Superbowl Predictions

Two teams. One winner. And more than 100 million people tuned in to watch this annual, sacred championship of the sports world. This is the Super Bowl. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming straight from winning the NFC Championship game.  In that contest, the greatest quarterback of all-time, Tom Brady, matched up against a possible league MVP, Aaron Rodgers. These stellar quarterbacks had a great fight, and the game was highly entertaining. In the end, though, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled ahead to a Super Bowl berth. 

The Kansas City Chiefs vanquished their opponent, the Buffalo Bills, in the AFC championship. The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl Champions, having won in blowout fashion against the Buffalo Bills last year. The central reason for the success the Chiefs have experienced is their exceptional roster. In last year’s Super Bowl, the relatively inexperienced Buffalo Bills couldn’t even mount an adequate defense. The Chiefs are led by one of the fastest wide receivers in the league, Tyreek Hill, and one of the most skilled quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes.

But my prediction is that Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will prevail and become our 2021 Super Bowl Champions! The first and most vital reason for my prediction is the level of experience and championship prowess the Buccaneers can leverage. The Buccaneers are being led by the most feared and respected quarterback in the game, Tom Brady. He has competed in nine Super Bowls and won six of those, both feats which stand as NFL records. The guy can’t even fit all of his rings on one hand. Tom Brady’s ability to win a Super Bowl is unmatched.

Second, Tom Brady led the New England Patriots, his former team, to the Super Bowl numerous times with rosters that were below par. This year, he can rely on the accomplished running back Leonard Fornette, along with three phenomenal wide receivers––Mike Evans, Chris Goodwin, and Scotty Miller. In addition to this versatile roster, Tom Brady has his longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski with him on offense, and Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in history. Tom Brady has the most talented team he has ever been with to a Super Bowl and he will certainly capitalize on the talent of this roster. If he could lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins, he can surely lead this multifacetedBuccaneers team to a ring.

Another key factor that dictates team performance is home advantage. No team has ever competed in a Super Bowl in its home stadium. But, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first NFL team to enter a Super Bowl with this advantage. As every athlete knows, playing at your home field, in a familiar climate, and backed by thousands of fans increases performance. While home-field advantage has held less of an influence this season in light of the pandemic, 25,000 fans will still attend the Super Bowl this year, and many of them will likely support the Buccaneers. 

The final factors I’d like to consider are the determination and tenacity of this season’s Buccaneers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of a long Super Bowl drought: 18 years. After winning the Super Bowl last year, the Kansas City Chiefs appear complacent and overconfident. The Buccaneers play with more conviction, without a doubt. I believe the Buccaneers want to win this game more than the Chiefs do, and every factor appears to have fallen in their favor. The Buccaneers are in the Super Bowl for the first time in nearly two decades, it’s taking place at their home stadium, and they’ll have many of the 25,000 fans in that stadium cheering for them. Plus, they have Tom Brady and the strongest roster that they have ever fielded.

I expect we’ll see Tom Brady win his seventh ring on Sunday and earn the respect and gratitude of every sports fan in Tampa Bay.

By Avner Belsky