How to Watch Buccaneers and Chiefs in Super Bowl 55; Gametime, TV, Point Spread
TAMPA, Fla. – Tom Brady has been around forever, so you'd think the great quarterback has seen it all. But Sunday night is a night of all sorts of first in Super Bowl LV.
First off, the game is being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., and Brady and his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the first team to ever play the Super Bowl game in its own stadium. They'll take on the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs
This is Brady's 10th Super Bowl, which no one else has ever done before either. But it's his first with Tampa Bay, who signed him last spring.
Another first is that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Brady finished 1-2 in passing yards per game this season. This is the first Super Bowl that's ever had this kind of pairing.
There's no doubt the quarterbacks will be the focal point of this game, the greatest of all-time and the young gun who's chasing that same greatness.
Here's how to watch the Kansas City Chiefs' game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- WHAT: Super Bowl LV game between the NFC No. 5-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the AFC No. 1-seed Kansas City Chiefs.
- WHEN: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET.
- WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.
- POINT SPREAD: Kansas City was favored by 3 points at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, according to the DraftKings.com gambling website. It has stayed steady throughout the game buildup, though some Tampa Bay bettors did book it at 3.5 early last week for a day or so. We will keep you updated on line movement throughout the day. The over/under has remained steady at 56.
- TV: CBS
- Stream: CBS Sports and CBS All Access; ESPN; NFL; Yahoo
- TV Announcers: Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Tony Romo (color). Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn (sideline reporters), Gene Steratore (rules analyst).
- RECORDS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-5); Kansas City Chiefs (16-2)
- HOW THE BUCCANEERS GOT HERE: Tampa Bay beat Washington 31-23 in the wild-card round and then upset the New Orleans Saints 30-20 in the divisional round. In the NFC Championship Game, the Bucs defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-26. The Bucs won all three games on the road, and are just the fifth wild-card teams since 2000 to reach the Super Bowl.
- HOW THE CHIEFS GOT HERE:, Kansas City beat Cleveland 22-17 in the divisional round, hanging on despite an injury to quarterback Patrick Mahomes that forced v eteran Chad Henne into duty. The Chiefs then beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game, winning 38-24.
- ALL-TIME SERIES: The Buccaneers lead the series 7-6.
- LAST MEETING: The two teams met on Nov. 29 this season in Tampa, and the Chiefs rushed out to a fast lead but then hung on to win 27-24. Tyreke Hill had a huge game for the Chiefs, making 13 catches for 269 yards. Mahomes threw for 462 yards. Tom Brady threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns for the Bucs.
- COACHES: The Bucs are coached by Bruce Arians, who is 76-47-1 in the regular season as a head coach with the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and now the Buccaneers. This is his second year with the Bucs. He has a 4-2 playoff record, and has won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach. Kansas City is coached by Andy Reid, who is in his 22 seasons as an NFL head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and now the Chiefs. He was a 221-130-1 regular season record, the fifth-most wins in league history, and is 17-14 in the playoffs. He won his first Super Bowl title last year.
Here are my five keys to the game:
1. Which quarterback has the edge?
Patrick Mahomes was the big winner in the first meeting this season, passing for 462 yards in the Chiefs' 27-24 win in Tampa in Week 12. But this is a new deal now, playing Brady in a Super Bowl where he's always at his best.
It's hard to ever bet against Mahomes, but let's remember that during these playoffs, he's had to deal with a concussion and a foot injury. He's had two weeks to heal, which is helpful, but he's also playing this game without his two tackles, and the Buccaneers' pass rush has been outstanding during the playoffs.
The Chiefs like to sit in the pocket and take shots downfield, but they might need to speed things up Sunday night. If the Bucs can take away their big-play threats, they could be in trouble. And Brady, he's Brady. I expect him to be steady and precise, and pick apart the Chiefs defense in the red zone. They are LAST in the league in touchdowns allowed in the red zone. That's just teeing it up for Brady.
2. Home field advantage
For the first time ever, a team is playing the Super Bowl in its home stadium, and that's a really big deal in this pandemic era. The Bucs have slept in their own beds all week, haven't had to travel and aren't out of their element one bit.
Because of COVID, there was no weeklong Super Bowl hype in the host city. So the Chiefs have been home in the cold and didn't even get to Tampa until Saturday. The weather, expected to be sunny and in the low 70s all day, certainly favors the Buccaneers. It will be in the high 60s at kickoff, with a light northwest wind and no precipitation expected.
3. Crowd noise a factor, too
Both teams have played most of the season in empty or near-empty stadiums, but on Sunday night there will be around 25,000 fans in the stands at Raymond James Stadium. Because of proximity and COVID restrictions, there will be far more Bucs fans in the stands that Chiefs fans.
That could really become an issue with snap counts, and momentum. It's also a big deal from a comfort level with the Bucs, who played all three of their playoff games on the road. Having a crowd behind them now should give them a big boost.
4. Which defensive stars step up?
The spotlight, obviously, is on all the offensive weapons in the game, but it will be some defensive star who makes the difference. That's usually how it works. So who steps up to turn the tables?
For the Chiefs, they need to stop the run and get Brady on his backside quite a bit. But that's easier said than done. Brady is 43 years old and not the least bit athletic, but he has unparalleled pocket presence. Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark wants to be that difference-maker, but he knows it's not easy. Brady has only been sacked once in each of the past two playoff games.
“Me and Chris Jones talk about it all the time. I think Chris missed a sack because he shimmied his shoulders some kind of way. Chris completely missed him, and he was like, ‘Man, I don’t know how I missed Tom Brady.’ It’s noting against him, but he’s not an escape artist. But it’s like — honestly sometimes he’s just as good as Deshaun Watson (in not getting hit.) And you watch Tom Brady in that pocket man and sometimes you can’t tell the difference. You can’t.”
For the Bucs, it's defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett, who can get sacks but also be quick enough to contain Mahomes as needed. With Kansas City's tackles out, they could flip the script in a hurry.
5. And who wins this one?
Kansas City is favored by a field goal right now, and if we're factoring in home field, maybe the experts think they are a touchdown better.
I love watching Mahomes play, and I think he is terrific. He won me a fantasy football title two years ago. But this is Tom Brady, and there seems to be some magic going on with the Buccaneers and Brady.
He's already knocked off Alex Smith, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers during these playoffs, and all of them on the road no less. In the comforts of home, I think the Buccaneers get it done here, too. I think those Chiefs' tackles being out makes the difference.
Final score: Buccaneers 34, Chiefs 28
