The Kansas City Chiefs struggled to get their offense going, and it cost them Sunday night in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady threw for three scores in the first half to help propel Tampa Bay to their second Super Bowl win as a franchise, handing the previously defending champion Chiefs a 31-9 defeat. Brady earns his record-extending seventh Super Bowl championship, and his first with the Buccaneers.
On top of his three touchdowns, Brady completed 21-of-29 of his passes for 201 yards with no interceptions. Brady was named the Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time in his career, another record-extender for him.
Buccaneers tight end, and Western New York native Rob Gronkowski was Tampa Bay's most productive receiver, pulling in six receptions for 67 yards and Tampa Bay's first two touchdowns. Gronkowski celebrates his fourth Super Bowl win of his career, and his first with the Buccaneers too.
Up 21-6 at the half after Brady's third touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown, the Buccaneers extended their lead by running the football. Running back Leonard Fournette punched in a 27-yard rushing score to push Tampa Bay's lead to 28-9.
Fournette got 16 carries for 89 yards, while running back Ronald Jones II racked up 61 yards of his own and helped to combine for 145 rushing yards for Tampa Bay's offense.
The Chiefs began the game with a field goal for their only lead of the game and never really recovered after the Buccaneers scored their first touchdown. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 26-of-49 passes for 270 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce struggled early in the game, being held to just three catches for 24 yards in the first half. He ended up with 10 receptions for 133 yards.
Down 28-9 in the third quarter, following Fournette's touchdown, Mahomes attempted to get the Chiefs back into the game on the next drive, but he tossed his first interception to Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. trying to find receiver Tyreek Hill.
Hill caught seven passes for 73 yards on the night.
On the following drive, Tampa Bay extended their lead to 31-9 with a Ryan Succop field goal.
Kansas City got the ball back three times after that, but the Chiefs turned the ball over on downs twice before their third and final possession. With little chance for a comeback at 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, Mahomes scrambled right before trying to force a throw to Kelce. The ball ended up being tipped up in the air and picked off by Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, who knelt it down for a touchback in the end zone.
With their win at Raymond James Stadium, the Buccaneers became the first team to ever win a Super Bowl played in their home stadium.
