Tom King

Yes, the question has been asked a couple of times this week, “Who’s going to win Sunday?”

The response is pretty simple: We all do, along with the NFL.

We’ve reached Super Bowl Sunday, which is something we never thought in this pandemic world we’d see on this date. There was all sorts of speculation the NFL would have trouble getting through the season as scheduled, would have to finish late, then move the Super Bowl to late February or early March.

Nope. If a team had to play the game scheduled for the previous weekend as late as a Wednesday – like Pittsburgh – then that’s what would have to happen. It worked.

So here we are, Super Bowl Weekend/Sunday, in Tampa, Florida. The NFL is thrilled. They will have some 25,000 fans, including four New Hampshire vaccinated health care workers as part of the 7,500 the league is sponsoring for the game.

And the league gets the match-up of Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes, which for the NFL is a dream come true. It conjures up memories of that epic AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and the Chiefs two years ago. The two QBs have faced each other four previous times

Certainly it’s still a different Super Bowl, with all the activities, etc. during the week leading up to the game kept to a minimum.

But now the focus is on the field for the final time in the 2020 season, a season unlike any other, and here’s what we see:

We see a Chiefs team that’s in trouble.

Here’s why. They will be without their starting offensive tackles, Eric Fisher on the left side and Mitchell Schwartz on the right side. Fisher tore his Achilles late in the AFC title game, and Schwartz has back issues.

What’s the best part of the Tampa Bay defense? The pass rush, led by former Giant Jason Pierre Paul. Ask Brady what it’s like to face a team with a great pass rush in a Super Bowl (See losses to Giants).

Now granted, Mahomes is often a magician when it comes to mobility. That usually translates to a wide open Travis Kelce and, well, you know the rest.

Now, if Mahomes can’t escape the pressure, the Chiefs might want to call the bluff of the Tampa blitz and run the ball. If that happens, Mahomes could have a field day.

On the Tampa side, Brady has been effective, not explosive. He’s going up against a so-so Chiefs defense that is coached by Steve Spagnualo, who sicked the Giants pass rush on Brady some 13 years ago, ruining New England’s perfect season.

But the Bucs have a running game. Leonard Fournette & Co. are going to have to play a major role if Tampa is to have a chance to win.

So we say, like most Kansas City games against good teams, it comes down to the final 15 minutes. Turnovers, mistakes.

So here we go. Now the disclaimer is, as of this writing, there hasn’t been any COVID-related issue that takes any of the main players out of it. So, given things as they were at mid-week, here it is.

Final score: Tampa Bay 27, Kansas City 23.

Brady wins. So do we all.

Except maybe Bill Belichick.

LAST WEEK: 0-2

PLAYOFFS: 8-4

REGULAR SEASON: 80-38

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on Twitter (@Telegraph_TomK).

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