draws a defensive holding call on the Bucs for a first down.

Chiefs 9-31 Buccaneers, 2:46, 3^rd quarter

On 3^rd & 1, Jones gets the ball again and gets two more yards and that’s another first down. Brady’s not missing his targets. 1^st & 10 at the Kansas City 19, Brady goes for the end zone, but it’s noting doing. 2^nd & 1, Brady throws to Godwin, but that’s also incomplete. They’re stopped again on 3^rd & 10 so they settle for a Succop field goal. The 52 yarder is good and the Bucs extend the lead.

Chiefs 9-28 Buccaneers, 4:57, 3^rd quarter

Brady’s back on the field. He hits Fournette who picks up 15 yards. That’s another first down. Brady goes with Fournette again, this is right about when the running game is going to become key for Tampa Bay. The clock and the lead make that the wisest decision. 2^nd & 4, Jones grabs 2 yards.

Email from Ian Johnston:

Whatever the sport, if the penalty is technically a penalty but is of a degree that is often ignored then the penalised team only has themselves to blame. You can only claim to be hard done by if there is no sign of foul play whatsoever. Chiefs are getting owned by a team playing the right side of the line.

Yeah at this point it’s beoming clear that they’re just being outplayed here and time is not on their side.

Chiefs 9-28 Buccaneers, 6:20, 3^rd quarter

Pringle takes the kickoff to the Kansas City 25. On 1^st & 10, Edwards-Helaire picks up another three yards. On 2nd & 7… oh man, Mahomes gets sacked by Shaq Barrett for a loss of six yards. 3^rd & 13, Mahomes throws deep and this is trouble. Tampa Bay’s Antonie Winfield intercepts the throw and takes it to the Kansas City 45. There’s a holding penalty on the Chiefs but the Bucs wisely decide to decline it.

The echelon quarterbacks get calls. Mahomes will be there very shortly, I have to think.

At this point, however, it’s starting to feel like the fault isn’t entirely in the officiating for the Chiefs.

Fournette picks up 4 yards on first down. 2^nd & 6. Brady finds Gronk and they connect yet again, it’s like they never spent any time apart. The Buccaneers are on the 27, but only for a brief note, because there’s Fournette one more time and he’s got it into the end zone for another Tampa Bay touchdown. This is in danger of getting out of hand.

The extra point is good, of course.

Chiefs 9-21 Buccaneers, 9:55, 3^rd quarter

The Bucs start at their own 26. Fournette picks up a few yards. 2^nd & 7, Brady finds Browns for an additional 3. It’s 3^rd & 4 here and… there’s a big gain from the running back, it’s 12 yards to the Tampa Bay 44.

Commercials: a wizened Wayne & Garth return to remind us all of our mortality.

Chiefs 9-21 Buccaneers, 11:31, 3^rd quarter

1^st & 10, Mahomes finds Kelce for an eight yard gain. Edwards-Helaire gets another 10 yards. 1^st and 10 once more, Williams gets 3 yards. 2^nd & 7, Mahomes throws to Hardman but Hardman doesn’t pick up an yards. After an incomplete pass, Kansas City settles for another field goal and another three points. That’s great, but they can’t afford to keep answering touchdowns with field goals.

Chiefs 6-21 Buccaneers, 14:54, 3^rd quarter

The Chiefs have the ball out of halftime, which is why they deferred in the first place. The Chiefs start on their own 19 after returning the opening kick. On 1^st & 10, Edwards-Helaire picks up a nice chunk of yardage, 26 of them in all.

The analysts have asked how the Chiefs can get back into this game and their answer, the correct one, is just one word: Mahomes.

The Weeknd’s performance has just added to the paranoid air surrounding this Super Bowl, so how about some more conspiracy talk.

Email from Nick Porritt:

I do not know if there is a conspiracy but if the game was fixed, it would look a lot like this. Not just penalties but the inexplicable KC timeouts seemingly designed to give Brady time to score a TD at the end of the half.

I have no idea what I just watched.

Previously on The Umbrella Academy

And my Buccaneers fan brother checks in with us at the half here.

Now that Brady is no longer a Patriot I can come here: the dude gets a ridiculous number of calls. It’s just how it all works.

Meanwhile. the Weekend show now officially has strong “Eyes Wide Shut” vibes.

The Weeknd is doing a medley here of his hits, including “Can’t Feel My Face.” I have seen a lot of Super Bowl halftime performances in my life, so I feel confident when I say that that this is the best song about doing cocaine that has ever been sung at a Super Bowl halftime show.

This pretty much sums it up: we’re looking at a very consequential half of football here.

We’re at the halftime ceremony already? The time has been flying by.

For the best possible coverage of the Weeknd, you probably want to check out the Guardian’s supplemental Super Bowl liveblog which covers all the non-football stuff going on.

Henry C opens up a can of worms:

When Brady wins a Superbowl how many penalties does his team get in their favour? Are there any conspiracy theories?

Here’s the other side of the penalties: the officiating at least looks a little bit lopsided which means it’s time for one of my favorite things in all of sports: conspiracy talk.

Halftime thoughts

Here’s the thing: the Chiefs are very much in a bad spot here. That’s pretty obvious. The good news is that there is no other team better built for mounting second half comebacks. The Tampa Bay defense is not going to limit them to field goals in the second half.

The bigger problem here is the penalties, they have given Brady just too many opportunities.

Chiefs 6-21 Buccaneers, end of the first half

And the Chiefs don’t have any time to do anything else as the first half comes to an end. I can’t say I was expecting this kind of start from Tampa Bay.

Are you kidding me? Brady throws one away, it looks uncatchable to me but it doesn’t matter. There’s another defensive pass interference call. This is the worst possible outcome here for Kansas City: On the Kansas City 1, Brady finds Antonio Brown for the third and presumably final Tampa Bat touchdown of the half. Also, there’s an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Matthieu.

Chiefs 6-14 Buccaneers, 0:13, 2^nd quarter

It’s 1^st & 10 at the Kansas City 24. Fournette gets the ball and takes to the Kansas City 9. And we have a battle of the time outs as Tampa Bay and Kansas City give us back-to-back TOs.

Chiefs 6-14 Buccaneers, 0:24, 2^nd quarter

Tampa Bay’s next possession starts at the Tampa Bay 28. Fournette gets the ball but can’t get anywhere. The Chiefs take a timeout. Out of that Brad throws to Chris Godwin for an eight-yard gain. Chiefs take another timeout. On the net one, Brady throws a long one that’s incomplete but it doesn’t matters. There’s a defensive pass interference call here that will hand them a first down.

Email from Henry C:

10:55 fumble?

Was that third down officially a fumble? It looked as though it was knocked out of the player’s hands. Can you clarify please.

It’s officially in the box score as a fumble and a recovery for Tampa Bay.

Chiefs 6-14 Buccaneers, 1:04, 2^nd quarter

Mahomes throws to Hill but the Tampa Bay defense continues to give Hill fits. “The don’t want to let him beat him,” one of the announcers says. It’s 2^nd and 11 and Mahomes goes to Kelce again. Kelce gives his quarterback a good five yards. Now it’s 3^rd and 6 and Mahomes tries to go deep again but it’s destination nowhere. They will settle for another field goal, which ends up being good. Points are great, they beat nothing, but this feels like a huge squandered opportunity for KC.

Patriots Fans Trying To Figure Out How They’re Feeling Right Now Department